Rebuilding the Caribbean – Homes after Hurricanes Appeal

2016 saw a record 29 million worldwide visitors to the Caribbean, and increase of 4.2 per cent on the previous year reported by the Caribbean Tourism Authority (CTO). Twelve months later in 2017, the Caribbean will be remembered for enduring great destruction created by some of the strongest Category 5 hurricanes recorded in history.

Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Maria sent many of the Caribbean islands (Barbuda, Dominica, Puerto Rico, BVI, Saint Martin) into a state of emergency, causing an estimated 12.9 billion dollars in damage, and leaving over forty persons dead. However, this is not the total extent of the damage caused.

For countries this small, both in size and economy, it might be years, decades even before residents see some semblance of normalcy return to their lives. With thousands of homes destroyed, the level of displacement is huge, and most rebuilding efforts will be geared towards public facilities.

In the interim, we would like to help as many people as we can have somewhere to come home over the next few months, somewhere they, their family and children can call their own, and we’re hoping you can help us do this.

THE PROJECT

We have set up an initiative called the Rebuilding the Caribbean - Homes after Hurricanes Appeal, which aims to donate turnkey container homes to the affected countries to provide housing for those in greatest need.

Many countries around the world are embracing the use of containers as an alternative method to traditional construction practices with success. Research has shown that Container homes are able to withstand hurricane and tropical storm conditions, due to the nature of their sturdy structure. They are being utilised more and more as emergency disaster housing, affordable and social housing solutions.

We are in talks with several businesses in the UK and abroad that specialise in the converting of shipping container into homes, which will then be shipped to the affected islands.

We will work with Commissioners, local governments in country and employ skilled local tradesmen and women to install the units providing both employment and housing through this social enterprise type initiative.

This is a big task, but with your help, we are hopefully that we can realise this goal and help the effort to rebuild the Caribbean.

As such, we are currently looking to raise £2million for the first phase of the project which would enable us to provide an estimated 125 homes to the Caribbean, with each able to house a small family. The more we raise the more homes we would be able to build, so please continue to donate once the goal is met.

Even if you are unable to donate at this time, please share this campaign with family, friends, and anyone else looking to help provide relief to these affected countries.

Every pound and dollar counts. Thank you for making a difference.