A Londoner has raised over £4,000 to help a Jamaican school rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
Recruiter, Shakir Muhammad from North-West London, is close to hitting his fundraising target of £4.5k which will go towards supporting the recovery of a primary school in his family’s rural hometown, Cambridge, ten miles from Montego Bay.
The money raised from the gofundme appeal page ‘Support Cambridge Primary School After Hurricane Melissa’ will help the school rebuild their roof – parts of which were blown off, leaving six classrooms out of use – and replace damaged equipment enabling the children to resume their learning.
The category five storm, the worst Jamaica had seen in 37 years, made landfall on the 28th October with 252 mph winds and flash flooding.
The extreme weather destroyed vital infrastructure, homes, roads and farmland, which proved especially devastating to the Western regions of the island.
Muhammad spent childhood summers visiting his grandfather’s land in Ducketts, near Cambridge, and the love he developed for its community ‘defined by resilience, warmth, and an unshakeable spirit’ inspired his community-focused fundraiser.
Muhammed said: “You know what they say charity starts at home and Cambridge is home.”
The 31-year-old highlighted the integral role that schools serve as places of ‘refuge’ in communities like Cambridge, where many already disadvantaged children have lost their homes and possessions.
Schools in such areas provide much needed stability, even now pupils can expect a hot meal and a ‘roof’ over their heads in the day, but ultimately education is an opportunity for them to ‘uplift their families and better shape their futures.’
The school and the surrounding town were badly hit and left without power for weeks, but inspite of that they remain hopeful.
Muhammed said: “I think a lot of people just feel fortunate enough to still be here just given the speed of the wind and the debris being flown around in the air.“
Instead of relying on traditional charities – which can fall short in terms of transparency and who’s aid is concentrated in more populated areas – Muhammad took on the responsibility of providing a grassroots community focused response.
He said: “When you send money to a charity you never really quite know who its gonna reach.”
When the hurricane hit, Muhammad and family members first response was to organise shipments of barrels (large plastic or metal drums) containing essentials such as toiletries, solar panels, battery packs, tarpaulin, water purification tablets, duct tape and gloves.
They started with two to three barrels but then, thanks to the generosity of friends, eventually packed six.
Muhammad and family extended their efforts, using the charity donations at their grandmother’s funeral as an opportunity to fundraise for the Cambridge community.
Through a family friend, Eliva Waites, they discovered that the local primary school, once attended by his mum, was badly damaged.
They decided the best way to have a direct impact in the area would be to ‘help a school get back up on their feet’ and ‘it would hopefully have a ripple effect within the area.’
Eventually they hope to help the school raise enough money for a concrete roof, a permanent alternative to Zinc which will be better able to withstand extreme weather in the future.
The appeal page links to a video filmed on Muhammad’s recent trip in December offering transparency to donors and documenting the town and school in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Jamaica has a large diaspora, and the UK is home to the second largest population of Jamaican descendants, many of whom reside in London and – like Muhammad – have been engaged in supporting relief efforts by gathering resources and sending money.
Though the news headlines have quietened, and resort vacations have resumed on the ground ordinary Jamaicans are still in need of aid and support and Muhammad hopes that people here continue to help those abroad ‘no matter how big or small’ that help is, it can make a difference.
If you’d like to support the fundraiser, you can contribute here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-cambridge-schools-after–melissa?attribution_id=sl:03a04fdb-6aa0-4127-bf12-7cb07beb30b4&lang=en_GB&ts=1767971699&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link
Featured image: Cambridge Primary School post hurricane with classrooms missing roofs and temporary tarpaulin over main building | Credit: Shakir Muhammad
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