GEM galvanising resources for hard-hit parishes
Published:Wednesday | July 10, 2024 | 8:38 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
When disasters like Hurricane Beryl strike, leaving behind a trail of devastation and despair while affecting lives and livelihoods in countries like Jamaica and other small island developing states (SIDS), there is an urgent need for assistance in recovery efforts.
For Belgium-born Michael Capponi, restoring hope to affected communities is vital and through his humanitarian and philanthropic endeavours, he has achieved this in over 57 nations.
Helping the Caribbean nations of Jamaica, Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines, which were ravaged by Hurricane Beryl last week, is his latest mission.
Capponi, president and founder of Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), told The Gleaner on Monday that he founded the organisation because he was driven to help those in need, rather than accumulate wealth for himself.
He also shared that he believed in changing lives for the better.
Last Friday, a cargo plane carrying relief supplies worth US$150,000 (J$23.4 million) arrived in Montego Bay, St James, courtesy of GEM.
The supplies included care packages, tarpaulins, generators, and solar lamps to help communities in St Elizabeth, Manchester, and Clarendon.
Capponi detailed that he, along with a few members of the Caribbean diaspora and the Consulate General of Jamaica in Miami, has started to assemble boxes of supplies at GEM's headquarters in Doral, Florida, even before word spread that Hurricane Beryl would pose a threat to Jamaica.
“We were ready, pre-positioned so that as the storm passed, we could send that cargo plane,” he said.
Jason Henzell, founder of BREDS Treasure Beach Foundation, who is working with Capponi on the ground, told The Gleaner that after being cleared, the supplies were first distributed among seven communities in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, and later other supplies were shared with south Manchester and Rocky Point in Clarendon.
Munro College also benefited and a commercial-sized generator valued at approximately US$42,000 was gifted to the National Water Commission to re-energise its Newell plant, which supplies water to Treasure Beach, in the wake of the power outage.
The local police academy and police station received the smaller generators, while 12 others were distributed to operators of cookshops.
GEM, a non-profit organisation, was formed in 2010 in response to the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake that impacted Haiti and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The organisation's objective is to deliver – within the shortest time and with the least expense to donors – relief to the greatest number of people in need.
GEM has responded to disasters in all 50 states of the US, distributing more than US$389 million in supplies, and coordinated more than 335 disaster mission trips.
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It has also been able to repair more than 500 homes around the world and rebuild 15 schools affected by disaster and supported children in Haiti with their education for the last decade.
“We're extremely happy and proud to be able to help the people of Jamaica,” Capponi said, adding that his “heart and soul” are in this line of work because he is mindful of how drastically and frequently natural disasters can alter a person's life.
The kind of impact and results this line of work generates, he stated, is what motivates him to carry on.
“We're in changing times. The planet is shifting, there's an awakening happening, and these calls to action allow people opportunities to bring about the best of who they can possibly be,” he added.
For Capponi, it is critical to be physically present at every mission to interact with the impacted individuals directly and to foster connections with them.
“It's by being in Treasure Beach speaking to people – speaking to a mother who is pregnant with four other children and there's no roof over their head and trying to imagine where the kids are gonna sleep – that puts you in a situation where you're gonna hurry up and get the roof built and get them mattresses,” he said.
“When you bring hope to a community, you change the entire energy of that community. They were scared and now, they're in shock, but then, they see that there's help and people [are] coming together and then everyone is smiling,” he added.
Capponi spent most of his life working in the hospitality and entertainment industries and is among South Florida's most renowned residential real estate developers.
After retiring three years ago from the private sector, he now focuses all of his time and efforts on GEM.
By next Monday, he said the organisation, with the support of local corporations, will repair roughly 400 residential roofs and will employ locals to help in the process.
Also on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding was signed between Food For the Poor (FFP) Jamaica, FFP Canada, American Friends of Jamaica, United Way, and the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation regarding the administration of funds under NCB's 'Building a Better Jamaica' Fund to support post-Hurricane Beryl relief efforts across Jamaica.
In addition to accepting donations, the $300-million fund will see NCB match contributions up to a maximum of $150 million.
In severely damaged areas like St Elizabeth, Hanover, and Manchester, the disaster relief initiative aims to restore homes and farmers' crops. It will be managed through partnerships with organisations such as the BREDS Treasure Beach Foundation and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.