Jamaica Field Visit July 2026
In July 2026, Ackee Seed Foundation made its first official on-the-ground visit to Jamaica. The trip had three primary objectives: to activate our partnership with Daniel Town Primary School in Trelawny, through a creative project with students. To connect with the Dutch community in Jamaica through two facilitated community gatherings in Montego Bay and Kingston. Then finally, to identify potential focus areas for future work. What we found confirmed much of what we already knew and taught us things we could not have learned from the Netherlands.
Reporting
Overview
Daniel Town
Primary School
Background Daniel Town Primary School in Trelawny has been a partner of Ackee Seed Foundation since Hurricane Melissa. This visit marked our first in-person engagement with the school, its staff, and its students. The school holds a particular significance being the alma mater of Ackee Seed Foundation's founder, Karla King.
The Foundation had originally planned to attend the school's graduation ceremony on July 1st, where Karla would have addressed the graduates and formally presented the partnership, however, a flight cancellation prevented this. Fortunately, the creative project proceeded as planned the following day on July 2nd.
The Creative Session A small group of students aged between seven and eleven,including some graduates of 2026, participated in a collaborative canvas painting session facilitated by Karla King. The session was built around the themes of community building and freedom of expression through creativity.
The process was deliberately co-creative. Students were involved from the outset, sharing what mattered to them as Jamaicans, as young people, and as members of their community. They were guided through the full creative process: understanding materials and tools, painting techniques, colour mixing, layering, and working together as a group. The result was a large-scale canvas painting titled We Grow Together. The collective piece that tells the story of the importance of the community, from the perspective of its youngest members.
Student responses were immediate and genuine. Many had never worked on a canvas of this scale before. The simple act of mixing paint colours was a new and joyful experience for most. They collaborated with remarkable ease and warmth.
Ackee Seed Foundation provided all art materials for the session consisting of canvas, paint, brushes, and supplies which were donated to the school. The painting was later unified by Karla to bring forth cohesion in the composition while maintaining the integrity of the work done by the student. A local framer was contracted to create a frame for the completed work that will be permanently displayed at the school in the coming school year.
Findings at the SchoolThe school has received government support toward structural repairs following Hurricane Melissa, and has been doing considerably well in its effort to rebuild the institution. However, the school's outdoor court that is used for the main recreational area, has been a sore point as it remains in poor condition, leaving students without adequate space for play during recess. This is an ongoing concern and an area that has been present to the Foundation as a point of focus regarding support going forward.
Additionally, visual arts is no longer being actively taught at Daniel Town Primary. Although the curriculum exists on paper, the practical reality is that teachers are under significant pressure to prioritise mandatory core subjects. Combined with staff shortages and inadequate resourcing, creative subjects have been quietly sidelined. Students have very limited access to art materials or creative exposure as a result..
Donation
€1,000
Donated
In accordance with the earlier commitments made toward assisting the school’s recovery, the donation of €1,000 has been committed to Daniel Town Primary School. This is being directed toward school equipment, canteen and food supplies, and the essential daily operational needs of the school and its students, as agreed in the signed fund use agreement. The transfer is currently being processed.
Two community gatherings were held. One in Montego Bay on the North Coast, and one in Kingston hosted at the German Society. Both sessions were facilitated by Jan Voordouw, independent development consultant and key advisor to Ackee Seed Foundation.
Attendees included local artists, small business owners, members of the journalism community, educators linked to the University of Technology Jamaica, and members of the Dutch community in Jamaica.
Dutch-Jamaica Community Gatherings
Significant areas across Jamaica, particularly in rural communities, have not received adequate post-hurricane support. The scale of unmet need remains considerable.
Key Findings
Mental health and generational traumaA recurring theme was the psychological impact of Hurricane Melissa on younger generations. Children exhibit signs of anxiety triggered by rain, fearing another disaster. This was echoed at Daniel Town Primary, where students spoke about months of disruption and the lasting emotional weight of the storm. This dimension of recovery is consistently overlooked.
Creativity in the education system Attendees expressed concern that creativity is being marginalised across Jamaica's educational system. For a country with an extraordinary global cultural footprint, the sidelining of creative subjects is seen as both a cultural and developmental loss. Art and creative expression were repeatedly identified as critical tools, not soft extras.
Access as a structural barrierBasic access gaps, to internet, electricity, clean water, and functional transport, remain a fundamental challenge in rural areas across Trelawny, Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, and beyond. Any development initiative that does not account for these realities risks failing the people it is trying to reach.
Connecting the diaspora There is strong appetite for a transparent, practical channel through which diaspora members in the Netherlands can contribute meaningfully to communities in Jamaica. The goodwill exists. The infrastructure does not yet.
Creativity as social developmentThere was broad consensus that creativity as a tool for community building, collective problem-solving, and economic opportunity is significantly underutilised in Jamaica's development landscape. The Foundation's approach was well received and seen as timely and necessary.
FormatHurricane recovery gaps Partnerships Identified
South Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA) STEA's ecosystem approach, where resources entering a community are shared within it, aligns closely with the Foundation's values. A partnership is being explored, focused on youth development and community programming in rural Trelawny.
Social Development Committees (SDCs) Local SDCs are being identified as key grassroots conduits for future community programming.
Office of Disaster Preparedness - TrelawnyAn introduction took place to explore how the Foundation can establish direct local networks for faster, more targeted response in future disasters.
Library Network and University of Technology JamaicaConversations opened possibilities for engaging young professionals and students in applying creative research to local community challenges.
Note on Accountability One theme that came up consistently across our conversations in Jamaica was trust. Specifically, the erosion of it. Due to the disproportionate and largely unaccounted use of funds by the current administration allocated for Hurricane Melissa relief, communities across Jamaica are still waiting for help that has yet to arrive months after the storm. Meanwhile, families across western and southern Jamaica are still living without repaired roofs, and some communities only recently had electricity restored.
Strategic Decision
Reflections
Based on the findings from the meetings that took place across the island, the Foundation has made a clear strategic decision: focus on Trelawny first, establish a strong core of partners and programmes, and scale outward from there.
This trip confirmed what we have always believed: that the need is real, the people are resilient, and the opportunity to build something meaningful, when approached with care, integrity, and genuine partnership is significant.
We returned with more clarity than we left with. We know our focus. We know the gaps. We know the partners we want to build with. And we know the work matters.
We are grateful to Jan Voordouw, to the principal and students of Daniel Town Primary School, to every attendee who gave their time and knowledge at the community gatherings, and to every donor who made this trip possible.
The seed has been planted. Now we grow.