Grants help 10 Treasure Beach businesses reopen after Melissa

Ten small businesses, and livelihoods in Treasure Beach and surrounding communities in St Elizabeth, have resumed operations after receiving grants from the Blue Mahoe Charitable Foundation (BMCF) to help them recover from Hurricane Melissa.

The 10 beneficiaries each received J$50,000, for a total disbursement of J$500,000, through a partnership between BMCF and the BREDS Treasure Beach Foundation.

According to an impact report submitted by BREDS to BMCF, all 10 beneficiaries confirmed receipt of their grants and had resumed their income-generating activities at the time of reporting.

The beneficiaries span tourism and hospitality, food and beverage, retail and fishing-related livelihoods.

They are Jason Senior of Cashaw Cabin; Anthony Dacosta Gordon of Eggy’s On The Beach; Empress Thandi Wise of Wise Wellness; Monika Osborne of Katamah Cottage; Eleanor Grant Wallace and Claudi Grant of Callaloo Butik; Camar Green of Treasure Beach Turtle Group; fisherman Raymond Moxam; singing chef Kerron Elliot; Jason Gordon of South Coast Fishing Excursion; and Deidre Honeygan of Top Hill Shop.

BREDS reported that the applicants had suffered losses ranging from damaged business structures and equipment to destroyed inventory, prolonged closures and lost income.

FILL BARRIER GAP

The grants were intended to help remove some of the immediate barriers to reopening, including the cost of repairs, replacing equipment, restocking inventory and purchasing supplies.

The first disbursement was made on June 29, when BMCF transferred the funds to BREDS for distribution to the beneficiaries.

The grants are unconditional and do not have to be repaid, according to BMCF.

Under the broader programme, eligible microbusinesses with up to five employees can receive up to J$150,000, while small businesses with six to 20 employees can receive up to J$500,000.

The foundation said the first tranche was deliberately set at J$50,000 per applicant as the initiative was just being established, with plans to increase the level of support in subsequent rounds.

“Our first tranche of grants, which was intended to mobilise the initiative and establish the programme, provided J$50,000 per applicant, with plans to increase the level of support in future tranches as the partners continue to build the foundation’s partnerships and expand awareness of our initiatives,” BMCF stated.

The partnership was formalised through a memorandum of understanding dated February 4. Under the arrangement, BREDS handles applications, screening, verification, site visits, beneficiary selection and disbursement, while BMCF provides funding authorisation and donor-supported financing.

The two organisations also collaborate on impact data collection, beneficiary engagement, reporting and communications.

The initiative forms part of BMCF’s ‘Together We Rise – From Crisis to Commerce’ programme, which was established to provide grants to micro and small businesses affected by Hurricane Melissa.

The programme’s initial focus was on tourism and agriculture, sectors that suffered significant disruption from the hurricane.

BMCF said its approach is intended to help businesses move beyond immediate disaster relief and return to income-generating activity.

The impact report found that all 10 beneficiaries had returned to operating status, with all businesses also providing photographic or video documentation of their post-grant activities at the time of reporting.

“We are very pleased with what this first tranche demonstrates: relatively modest grants, delivered through a trusted community partner, were able to help all 10 initial beneficiaries get back to operating without adding another layer of debt to businesses already recovering from a major disaster,” said Sophia Harris of BMCF.

“We plan to increase the grant amounts for upcoming tranches,” she said.

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