Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, March 7, 2022

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

As our Jamaican students in the Ukraine posted about their fears of an impending invasion by Russian forces, we became fully engaged, moved by appeals, interviews with their tearful parents, their hazardous journey to Ukraine and finally, their arrival in Montego Bay last Wednesday. Many of us had no idea that there were so many Jamaican medical students in Ukraine; they explained that one year’s fee at The University of the West Indies (UWI) would cover them for six years in Ukraine.

There were a few glitches in the initial communication between government officials and the students as the offer of a loan for transportation was met with howls of objections from the public. However, Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith and her ministry officials quickly took hold of the situation, with representatives at Jamaica’s embassy in Berlin keeping in close touch with the students.

We followed them as they travelled on the train to a town close to the Polish border, then on a bus which was forced to turn back. Consequently, they had no choice but to walk the remaining seven miles in the freezing weather to Poland.

Denise Sealy, chargé d’affaires at the Jamaican Embassy in Berlin, Germany, along with a Friends of Jamaica group welcomed them with hot meals and a heated bus. We held our collective breaths until we heard they had landed on Jamaican soil. What joy for the students, their parents, and for Jamaica!

Jamaica Observer staff reporter Horace Hines, who was on hand for their arrival in Montego Bay, wrote: “Shortly after arriving at the airport, Matthew DeSilva, an engineering student, expressed gratitude to the Ukrainians and solidarity with the Eastern European country.”

He quoted DeSilva: “I can only speak for myself right now. We entered Ukraine to study. We were welcomed by the Ukrainians. I also want to make this point clear to everybody, we wouldn’t have left the country without the Ukrainians. I mean, people whose sons are dying, whose fathers are dying, whose brothers are dying had no right to aid us, yet they did. We got so many lifts, there was food provided for us, and they didn’t have to do it, especially when their country is being destroyed right now.”

The alumnae of Convent of Mercy Academy “Alpha” are relieved that fellow alumnae Shavell Peart, Shenae Douglas, and Jada Comrie are safely back in Jamaica. Our alumnae associations here and in North America are rallying to offer support.

Written by Racquel Simpson

When news broke that 54-year-old Sandra Whyte, a disabled elderly resident of Upstreet, Belmont in Westmoreland was among several individuals who had lost their homes in a fire, the Bluefields Villas Foundation (BVF) team sprang into response mode to locate and bring well needed aid to the senior.

Not only did the fire render Miss Whyte homeless; her ordeal of living with polymyositis was made worse as her wheelchair, commode and medications were destroyed along with all her other valuable possessions and important documents.

Therefore, as part of its immediate response to help Miss Whyte pick up the pieces, the BVF paid a visit to her at her church sister’s home and presented her with a brand-new commode.  Boxes and bags bearing food items and toiletries valued at $30,000 were also donated to Miss Whyte by the Foundation along with an additional $40,000 towards clothes and other essential expenses such as medical bills.

“I am thankful for them; they reached out to me very fast. I neva know seh they would reach out to mi so quick,” said Miss Whyte, expressing her delight and gratitude to members of the BVF.  The team brought essential relief items to her a day following the catastrophic night of Saturday, February 12 when her two-bedroom house went up into flames.

Vice-Chair of the Bluefields Villas Foundation, Houston Moncure noted: “Providing urgent assistance to Miss Whyte was an extremely crucial role for us.  We are one of the closest charitable organizations in the community to where Miss Whyte resides and so we considered it morally appropriate and humane for us to lead the charge of being a good neighbour, especially in light of her crisis.”

He added, “Noting her medical and physical challenges, we wanted to ensure that the items we donated would provide comfort and convenience. Our members procured a commode, fruits, vegetables, nonperishable food items, ground provisions and put them together along with some funds for clothing and other items for Miss Whyte.  We also reached our local partner, Ms. Linda Chidester, Owner of the Luna Sea Inn who responded kindly to our request and was able to source a wheelchair through the Holy Spirit Clinic where she volunteers to present to Miss Whyte.”

Moncure also pointed out that three school-aged children are among the family of nine fire victims who benefitted from a further donation of $15,000 from Ms. Chidester of Luna Sea Inn. The funds were to help with replenishing school supplies.

Recounting Losses and Lingering Distress

While evidently grateful for this extension of kindness from the Bluefields Villas Foundation and others, Miss Whyte admits that she remains distressed about her and her relatives losing their homes (three in total) and all their belongings in the fire. 

She recounted moments leading up to the menacing flames on the night of February 12 which rapidly engulfed the three houses, including hers which was donated by Food for the Poor some 15 years ago.

“When it happened, all of us was talking and wi hear when something go bow, bow! I hear my daughter-in-law seh: “Fire!”  I say, where is this fire and she told me that it was at my sister’s house.  By mi fi open fi mi door an get outside, di whole place jus a…” she paused. “Mi couldn’t save nothing because the houses so near to each other,” said a distraught Sandra Whyte.

Being confined to a wheelchair, Miss Whyte indicated that two of her sons lifted her out of the burning house to safety. She pointed out that no one had a second to spare, but to get out of the dwellings leaving everything behind.

It is not clear what caused the blaze, but Miss Whyte noted that she heard about three or four explosions on the night of the fire that were as loud and frightening as the sounds of bottle bombs.

With their homes crumbled to ashes, the family of nine including Miss Whyte, her sons, her mother, and at least three grandchildren (one in high school and two at the primary level) are now living scattered among neighbours and friends.

“We stay all ova di place. I am at my friend’s house, my mother deh bottom-side mi and my son dem deh all over di place,” explained Miss Whyte.

Hopes for Further Assistance

Among the things that Miss Whyte hopes to be further assisted with are the rebuilding of her house, a bed and a stove.  But as anyone would imagine, the 54-year-old is also hopeful for the same kind of assistance for her relatives, including her grandchildren who lost all their school supplies in the fire.

Bluefields Villas Foundation’s Vice-Chair, Houston Moncure commented, “The team responded firstly to Miss Whyte due to her level of vulnerability in this situation, but we understand that the children in the mix are equally vulnerable.  While we encourage others to chime in and give additional support, we will be doing all that we can to help Miss Whyte and her family emerge from this disastrous experience and get on with their lives.”

A week after the blaze, the Foundation also donated $15,000 to Miss Whyte’s mother, Nolan Spence to help with her daily expenses.

The Bluefields Villas Foundation is the charitable arm of the Westmoreland based luxury resort, the Bluefields Bay Villas.  Since 2009 the Foundation has piloted several philanthropic initiatives to include community building, educational, healthcare, environmental and social welfare projects.