Cornwall Mountain family get new house ‘blessing’ after hurricane

Western Bureau:

A single mother, who resides in Cornwall Mountain, Westmoreland, is today celebrating a new beginning, having received a newly built house through a humanitarian initiative led by The New Foundation Christian Ministries.

The official handover of the house took place at the Cornwall Mountain Primary School on Saturday, where the church group also distributed more than 400 care packages, alongside clothing and food items, as well as popcorn and cotton candy for the children.

Violet Bailey, the mother of 37-year-old, Nickeisha Lewis, who received the house, struggled to find the words to describe the feeling of relief and gratitude, as the experience was quite an emotional one for the family.

“First, I must say, I’m so, so grateful. I’m so happy. I can’t even find the words to express the way how I feel,” said Bailey.

She used the opportunity to recall the moment she first learnt that materials had arrived for the house, knowing that the family would now be able to rebound from the destruction left behind by Hurricane Melissa.

“The first day, my daughter called me and said, ‘Mommy, the material come.’ And the next day they started to put up the house. So, I went up there the next day… I am so, so happy,” she said.

EXCITING NEWS

According to Bailey, the excitement kept her awake the night she received the news.

“That night, the way I was happy, I couldn’t even sleep,” she said.

Bailey said the hurricane significantly impacted her family, both financially and emotionally, including the loss of her job when the hotel where she worked closed because of the damage it sustained.

“I used to work at Royalton Negril, and then the hotel shut down because it got damaged by the hurricane. It got damaged, so I’m home right now, not working,” she said. “It put me way, way back… . It’s really hard.”

Lewis, who was living in a small board house when the hurricane made landfall last October, lost her house and was left in an unsettled state, moving from the home of one relative to another with her children.

Bailey said the new house will finally give her daughter and her grandchildren – Shevaniese, Katheiana, Taniecia and Shantary – a sense of stability after months of uncertainty.

“This house makes a difference in my life and Nickeisha’s life… . It brings a blessing for me. Blessing, blessing, double blessing, joy and happiness in my life,” she said.

Bishop Donald McFarlane, the leader of The New Foundation Christian Ministries, which is based in Kingston, said the initiative was part of an ongoing response to Hurricane Melissa.

“In all accounts, it was a very successful day,” he said, describing the experience in Cornwall Mountain, which was born out of a desire to provide something permanent for families affected by the hurricane.

“Since Melissa, we would have gone down there twice. But we felt that we needed to do something a little more tangible and long-lasting,” said McFarlane, who was accompanied by more than 30 volunteers.

“Everything went as per plan, because we had to get a truck from Kingston for all the stuff that we’re taking…the clothing, food and whatever else,” he said.

“The people were quite cooperative and appreciative. We could pretty much control the care packages. We had tickets, but the clothing was an open thing, just that our staff members were there to assist them,” he added.

NATIVE OF THE COMMUNITY

For McFarlane, the Cornwall Mountain project was deeply personal as he is a native of the community.

“That’s where I was born and grew up. That’s my home town,” he said, as he reflected on the devastation caused by the hurricane.

“There are places I saw that, having grown up... I never ever see them…everywhere became transparent…trees flattened, houses, devastation written off.”

Minister Wilma Johnson, who suggested the building of the house, said she felt a strong calling to help a family in need.

“When the hurricane struck, I was overseas and I kept looking at the pictures,” said Johnson. “I said, ‘Bishop, I have this deep feeling that we should repair, replace, build a house for a single mother with children.’ That is specifically what came to me.

“I said, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to do this, but we’re going to get it done,’” she added.

Support for the initiative came from several partners, including the Caribbean Technical Assistance and Education Centre for Health (C-TECH) and the University of Washington through its International Training and Education Centre for Health (I-TECH) programme.

Natalie Irving-Mattocks, executive director of C-TECH, said the organisation has been involved in broader humanitarian support across the island since the hurricane.

“C-TECH has been part of the humanitarian response nationally. We’ve been going out to the various parishes that were affected,” she said.

mickalia.kington@gleanerjm.com