分类： society

As Jamaica prepares to mark Mother’s Day, most mothers across the island will wake to bouquets of flowers, warm hugs and intimate family celebrations honoring their role. But for a small group of women displaced six months ago by the devastating Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, this holiday will unfold far from the comfort of their own homes, each day a quiet test of endurance after months of living in temporary emergency accommodation.

After spending half a year sheltering in converted classrooms at Petersfield High School in Westmoreland, these 16 families — totaling 41 people including dozens of children — were only recently relocated to a repurposed teachers’ cottage in Shrewsbury. Yet even amid the uncertainty of their displacement, the exhaustion of making do with too little, and the heartache of watching their children grow up in cramped, shared temporary spaces, these mothers have refused to break. Bound by shared faith, mutual support and an unshakable commitment to their children, they cling to the stubborn hope that next Mother’s Day will find them back in permanent homes, living with the dignity they once took for granted.

A visit from the Jamaica Observer on April 24 captured the quiet ingenuity with which these women transformed a space meant for learning into a makeshift home for their families. Desks built for student learning were repurposed as bed frames, tarpaulin cut to size served as privacy curtains, and mats were laid neatly at the foot of made-up beds, with every article of clothing folded and stacked in its own designated spot. One woman even playfully chided the reporter to avoid stepping on a decorative mat, a small, familiar touch of Jamaican matriarchal order that persisted even in chaos. Classroom corridors became open-air laundry lines, propped up with bamboo sticks to let the tropical sun dry hanging clothes. It was far from the ideal home, but the women carved out what normalcy they could, drawing on the resourcefulness that has long defined Jamaican community life.

For Tishane Haywood, a 30-something mother of six, three of whom — all under 10 — have lived with her in the shelter since the storm, the past six months have stripped her of nearly everything she built: her home, her livelihood, and the privacy of family life. But she says her children are the anchor that keeps her pushing forward, helping her set aside the trauma that Melissa unleashed on the island.

Even with barely any extra income, Haywood makes small, quiet sacrifices to bring her children moments of joy, setting aside what little she can spare to buy small toys to keep them occupied. “The strength that I get is just looking at my kids and knowing that they’re at peace and they’re happy, because if something do me right now, I know that no one’s going to love them the way that I love them, and no one’s going to take care of them the way that I take care of them,” Haywood told the Sunday Observer.

“It doesn’t matter how little they may be, just to see them have a smile on their face, even when I don’t have it, to say, ‘Here’s a juice,’ or something. When they get excited and happy, I feel good. They’re the reason I’m still here, they’re the reason that I’m pushing — just to see them happy. Even though they irritate me, and I tell you they do irritate me, but they’re mine, and they give me hope,” she added.

“Every time I wake up and hear my son say, ‘I love you, Mommy,’ it feels good. My daughter and I are the same person; we can’t agree because she’s my identical person when it comes to personality, but I tell her I love her, and she loves me, too. It’s good to know that somebody out there loves me. I went through trauma as a child growing up, and to have so many little people running around that love you, I feel like I’m a superwoman, because when it comes to them, nothing is impossible for me to do,” she shared, smiling as she spoke.

Haywood says she also draws enormous strength from the network of other mothers and grandmothers in the shelter, turning to their decades of experience for advice and encouragement when her own resolve wavers. “As a young mother, they teach me a lot. They teach me that I don’t have to abuse my kids verbally, because when I’m upset I’ll use my words. They teach me that I can talk to my kids, put them one side, and talk to them… It’s nice to know that you have other people who love your kids and care about your kids as much as you do,” she said.

For Haywood, Petersfield High School was never just a shelter — it was where she found the extended family she never had growing up. “Being around them makes me take comfort that I have a family that I never really had, because my people don’t get along, and we don’t agree, so to be around people that make me feel like I’m their own, I feel loved, and my kids feel loved,” she said.

Sixty-two-year-old Jennifer Anderson, a mother of eight with three of her adult daughters living with her in the shelter, is no stranger to hurricane displacement: she first sought emergency shelter with a 12-day-old daughter when Hurricane Gilbert tore through Jamaica in 1988. Now, 38 years later, that same daughter is once again living with her in temporary shelter after Melissa’s destruction.

Anderson recalls that in 1988, disaster aid reached affected communities far slower than it did after Melissa, noting that both government agencies and private donors moved far more quickly this time to deliver meals, clothing and basic supplies to displaced families. Though her three daughters in the shelter are adults capable of caring for themselves, Anderson has not stepped back from her role as matriarch: she still keeps their spirits up, prays with them, and carries the weight of their uncertainty even when she does not have answers.

“I have to be talking with them because sometimes they will ask, ‘Mommy, when?’ And sometimes I get irritated because I don’t know, but I have to just stay calm for them and say, ‘We are waiting on the Lord for the day to come,’ ” she said.

Anderson has been out of work since before the storm, having lost her job as a caregiver when the elderly woman she tended passed away. Two of her daughters have found part-time work, and the family is slowly working to rebuild their stability, but they have yet to find affordable permanent alternative housing. Night after night in the shelter, she lies on her makeshift bed beside her daughters, praying with them and talking through their plans for the future to keep hope alive.

“We have plans about how we are going to build our lives and what we are going to do after we leave here, so those things keep motivating us. We talk a lot about things and ask God to keep motivating us and helping us to do the things that we want to do for when we leave out here,” Anderson said. “Sometimes with my big daughter, I will kiss her, and I will tap her on the bed and say, ‘Don’t worry, man, everything will soon be okay,’ ” she shared.

Even as she prioritizes her children’s emotional and physical needs, Anderson carries her own quiet grief: she mourns the loss of her home, her privacy, and the small daily comforts that once made life feel stable. “I used to be at home, living comfortably. I would sit down at night, watch my TV, get my glass, and I drink my red wine and go to sleep, but I can’t do that anymore. Mother’s Day, I would cook and enjoy myself, and if I plan to go out, then I would go out, but now it’s nothing, I am just stuck here,” she admitted, a moment of defeat crossing her face before she regained her composure. She says she trusts God will see her family through this hardship.

“I can’t afford to sit here and be sad, because if I am sad then they are going to be sad. As a mother, you have to always show up for your kids, so I keep showing up for mine,” she said.

Like Haywood, Anderson draws immense comfort from the tight-knit community of displaced mothers in the shelter, proving the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child — even when the village itself has been destroyed by a storm. “We are good to each other. We share thoughts with one another and we cook with one another, and we share everything that we have. We chip in where we can to help out. We are a community in here,” she said.

In a message to all mothers facing hardship this Mother’s Day, Anderson encouraged other women to hold fast to their faith and avoid taking their frustration out on their children. “Don’t be angry and don’t take your anger out on the kids. You have to just pretend like everything is okay, even when you know it’s not okay, and ask God to protect and guide your kids so that they may live to have a better life,” she said.

For most working mothers, daily life is a constant navigation between two demanding, equally vital worlds, and Jamaican chef and entrepreneur Whitney Walcott knows this reality better than most. One world hums with the high energy of the culinary industry: searing hot pans, carefully layered flavor profiles, and the non-stop pace of building a growing business from the ground up. The other unfolds in quiet, intimate moments: late-night bedtime chats, gentle care for her son, and the endless, quiet drive to create a more stable, joyful future for her child.

As Mother’s Day approaches, this delicate, hard-won balance is the core of Whitney’s powerful story. From the moment she welcomed her son, her professional ambition gained a new, sharper focus: every late night at the kitchen, every personal sacrifice, every small business milestone carries more meaning than it ever could before. When asked what keeps her pushing forward through challenges, she answers simply: “My purpose and my son. Everything I do is bigger than me. I’m not living just for me.”

Motherhood has a unique way of awakening a quiet, uncelebrated resilience in women — a strength that often hides in the monotony of daily routines, that shows up even when exhaustion hits, that persists through uncertainty, and that finds a shifting middle ground between being a caregiver and a breadwinner. Whitney is no stranger to this unglamorous truth. “It’s not always balanced,” she admits, reflecting on the constant juggle of running a business and raising a child. “Some days lean more towards work, some towards being a mom. I just try to do my best to show up.”

This radical honesty is what makes her journey stand out. While social media often highlights polished, perfect success stories, Whitney’s path has been paved with discipline, quiet exhaustion, and consistent persistence behind closed doors. “It hasn’t been easy at all. It’s been a lot of long days defined by trial and error, figuring things out on my own, and pushing through even when I was tired or unsure,” she says.

Her love of cooking took root long before she built her public culinary brand, growing out of childhood moments spent at home, watching how shared meals brought family and community together. “Seeing how food brought everyone together made me fall in love with it early,” she recalls. “I was always paying attention; how things were seasoned, how they were cooked — the little details.”

These early formative experiences shaped not just her approach to cooking, but her whole understanding of care. For Whitney, food, much like motherhood, is ultimately an expression of love, intentionality, and comfort. Today, her signature dishes carry the bold, vibrant flavors of her Jamaican upbringing, while also reflecting the growth of a woman who has turned a personal passion into a purpose-driven career.

Building a reputation in the male-dominated culinary industry has not come without extra barriers for Whitney as a woman entrepreneur. “Being a woman in this space, you sometimes have to prove yourself more,” she says. “But I stayed consistent, let my work speak for me, and focused on improving instead of proving.”

That consistent dedication has proven to be the key ingredient to her success. What started as a small side hustle selling homemade food has grown into a full-fledged culinary brand, expanding into packaged products, digital content creation, and multiple diversified income streams. Yet, motherhood has completely reshaped how Whitney defines success, shifting her priorities from pure growth to flexibility and family time. “Before, success was just selling food,” she explains. “Now, it’s having a business that runs smoothly, creating multiple income streams, and having more freedom with my time — time I spend with my son.”

At the heart of every goal and every sacrifice Whitney makes is her son, she told the Jamaica Observer. His well-being is the steady motivation that keeps her chasing new milestones even on the hardest days. “I remind myself why I started and how far I have come,” she says. “Even on hard days, stopping isn’t an option. I remind myself that everything I’m building is also for my child.”

When she steps away from the demands of the kitchen and business ownership, Whitney describes herself as a laid-back, shy person who finds true joy in slow moments, rest, and uninterrupted family time. That’s why the gift she wants most this Mother’s Day is something countless mothers crave but rarely get the chance to take: “Honestly, rest and peace. Just time to recharge without worrying about work.”

Whitney’s story stretches far beyond a tale of culinary success or small business growth. It is a portrait of modern womanhood in all its layered complexity: nurturing big dreams while nurturing a child, holding tight to ambition without losing the gentle softness that makes care work meaningful, learning to give of yourself to others while still holding space for your own needs. This Mother’s Day, Whitney’s journey mirrors the quiet reality of millions of women around the world who build, create, and sacrifice out of the public eye every day. Their strength does not often shout from headlines or social media feeds — but it reveals itself steadily, in every act of love, every moment of resilience, and every life they shape along the way.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Popular culture has long tied the identity of motherhood to biological connection, but for countless women across the globe, this fundamental role is ultimately shaped by radical love, intentional sacrifice and unshakable commitment. For Karen Brown, a customer service manager at Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS), stepping into motherhood was never a pre-planned life goal. Instead, she embraced the role amid one of the most devastating chapters of her life, stepping up with a courage that has inspired everyone around her.

It was in 2020, just after Brown lost her brother unexpectedly, that she became the primary caregiver for his three children: two young boys and a girl. Overnight, her own overwhelming grief merged with the urgent responsibility of rebuilding a sense of safety for the children who had just lost their father. While navigating her own quiet pain, she worked tirelessly to help the children feel secure again, a balancing act that would have broken many.

“It demanded a level of strength I never knew I possessed,” Brown shared in an interview. “But even in the middle of all the hardship, this journey filled my life with incredible purpose and love I never expected.”

The transition to sudden parenthood was immediate, layered with complex emotional challenges. Beyond putting a roof over their heads and providing financial stability, Brown understood that healing required intentional emotional work: a safe, supportive space for each child to process their grief at their own pace. Brown’s own path to building a family had already been marked by unexpected health struggles and unforeseen turns, but her dedication to showing up for people in need never faltered.

“Being a mother is not only about giving birth,” she explained. “It is about showing up every single day, making hard sacrifices, offering steady guidance, and choosing again and again to love and protect the people who depend on you.”

For Brown, these are not just abstract beliefs—they are the foundation of every choice she makes. In the years since she took on caregiving, she has watched the three children grow into thriving young people, excelling both in their academics and in sports. One of her most cherished memories came when her niece, Jamelia Thomas, scored the game-winning goal for Camperdown High School at the 2026 ISSA Schoolgirl Football Championship. For Brown, this win and other milestones mean far more than trophies or public recognition.

“The greatest reward of this journey has been watching them heal, grow, and grow into confident, capable young people,” she said.

Yet motherhood’s true test rarely comes in moments of celebration; it emerges when hardship strikes. Brown faced just such a test when Hurricane Melissa swept across Jamaica, bringing devastating damage to her community and her home. As the storm raged, powerful winds ripped off large sections of her roof, shattered glass windows, and allowed floodwaters to pour into her home. Amid the chaos, one of the children in her care—who lives with both asthma and a chronic heart condition—became severely frightened and physically distressed.

Through the entire night and into the early dawn, Brown worked nonstop to contain the damage, bail floodwater out of her home, and comfort all three children through the storm. “It took every single ounce of resilience I had,” she recalled.

When the sun finally rose, the full scope of the destruction was overwhelming. Even so, just days after the storm passed, with her home still heavily damaged, Brown returned to her post at JPS to support customers across four hard-hit Jamaican parishes: Trelawny, St Ann, St Mary and Portland.

“Going back to work was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it gave me a sense of purpose and normalcy when everything felt upside down,” she said.

The resilience Brown demonstrated in the wake of the hurricane grew directly from the strength she built while raising her niece and nephews. Caring for the three grieving children had already taught her endurance, patience, and how to stay steady when everything around her feels unstable. These unexpected life lessons also transformed her approach to her professional leadership role. Brown says that becoming a mother to her niece and nephews made her a more compassionate leader and a more empathetic listener, a skill that is especially critical in customer service.

“You never really know what battle another person is fighting behind closed doors,” she reflected. “Everyone carries struggles that aren’t visible to the people around them.”

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, Brown also got to experience the power of community support firsthand. Her colleagues at JPS rallied around her: a senior leader organized emergency tarpaulins to be delivered to her damaged home, and team members later used a company bucket truck to secure the covering and provide temporary shelter for her family.

“The kindness of my team overwhelmed me,” Brown said. “It truly touched my heart in a way I’ll never forget.”

Today, when Brown looks back on her entire journey, she is clear about just how much she has overcome. “There came a moment when I realized I had survived circumstances that once felt completely impossible to get through,” she shared.

Her story stands as a powerful reminder that motherhood does not always follow the traditional, expected path. Sometimes it is born out of tragedy, sudden responsibility, or unplanned life change. But no matter how it begins, its impact on the people who embrace it and the lives they touch is just as profound.

Above all else, Brown hopes the children she has raised will always carry one truth with them: that they have been loved wholeheartedly, unconditionally, and completely. Through both her personal life as a caregiver and her professional role serving JPS customers, she continues to prove that motherhood is not defined by biology. It is defined by the courage to nurture, guide, and stand unwaveringly beside the people who need you most.