Voices After the Storm

Kingston, Jamaica, 17 July 2026

As communities across Jamaica continue to rebuild following Hurricane Melissa, a new documentary initiative is placing the experiences of women and children at the centre of the national conversation, offering a reminder that recovery extends beyond damaged buildings and infrastructure to the lives shaped by the disaster.

Launched by UNICEF Jamaica in partnership with the Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA), the Behind Her Lens: Women and Children in the Wake of Hurricane Melissa series is being screened in Lucea, Kingston and Savanna la Mar. Through three short documentaries, the initiative gives those most affected by the hurricane an opportunity to tell their own stories, focusing on resilience, recovery and the realities faced by vulnerable households.

Recovery Beyond Rebuilding

While Hurricane Melissa’s physical destruction dominated international headlines, the documentary series explores a less visible stage of disaster recovery, examining how families rebuild their lives after emergency responders, aid agencies and television crews have moved on.

The screenings feature Sisters and the Storm, directed by Ina Sotirova, The Forgotten Daughters, directed by Gabrielle Blackwood, and After Melissa: The Women and Girls of Petersfield, directed by Kenil Gale. Together, the films document personal experiences from communities affected by one of Jamaica’s most significant recent natural disasters.

UNICEF says the project continues a partnership with JAFTA that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, using film to highlight issues affecting women and girls that often receive limited public attention.

Why Women’s Stories Matter

According to UNICEF Health Specialist and project lead Novia Condell, the organisation deliberately focused on female headed households because they make up a substantial share of homes across Jamaica and often carry much of the responsibility during disaster recovery.

She said the films were intended not only to document resilience but also to preserve the dignity and humanity of those rebuilding their lives. While disaster planning is necessarily guided by data and evidence, she argued that recovery efforts must also recognise the lived experiences behind the statistics.

The documentaries were produced using rights based and trauma informed approaches, allowing participants to describe their experiences in their own words while creating space for communities to reflect on what recovery should look like.

Building Stronger Communities

Although the initiative is centred on storytelling rather than infrastructure, it highlights an important aspect of resilience that increasingly shapes disaster planning in Jamaica.

Communities recovering from hurricanes face more than the task of repairing homes and restoring essential services. Recovery also involves rebuilding neighbourhood networks, supporting families who have experienced trauma and ensuring vulnerable groups remain visible as national attention shifts elsewhere.

For communities where women lead households, these social challenges often intersect with housing security, access to services and long term economic stability.

A Wider Lesson for Jamaica

As climate related disasters become more frequent across the Caribbean, projects such as Behind Her Lens suggest that successful recovery depends not only on stronger buildings and improved infrastructure, but also on listening to the communities most affected.

By documenting personal experiences alongside physical recovery, the initiative contributes to a broader understanding of resilience, one that recognises that rebuilding Jamaica involves restoring confidence, preserving community identity and ensuring vulnerable voices remain part of decisions about the country’s future.

Follow Jamaica Homes on Youtube @jamaicahomes and Instagram @jamaica_homes and on Facebook @jamaicahomes Send us a message or email us at onlinefeedback@jamaica-homes.com or editor@jamaica-homes.com