Help Us Help our Family in Jamaica
Our personal relief effort to rebuild Rohan's family home in St. Ann
Our personal relief effort to rebuild Rohan's family home in St. Ann
🧰T🛠O🪚O🪛L🔨
D🪜R👷I🪚V🪛E
Do you have old tools in your garage? We'll take 'em! ...TO JAMAICA!
WE ARE COLLECTING NEW AND USED CONSTRUCTION TOOLS TO REBUILD
We will pick them up from you or you can drop them off near midtown Houston!
Wed. Nov. 12, 2025, from Susie on Rohan's behalf:
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about our story. On October 28, 2025, Rohan's homeland was hit with the worst recorded hurricane in Jamaica's history. Fortunately, his family in Kingston, Portland, and our dear friends in Westmoreland sustained little to no damage.
However in St. Ann parish, his younger cousin, Tia, with her young children ages 5 and 7 had their roof torn off their house during the terrifying storm. They are currently living without a roof, electricity, or running water. Still, almost two weeks after the storm, electricity and cell phone service hasn't been restored and relief packages and supplies from the government and charities that we see on the news and social media have not been distributed to their town. Their entire area was hit hard, large trees fell on houses, blocked the roads, houses were flooded, blown away and destroyed. Watch the news report of damage the morning after.
Tia narrates a video showing the condition of the home after the storm.
Tia was raised by her grandparents in this family home and continues to live there with her two children. Prior to the storm, she operated a very successful chicken business, but sadly, Hurricane Melissa also destroyed the chicken coop in the backyard along with over 100 chickens. She also farmed scotch bonnet peppers with her partner, Odean, the father of her children, and they would sell the peppers weekly to the market vendors. Now, with the damage to the crops, that system (and income) is on pause.
Fortunately, Rohan's mom, Herna, helped her secure a generator locally (albeit 3x the price) and she is grateful to be able to restart the business and looks forward to generating her own income again. Odean is an excellent father, we are so glad he is there to help her, he is a God-send and is doing his best to support them.
Tia is an excellent mother, hardworking, intelligent, dependable, and motivated. She also recently earned her certificate to be a teacher for elementary students and looks forward to starting that new career too. Despite this setback, Tia and the children are maintaining and she remains strong in her faith. This scripture meaning is giving her strength and comfort during this time: Never lose hope. Just when you think it's over, God will make a way for you. - Isiah 43:19
This house also has great sentimental value to Rohan because this is his grandparent's home and where he spent every summer growing up. This is where he made his fondest childhood memories playing outside and spending time with his sweet grandmother. Rohan wants to make his mom and grandma Mildie smile upon him from heaven by restoring her home for them.
Rohan, Tia, and Rohan's mom, Herna in the backyard of the home where their ancestors are memorialized.
This home is also on the same plot of land where his grandparents are buried. We traveled there recently with his mom to commemorate the restoration of their memorial gravesites.
Tamier and Cheston were so excited to make their first YouTube video! I made this with them at the house during our recent visit in August 2025, before the storm.
We asked how they're doing, Tia said they're "still a bit traumatized". This is actually the second tragic and scary event they've had to experience in 2 months. In September 2025, their grandparent's house caught on fire and they were trapped in a room because the door wouldn't open. Young Tamier, with her ingenuity, managed to pick at the door handle until it opened and only because of that, they were able to escape. So, as they were healing from that experience, then came Hurricane Melissa with it's howling winds which tore the roof off and they had to scramble between rooms in the rain. Now, they are adjusting to a new pace of no electricity or internet, no school, and are experiencing the aftermath of the most frightening hurricane to ever hit Jamaica.
Tamier is very creative, loves to draw and paint. Cheston loves to sing and dance and they both love to make videos!
As you can see, they are very sweet, adorable, respectful, grateful, fun, and intelligent and we want to do what we can to help them feel safe and nurture them.
Mama Herna, Susie, Tia, and Rohan in Ocho Rios - August 2025
This rebuild is an impossible task for Tia and Odean to undertake alone. As her closest relatives, Rohan, me (Susie), and his mom, Herna (residing in the UK), will be handling the repairs to the house to restore it to a place that is safe, sturdy, and feels like a home so happy memories can be made once again. We appreciate anything you can contribute, as we need every help we can get to help to restore the house into a home.
We are collecting new and used tools to take to Jamaica and seeking monetary donations to help us buy lumber and plumbing supplies locally . We will bring the tools with us on our next trip to Jamaica in January 2026. We will install a sturdy roof and get running water back into the house and also fix the damaged bathroom.
TOOLS: Do you have old tools in your garage? We are collecting new and used tools like drills, tool sets, wrenches, hack saws and blades, hammers, circular saws, grinders, wrenches, nails, screws, etc. These types of items are very expensive if you can find them in Jamaica and even more expensive with such high demand now. Here is a link to view our Home Depot list of needs/ideas. Those items, or anything similar, new or used, will be very helpful and very much appreciated.
FIRST AID ITEMS: Here is our Amazon.com list of needs/ideas. Those items, or anything similar to those, will be helpful there.
MONEY: Any money received will be used to purchase building supplies in Jamaica such as zinc sheets, ply board, lumber, gasoline and gas jugs for the generator, construction tools, plumbing materials, a ladder, rope, tarps, nails and screws. Funds will also go towards the costs for transporting these items whether by checked luggage or shipped in a barrel. Receipts can be provided.
Digital payment options:
ZELLE - 281-217-7196 (to Susie)
CASHAPP - $SUNAMIFORCE
PayPal - Susie's PayPal (in the name of gongsia)
(Gongsia Sacred Sound Sessions is the name of Susie's sound bath meditation service and Sunami Force is the name of Rohan and Susie's reggae band.)
Please e-mail Rohan and Susie at sunamiforce@gmail.com for our Houston shipping address if you’d like donate tools or first aid items, or would like to drop them off to us near downtown, or we can happily come and pick them up from you!
WE ARE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR ANY HELP YOU CAN OFFER.
WE THANK YOU.
Now thru Dec. 15, 2025 we are donating 100% of profits for any of our sales at Rohan's art website, DONRASTA.com to this relief effort. These unique, cultural, wearable art, hoodies, posters, and flags make excellent gifts! Order now for the holidays!