When elders are supported, communities remain whole.
Rebuild Joy focuses on restoring dignity, stability, and livelihoods for elders and vulnerable households through two interconnected programs: Joy Homes, which rebuilds safe, climate-resilient housing for elderly residents, and Fields of Joy, which restores elder-owned agricultural land and strengthens local food systems.
Help Us Rebuild Joy Together
This work takes all of us.
Your support makes rebuilding possible. Whether you adopt an elder, make a donation, or share these stories, you are helping restore homes, dignity, and hope in rural St. James after Hurricane Melissa. Together, we can bring stability and care back to those most affected.
Adopt an Elder
Help rebuild the home and restore the dignity of a specific elder affected by the hurricane. Your support directly funds safe housing, basic needs, and follow-up care.
Donate Now
Every contribution, large or small, helps elders in rural St. James rebuild their lives after Hurricane Melissa. Give today to provide housing, food, and long-term recovery support.
Share Our Stories
Spread the word so others can help. By sharing these elders’ stories, you amplify their voices and bring more hands and hearts into the work of rebuilding.
Our elders carry a lifetime of wisdom, they should not have to face disaster recovery alone.
When elders are supported, communities remain whole.
157+ mph
Wind speeds above this level are already beyond the threshold for a Category 5 hurricane, showing just how extreme storms like Hurricane Melissa can be under today’s warming ocean conditions.
<1%
Less than 1% of global humanitarian aid is specifically directed toward older adults, despite elders being among the most impacted after disasters and the least served in long-term recovery.
80%
As much as 80% of the damage from hurricanes in rural communities is tied to housing and agriculture, the two areas elders rely on most for shelter and income.
Nouda, 87 years old, homeless after the storm
The Impact of Hurricane Melissa on Jamaica
The storm reached wind speeds well beyond the threshold of Category 5, the highest level on the current hurricane scale. Some climate scientists note that storms of this intensity would qualify as “Category 6” if such a classification existed.
They cared for us. Now we rebuild for them.
From devastation to rebuilding, one story at a time.
An 87 year old woman with no where to call home
An 80 year old man who lost his fruit forest
A 78 year old man that lost everything
An elderly couple who lost their family home
When elders are supported, communities remain whole.
Stand with our elders. Help rebuild their lives.
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