JAMAICANS Abroad Helping Jamaicans at Home (JAHJAH) Foundation, after donating a vast amount of post-Hurricane Beryl relief supplies to schools and other entities such as Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), has turned its focus now on rebuilding five houses in St Elizabeth for people who had theirs destroyed during the natural disaster in July.
The foundation, through collaboration with Lowe’s store in Brooklyn, New York, received plywood, zinc, and other supplies that will go towards rebuilding these five houses for the indigent. It also secured partnership with community development specialist Jermaine Porter and the Rotary Club to identify the people who have the greatest need and whose situation is urgent.
Porter told Jamaica Observer of Monday that some of the people receiving the assistance are currently living in shelters and homes for the elderly.
“These houses are for senior citizens, people over the age of 60. They will get a one-bedroom house with bathroom facilities. We just want to make sure they are as comfortable as possible. A few of them received food packages but they would need further help in getting back a house — that is the kind of help that JAHJAH Foundation is rendering.
“Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of Jamaicans have been suffering and Hurricane Beryl pushed some of these families further into poverty, and so the contribution of JAHJAH Foundation was timely. I am very pleased.
“Dr Trevor Dixon, founder of JAHJAH Foundation, visited the island after Hurricane Beryl and we toured the communities where we identified some needy residents in Hodgesland, Hilltop in the Junction area, Vineyard, and Black River — all in St Elizabeth.
“Some of them are living in homes and shelters and so, after assessment with the Rotary Club of Savanna-la-Mar, they saw where the need was genuine and decided to render assistance. The building material is here; we did the measurements for these houses and they will be built out of plyboard — basically from scratch,” Porter said.
Last week the foundation donated hurricane relief supplies to institutions and individuals in the western end of the island, and founder Dr Dixon was adamant that without his donors and volunteers in the US, none of it would be possible. For their input, Dixon extended a big thank you to them in a recent interview with Jamaica Observer.
