When you meet someone  Jamaican, “you ask their last name - because you just might be family.”

That saying has always stayed with me. Because in Jamaica, family isn’t just blood, it’s community, love, and connection.

Since our inception, Say by Yani has been dedicated to helping as many people as we can along the way. Today, that mission continues in a deeply personal way.

After asking the Jamaican people how I could help them best, this is my answer - Project Jamaica, a fundraiser born out of love, resilience, and the urgent need to rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.

Project Jamaica stands on three powerful pillars: Friends & Family, Fueling the Farmers, and Giving Back to Beauty - each one rooted in the real lives, faces, and stories of the Jamaican people.

🌿 Pillar 1: Friends & Family

Jamaica is my second home. It’s where my heart lives.
And right now, my family - our family - needs help.

In St. Elizabeth, our “aunties and uncles,” our neighbors and friends, have lost everything. Homes are underwater. Families are displaced. Loved ones are gone. Six of our own family members have already lost their lives, and many more are still struggling to survive in the aftermath.

This pillar focuses on rebuilding lives and restoring hope for those who’ve lost everything.

Your donations will go directly toward:

• Rebuilding homes and repairing damaged roofs
• Providing food, clean water, and gas for transportation
• Supplying medical kits, hygiene products, and caregiving support
• Repairing pit latrines (outdoor toilets) and ensuring safe sanitation access
• Supporting the disabled and immobile, including my father, who is paralyzed and represents so many who are at risk of disease, mold exposure, and isolation after the storm

This is about more than relief - it’s about dignity, safety, and rebuilding the foundation for families who’ve lost it all.

Our first mission trip begins on Saturday, November 9th, where a team of five volunteers - including nurses, caregivers, a soldier, and a driver - will deliver groceries and medical supplies directly to families in St. Elizabeth affected by the hurricane.

This is only the beginning.

🌾 Pillar 2: Fueling the Farmers

The farmers of Jamaica are the heartbeat of our island.
They feed our communities, sustain our culture, and nurture our land.

At Say by Yani, our products depend on the castor beans and oils grown by Jamaican farmers - the same farmers whose livelihoods have now been destroyed by Hurricane Melissa.

This pillar focuses on reviving the farmlands that feed us all, starting with three farmers in Westmoreland and St. James Parish who have to begin again.

Your donations will help:

• Restore farmland and replant lost crops
• Provide farming tools, seeds, and equipment
• Rebuild sustainable agriculture so our farmers can once again nourish Jamaica and the world

By fueling our farmers, we’re rebuilding not only their land but also the self-reliance and economic strength of entire communities.

💇🏾‍♀️ Pillar 3: Giving Back to Beauty

Beauty is a source of confidence, creativity, and community. But for many beauty and haircare professionals across Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa has taken that away.

Through this pillar, we are helping beauty founders and entrepreneurs who’ve lost their salons, wages, and equipment, beginning with two incredible women in Negril, Westmoreland:

• Natassa, Owner of Lush Life Beauty Palace
• Kaylia Grant, Owner of Wendz Artistry

Both have experienced severe damage to their salons in fact Kaylia lost everything and both are expected to loose up to six months of income as the area of Negril Westmoreland recovers.

Your support will help offset recovery costs, replace lost tools and supplies, and restore their spaces so these women, and others like them, can rebuild their businesses and livelihoods.

Because beauty, in Jamaica, is more than style - it’s survival, pride, and power.

🌍 Our Mission: 2025–2027

Project Jamaica isn’t a one-time fundraiser - it’s a long-term movement.
From now until October 2027, we will carry out a series of mission trips and relief projects across Jamaica, rebuilding one community at a time.

Each donation goes directly into the hands and homes of the Jamaican people - ensuring that the help reaches where it’s needed most.

💛💚🖤 Why We Give Better

At Say by Yani, giving isn’t about charity - it’s about connection.
It’s about showing up for the people who’ve shown up for us.

Project Jamaica is our promise tor reset, rebuild , and renew Jamaica. Together we will restore what’s been broken, and uplift the families, farmers, beauty professionals who make Jamaica what it is today- “Talahwah” - strong, beautiful, and full of love.

This is personal.
This is family.
This is home. 

This is One Love

Together, we can Give Better - and help Jamaica rise again.