The German-Jamaican Society e.V. is collecting monetary donations to help people in Jamaica who were affected by Hurricane Melissa and are in dire need.

A board member of the DJG, Karl-Olaf Kaiser, is on site coordinating the relief efforts. He regularly sends us reports and photos, which we can show here (the copyright for the texts and images belongs to Karl-Olaf Kaiser).

The next shipment of 100 solar lamps arrived in Kingston on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, meaning another trip to Seaford Town was imminent. This time, I was driving my "city car" into the Jamaican countryside, so the load – ideally – shouldn't be too heavy.

Easier said than done, because in a joint effort with the Jamaican German Society (JGS), I was also to bring shoes for children to the town. The shoes were intended for children still living in the local shelter, as well as for those attending the newly reopened infant school. The Jamaican German Society (JGS) had announced a donation of 50,000 JMD for Seaford Town on Sunday, December 7, 2025, at their annual Christmas carol concert. The Christmas Carol Concert always takes place at Immaculate Conception High School with the school orchestra, conducted by Steven Woodham. This year, the JGS choir was augmented by students from Immaculate Conception High School and Wolmer's Trust High School for Boys. German lessons have been offered at Wolmer's Trust for the past few months by the JGS, taught by Ms. Doreen O'Connor.

Thanks to the JGS donation—of which I am also a member—I had the pleasure of buying nearly 50 pairs of children's shoes the following week—probably more than I've ever bought in my life ;-). I also brought along a case of beer donated by the JGS on December 5, 2025, for the volunteers who helped with the cleanup at the two schools.

Furthermore, the German artist initiative Meeting of Styles, represented here by Manuel Gerullis, donated a suitcase full of toys and more clothing. The Meeting of Styles took place on the weekend of December 1st. The event took place from December 11th to 14th, 2025, in Tivoli Gardens in cooperation with the Tivoli Mural Project. In addition to the organizations Children for Change and the Jamaica Skate Culture Foundation, many embassies also provided financial and conceptual support for the event, including the German Embassy (along with France, Canada, Belgium, Slovakia, and Finland).

Now you have a sense of the "lightly" loaded car with which I set off again at the crack of dawn on Friday, December 12th, 2025. Also on board was an experienced expert from the construction sector, Mr. Peter Allen, who is overseeing the planning for a stationary 4,000-liter water tank in Seaford Town and advising the project team. This project involves a stationary water tank, raised approximately 1.5 meters above ground level, from which mobile water filtration will be carried out, so that the local people can obtain their own drinking water – and are not necessarily dependent on the regional supply. The DJG is contributing to this project through a construction cost grant and project organization. More on this soon in another report.

On-site, the project preparations and meetings were important, as was the distribution of the aid supplies. Some children in the shelter received their shoes – which was, of course, time-consuming, as the shoes had to fit and not all sizes were available. There was a lot of trying on and fitting involved. The remaining shoes were given to the headmistress of the Infant School, Ms. Henry, because there were no classes for the children on Friday. Together with the teachers and children, they will try on the shoes again next week. And the children at the Infant School will certainly be delighted with the suitcase full of toys.

The solar lamps were given to, among others, the teachers at the Infant School and numerous individuals in Seaford Town.

In the late afternoon, we set off on the approximately four-hour journey back to Kingston – ending with a dark night and the usual challenges: Jamaicans who stubbornly refuse to dip their high beams, nasty potholes, and reckless overtaking – even though everyone knows: Undertaker loves Overtaker. It's not nice driving in Jamaica in the dark.

Despite all the adversity, we arrived safely in Kingston. Thanks, J.

Irie Ites on behalf of the DJG – and Merry Christmas!

Karl-Olaf Kaiser

After two boxes of solar lamps ordered from the USA were picked up on Wednesday evening, November 26, 2025, the next aid shipment to Seaford Town needed to be arranged as quickly as possible. First, a huge thank you goes to long-time DJG member Werner Tröder, because just a few weeks ago, suitable – and affordable – solar lamps were still scarce in Kingston. His experience and dedication made ordering the solar lamps from the USA possible in the first place.

The earliest possible delivery date for me was Sunday, November 30. So, once again, I had to be up before the roosters and on the road as early as possible. To keep transport costs down, I didn't rent an off-road vehicle; instead, I drove my low-profile city car, carrying minimal weight, to the disaster area. Before the usual turnoff to Bamboo Avenue, I drove further into the very nearby Black River. The situation there – even four and a half weeks after Melissa – can only be described as apocalyptic. I've known this little town since my first trip to Jamaica in September/October 1992 and have returned many times. On November 30, 2025, Black River was a ghost town. The main street was deserted on Sunday morning. A short walk through the virtually silent town made the extent of the disaster and its destruction painfully clear to me once again. Of course, the effects of the initial cleanup efforts were visible, and the extensive relief efforts were also evident. But nevertheless: This little town needs to be completely replanned and rebuilt. The raw power of the hurricane winds and the hurricane-force floodwaters have ushered in a new era. After Melissa, nothing in Black River is the same as it was before.

The drive up into the mountains and to Seaford Town was heavily influenced by the impressions I'd gained in Black River. In Seaford Town, I briefly visited Christopher Hacker, a.k.a. Fadda Chris, and his family, which lifted my spirits a bit. Progress and reconstruction were evident there. The Saturday sales of "Suckling Pig" resumed on November 29, 2025. So, if you happen to be in western Jamaica on that day, even as a tourist, I highly recommend a visit to Seaford Town.

And yet, the conditions that existed in Jamaica before Melissa continue: People who were doing reasonably well economically before Melissa are now getting back on their feet more quickly. Those who had already settled on captured land before Melissa, for example, and mostly lived in wooden boardhouses, now have to build something from scratch once again. As soon as their finances allow, they rebuild with wood and zinc roofs. And in Westmoreland, this will be a reality for many Jamaicans at the end of 2025 and the beginning of Advent.

At the Infant School in Seaford Town, the initial cleanup efforts were completed last week – the roof was temporarily covered with tarpaulins. This is crucial, as a tropical downpour lasting about 30 minutes hit on Sunday afternoon. Without a tarpaulin and/or roof, such showers are devastating. A small UNICEF tent was set up next to the Infant School on Sunday. Soon, the youngest children will be able to receive some care there again. Cleanup and work also continued at the main primary school on Sunday – some of it in the pouring rain.

The goal of this third aid shipment was to distribute 50 solar lamps to elderly people, families, and single mothers in Seaford Town. In principle, every family and every home that isn't fortunate enough to own a generator, or perhaps already has solar charging panels and lamps, could have benefited from this assistance. Since the required number of DJG solar lamps wasn't available, the lamps were distributed in consultation with Pastor Father Morris and Fitzroy Chambers. To give you an idea: a generator in a local store costs approximately 200,000 JMD, or about €1,050. A very, very large sum of money when little is the norm.

Everyone who received a solar lamp was overjoyed. Their gratitude was palpable at every handover. Lamps were distributed to numerous families and individuals. Furthermore, six solar lamps were delivered to the shelter in Seaford Town, which continues to house 36 people. In Belvedere, a hamlet near Seaford Town, six lamps were also distributed to families. Distributing the 50 solar lamps individually is, of course, time-consuming, and some may wonder if it's "worth it." Yes! For those who have been sitting in darkness night after night for over four weeks, every evening/night with light is an improvement. And: It remains to be seen when the diligent JPS employees will have restored the power supply to this town—and its many surrounding hamlets. It would be remarkable if it were still in 2025. Therefore, all these people are grateful for the help made possible by your donations. Many thanks from Seaford Town. More solar lamps from the USA are expected to arrive in Kingston next week.

Around 4:00 p.m., my work for the day in Seaford Town was done, and it was time—fortunately still in daylight—to drive back to Kingston, a journey of about four hours.

The German-Jamaican Society (DJG) is collecting donations to help people in Jamaica affected by Hurricane Melissa who are in dire need.

A board member of the DJG, Karl-Olaf Kaiser, is on the ground coordinating the relief efforts. He regularly sends us reports and photos, which we are able to share here (copyright for the text and images belongs to Karl-Olaf Kaiser).

On Friday at 3:00 PM, I picked up the off-road rental car for the second DJG aid delivery from the car rental agency. Then it was a matter of quickly printing the DJG donation flyers, which PortundHeine had kindly designed pro bono, at a print shop near the rental agency. And then: Welcome to everyday life in Kingston: Friday afternoon at 4:05 PM, meaning stop-and-go traffic. A distance of less than 2 km took me more than an hour. The entire drive home, including a break at Devon House, took over three hours. Exhausted and quite exasperated, I loaded the car in the dark. After a short night, I set off towards Seaford Town before sunrise. After about 2.5 hours of driving – including a police check and a lenient officer ;-) – I turned off the main road a few kilometers past Bamboo Avenue and before Middlequarters. Now, about another hour's drive ahead of me. The road leads past YS Falls into the mountains, which look barren and autumnal. My route took me through Springfield, Pisgah, and many small hamlets. Melissa truly wreaked havoc in this area, and I can't think of any other term than disaster zone. Houses were destroyed everywhere—flattened. People had lost everything. The situation is certainly always very nuanced on an individual level, as the picture of the solid house in contrast to the wooden one in the background shows. But one thing is the same for everyone: no electricity, therefore no water, therefore no telephone, therefore no internet in a large area of ​​Westmoreland, if not all of Westmoreland. Saturday, November 22nd, marks day 25 after Melissa.

At every stop—even the briefest—people flocked to me, asking for supplies I could give them. It was incredibly painful not to be able to give these people anything, because then the car would have been empty long before, and there would have been nothing left for the relief efforts in Seaford Town. Unfortunately, without photos, it's almost impossible to demonstrate the situation in this region of Jamaica, which means we have to make these stops. After four hours, I finally arrived in Seaford Town.

First, we went to Seaford Town Primary School, where a major cleanup and clearing operation was underway that day. The DJG board had decided on Friday, November 21st, to donate the building materials needed for the roof of the Seaford Town Infant School. More on that in another report. After a brief meeting and coordination with Mr. Jermaine Harvey, Chairman of the Seaford Town Primary School Board, and Ms. Vanesha Henry, Head of the Infant School, I personally delivered the DJG aid packages to some of the recipients. Mr. Fitzroy Chambers was a great help in this.

Together, we hiked up a small hill above the HEART Vocational Training Centre in the blazing midday sun, carrying heavy bags filled with food containers, flour, rice, sugar, and 4.5-liter water jugs. There we met 71-year-old Arlo Campbell. He lost his entire wooden house, including all its furnishings, and has been staying with neighbors since October 28th. Despite this devastating blow and his desperate situation, the old man remains positive. He gratefully accepts the aid package, which he can barely lift. Proud and thankful, he asks for a photo. We leave another package with him for his brother, who isn't present.

The second visit was to Ms. Rose, an elderly woman whose house is thankfully built of stone and who didn't lose her home to Melissa. Ms. Rose is bedridden and cannot benefit from aid supplies flown in by helicopter, for example. Despite her difficult circumstances, she is also very cheerful and mentions the recent news of the accident involving the Jamaican Miss World at the Miss Universe pageant in Thailand. The radio is playing in the background, her only connection to the outside world. Compared to that, she feels she is doing very well. A Jamaican perspective on life. What would help her, she said, was a new mattress that was a bit firmer than her old one. She, too, is very happy about the DJG aid package.

Our third visit took us to Ms. Malcolm. The 91-year-old woman sat in front of her remarkably well-preserved wooden house, busy with laundry. She told me about the two previous hurricanes that had hit Jamaica hard: Charlie in 1951 and Gilbert in 1988. These were nothing compared to what she experienced on October 28th, she said. This sentiment unites all three elderly people, whose lives have been so different. Ms. Malcolm also wanted a commemorative photo "with the young German."

Due to time constraints, I could only manage one more visit, as I later had to travel to Darliston, a neighboring community of Seaford Town. There, a small water filtration system allows people to produce their own clean drinking water. The construction of such a system is a project that the German-Jewish Society (DJG) could potentially support in Seaford Town.

Our final visit was to Ms. N. Williams, who lives in Grasspond, near Seaford Town. The house of the family of three was completely blown off the mountainside by Hurricane Melissa. Fortunately, they too have found shelter with neighbors. Ms. Williams has a heart condition, urgently needs heart surgery, and is dependent on oxygen. Before the actual heart surgery, Ms. Williams needs her teeth cleared. This was supposed to happen on October 29th in Kingston. However, the appointment is now canceled, and communication is impossible due to the lack of a phone network. The biggest challenge before Melissa—and even more so afterward—is ensuring she has enough oxygen. The large oxygen cylinder has to be transported to Montego Bay and back each time. She pays 20,000 JMD (approximately €108.00) per trip to a chartered taxi. The actual refill costs her about 8,000 JMD (approximately €43.00). She would normally need one cylinder per day. Since she can't afford it financially, and a second replacement cylinder would cost over 100,000 JMD, she reduces her oxygen intake as much as possible and tries to move as little as possible. While we were talking, she showed me her bluish fingers. Next week, I'll try to do something for her in Kingston.

At the end of a long day, and after visiting Darliston, I drove back to Kingston, deeply moved by all these stories. The drive through Jamaica at night was once again unpleasant: too many drivers who don't dip their headlights and drive mercilessly with their high beams on, too many who overtake recklessly and dangerously, too many who drive inconsiderately. That, too, is Jamaica according to Melissa.

The German-Jamaican Society (DJG) is collecting donations to help people in Jamaica affected by Hurricane Melissa who are in dire need.

A board member of the DJG, Karl-Olaf Kaiser, is on the ground coordinating the relief efforts. He regularly sends us reports and photos, which we are able to share here (copyright for the text and images belongs to Karl-Olaf Kaiser).

The second aid delivery to Seaford Town is planned for Saturday, November 22, 2025 – made possible by your donations to the German-Jamaican Society. Many thanks to every donor.

Today, the necessary goods were purchased based on the lists compiled by those affected in Seaford Town last time.

Around noon, we set off by car from Manor Park in the north of the city, navigating the midday traffic towards the harbor area – on the southern edge of Cockburn Gardens, Kingston 11, to Marcus Garvey Drive. There's a wholesaler there where you can get a large quantity of the desired goods in one go. With 28°C in the shade and the window open, driving along Waltham Park Road is an adventure in itself, made more bearable by the soundtrack of "Jah is standing by my side" by Tony Rebel.

At Sampars Cash & Carry, we're now familiar faces after our third visit, and fortunately, it wasn't too crowded today. Unfortunately, not all the desired items are available, so improvisation is required when selecting items for the shopping cart. Spending donated funds practically means a lot of lugging heavy loads through the sweltering wholesale building, calculating, and weighing the options. With the help of a colleague, two large trolleys of relief supplies are finally loaded into the car, which teeters precariously under the weight. A thank-you tip for the colleague, paid for out of pocket, is met with a curt "Nuff respect." Life in Kingston has become even more expensive post-Melissa than before. In the disaster areas, many are now facing the additional blow to their livelihoods. This morning, the news reported the final closure of the Mega Mart in Montego Bay. Floods have led to the total loss of the business, which had been operating for 20 years: 160 people are losing their jobs there alone. For 160 families, the situation is becoming even more precarious. A few days ago, the news reported the closure of the two Grand Bahia hotels, including one in Runaway Bay. Many people are losing their jobs there as well. Among others, an acquaintance of mine who commuted week after week from Kingston to the north coast.

Slowly, the car, which had been working hard, makes its way back along Waltham Park Road. Extra care is needed for every pothole, of which there are certainly plenty at the end of the rainy season. Just don't hit one – and risk a flat tire or worse.

Safely home, there's unfortunately no colleague to greet me, and unloading the car is the substitute for my missed morning run – I had to be at the tax office very early to pay the vehicle tax for the coming year. Automatic debiting is a luxury we have in Germany. Daily life in Jamaica, however, is quite different. And regular work also had to be done in the morning, before today's DJG special shift.

Everything I couldn't get at the wholesaler now has to be bought at the regular supermarket and pharmacy nearby, as it's too late to head downtown. And toothpaste without a toothbrush is pretty useless, just like candles without matches ;-).
Next, I'll prepare the bags for the second DJG aid shipment, which this time will depart for Eastern Westmoreland in a significantly smaller SUV. The 3.5-hour drive is scheduled to begin Saturday morning—ideally well before sunrise—so I should arrive in Seaford Town, about 170 km away, around 8:30 a.m.

Now, I'm going to treat myself to a cold… well, you know what I mean: a Red Stripe.

Irie Ites from Kingston sends his regards to the DJG.

Karl-Olaf Kaiser

The German-Jamaican Society (DJG) is collecting donations to help people in Jamaica affected by Hurricane Melissa who are in dire need.

A board member of the DJG, Karl-Olaf Kaiser, is on the ground coordinating the relief efforts. He regularly sends us reports and photos, which we are able to share here (copyright for the text and images belongs to Karl-Olaf Kaiser).

Update November 15^th,2025

Electricity is currently a huge problem in the affected areas. Often there is no electricity or only for a very limited time. We have therefore ordered a large quantity of rechargeable lamps from the USA, which will be delivered to Jamaica next week and then taken to Seaford Town.

After a conversation with Christopher Hacker, I drove up to Seaford Town with Chris Tante and Debbie to the places I remember from before Melissa:

The primary school where she went to school has been largely destroyed. A few years ago, in cooperation with the German Embassy in Kingston and the ifa (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations) in Stuttgart, I gave several presentations there on the topic of "Germany as seen in Jamaica," and we enjoyed German food and beer with many people from Seaford Town while having pleasant conversations.

The school building will have to be completely redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up. That alone will take a long time. In the meantime, the students need a usable, weatherproof temporary solution—like dozens of other schools in the region. Debbie tells me that, unfortunately, all the computers, laptops, and electrical equipment from the computer room were stolen immediately after the hurricane. A small side wing, which housed the newly established computer room, kitchen, and offices, appears from the outside to be in need of renovation.

Of the single-story Seaford Town Primary, Infant and Brain Builder Centre, only the wooden exterior walls remain. The roof has been completely removed, though the substructure is still visible. Whether it can be used will have to be assessed by experts. Everything inside has been soaked through—multiple times—and is still lying around in a mess. The roof of this building could be covered relatively quickly with tarpaulins and/or zinc sheets, and the building could be made usable again—at least that's my impression.

The roof of the local Seaford Sacred Health Centre has also been extensively removed. I cannot assess the condition of the interior, and any assessment would be purely speculative. No one was present on Sunday, and entry was—fortunately—not possible.

I couldn't access the grounds of the Seaford HEART Trust Vocational Training Centre, which opened in 1978 and was built with funds from the German charity Misereor, because the area was fenced off and a security guard was on duty. Thankfully. Even from the outside, however, you can see that some of the roofs have been torn off.

The current (green) shelter, which is currently housing 36 people, no longer has a roof. It's now covered with tarpaulins. I remember the building from the time of the State of Emergency when it served as a temporary army outpost. For a while, it was the town's temporary museum – after the original museum was closed due to a termite infestation.

The very old Roman Catholic church itself is currently exposed to the elements. Instruments (drum set, trumpets) lie unprotected under rubble. Whether the structure of the old church walls will allow for safe continued use requires professional expertise and investigation. The massive church door – blown away. The roof: scattered in pieces across the cemetery. The ancient tamarind tree on the hillside by the church, a tree that generations of children from this community have climbed: uprooted.

The result: The local community of Seaford Town and its people currently have no public building that is structurally sound. All buildings urgently require professional repairs, some of which need to be completely demolished. The building sites must be cleared, and then redesigned and rebuilt (including financing, planning, tendering, etc.).

Any financial support for the community of Seaford Town and its people is welcome. The German-Jamaican Society (DJG) will support the people in this endeavor—to the extent that our financial resources allow—over the coming months. Every donation to the DJG and any active support is greatly appreciated.

Much too late at night, I send you warm greetings from Kingston.

Karl-Olaf

November 8^th, 2025

With our combined efforts, the DJG (German-Jamaican Society) is pleased to announce the first transport to Seaford Town using DJG donations :-).

Keep your fingers crossed that the truck makes it through the traffic safely and that everything goes smoothly with the organized security tomorrow.

I'll be back on Sunday evening, Jamaican time.