‘I JUST WANT TO HELP’

Debbie James, an author and educator and the only Jamaican living in the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, will be boarding a flight home today with bittersweet emotions.

Moved by the destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa late last year, James, who is originally from Morant Bay, St Thomas - and who is also the chairperson of the Media Trust, which oversees both radio and television in the Falkland Islands - managed to raise the equivalent of J$2 million there to aid one local family that lost their home in the storm.

The Falkland Islands are a remote, self-governing British Overseas Territory east of Patagonia. It consists of 778 islands, with a population of roughly 3,660, mostly located in the capital, Stanley. The islands are regarded as cool, windy and treeless, and have been contested by Argentina since 1833, leading to the 1982 war.

Since December 23 last year, James has been faced with several hurdles in Jamaica in her efforts to secure a container home for a family of two women and their seven children in Belle Isle, Westmoreland, one of the parishes hardest hit by the hurricane. The money was the product of several bake and food sales, as well as donations she spearheaded.

“Their (family’s) situation touched me because, when the hurricane came, it knocked some of the zinc off and the niece’s mom was in the room. She’s got mental health issues, and this further drove her into a deeper kind of depression; and the kids have not been back to school. It touched me because in other countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) and Falklands, you pay for nothing,” she said of the school environment in those countries.

“And when you look at all of that and realised there are people who do not have that opportunity to go to school and who have to pay for every single thing, I wanted to help,” she said, outlining a life-changing journey, migrating from Jamaica to teach in the UK in 2001, then moving to the Falkland Islands in 2019. There, she has worn several hats, and looks forward to one day serving politically once all her documents have been sorted out.

SHOCKED BY COSTS

Not only did the ill-fated family lose their home, but their furniture was also damaged, moving James to seek a container home for them which cost just under $4 million, she said.

“I was really flabbergasted at the amount for GCT. I had something sent to me from the company doing the imports, and I really did not realised that GCT in Jamaica was so much. This was $495,000, and all of that was in GCT alone, which is ridiculous,” she said, noting that as the family continues to pick up the pieces after the hurricane, her options are either to appeal for the additional funds through local entities, or go with board dwellings instead of the more costly container home of two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and living area.

“It has just been so hard. There is so much bureaucracy in Jamaica, and it is frustrating. I was hoping to have them back in by the end of this month because the kids are still not back in school. Their things have been damaged, and I feel so bad because I have given them my word,” she continued, following a visit to the family last weekend.

She said she was hoping to have the GCT waived, and for additional donations locally and overseas to count towards the rest of the money.

“But, at the moment, I just might have to go with the wooden structure because I’ve not been able to get to anybody to see if they are able to partner with me,” she said, adding that letters to some government agencies locally have not been responded to.

“The additional $1.8 million required includes $260,000 for transport and installation, and $495,000 for GCT.

“I just want to help somebody. That’s it. I just want to help somebody to get back a home, and have their children live somewhere comfortable. That’s it. But it’s almost like pulling a tooth. It’s almost like I’m holding up a bank. Why is it so hard to help somebody?” she said.

corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com