URGENT – Support Treasure Beach After Hurricane Melissa

(This appeal will be live until Sunday 9th November)

On Tuesday, October 28th, Hurricane Melissa made landfall along Jamaica’s south coast as a devastating Category 5 storm — one of the most powerful to ever hit the island. The storm battered many parishes but particularly St Elizabeth Parish, with sustained winds, torrential rain, catastrophic flooding, landslides and up to 9–13 feet of storm surge along the south coast.

Our lessons and community-work at Likkle Swimmers take place in the Treasure Beach community on the south coast — a region now severely impacted: homes destroyed, electricity supplies cut off, roads and infrastructure damaged. There is a huge amount of flood damage. A second hurricane to hit the community within 16 months of the last, before many people even had the chance to finish rebuilding.

We are raising urgent funds to support our Likkle Swimmers charity staff in Treasure Beach as they rebuild their homes and lives — and to support the wider community through the BREDS Foundation, who are doing incredible work on the ground.

Our valued Likkle Swimmers team includes:

Drivers: Pete and Mario

Teachers: Javin, Shane, Freddy, Everton, Janoi, Dajay, Jonesia, Kelsie and Amy

Pool assistants: Rebecca, Shanna-Kay and Alex

Trustee: Beccy

Your donation will go directly toward:

- Rebuilding and repairing homes for our team and their families, helping restore roofs, walls, windows and safe living spaces, as well as their yards.

- Replacing destroyed or water-soaked mattresses, furniture and essential household items lost in the flood and wind damage.

- Helping our staff to help others, and to give them some funds as many will be out of jobs for a while now, and have very young families to look after.

- Supporting the wider community via the BREDS Foundation: helping families who’ve lost homes, supporting local rebuilding, and providing essential items to neighbours in need.

The people of Treasure Beach have always shown resilience and mutual support — now they need our help once again to recover from what many are calling a crisis of historic proportions. Your generosity will help restore stability, hope and comfort to those who have lost so much.

Please help us support our dedicated Likkle Swimmers team and the wider Treasure Beach community (which will include so many of our swimmers and their families). Every donation, large or small, will make a meaningful difference in helping lives rebuild.

Thank you for standing with Treasure Beach.

Charlotte and the Likkle Swimmers Team

Credit for pictures: Beccy Newman, Treasure Tours and Abbie Townsend

Photos from Treasure Beach, as well as Black River, the closest town 20 minutes away.