Jamaican Olympians and global Olympians community rebuild STETHS after Hurricane Melissa

16 | 9 | 2026

Months after Jamaican Olympians appealed to the worldwide Olympian community for help, the response has rebuilt a home for the next generation of student-athletes at St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS).

When Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica, it left the girls' dormitory at STETHS — one of the island's most storied sporting institutions — in urgent need of repair. The Olympians Association of Jamaica launched a GoFundMe appeal to restore the dormitory roof and protect a safe, stable home for the young female student-athletes who depend on it.

That appeal was answered. Together, Olympians and supporters worldwide raised J$2 million for the rebuild. The campaign has since closed, the funds have been delivered to the Olympians Association of Jamaica, and the girls' dormitory is once again up and running — its residents back learning, training and dreaming under a secure roof.

Chris Stokes, a member of the Olympians Association of Jamaica who was part of the initiative, said: "STETHS has shaped Jamaican athletes for generations. Seeing the global Olympian family step up to protect that legacy — and get these young women back into a safe dormitory — has been genuinely moving."

For the Jamaican Olympians, the rebuild is about more than a roof. STETHS has shaped generations of Jamaican Olympians, and restoring it means the next generation can keep growing in a place that has always dreamed bigger. NAJO thanks every member of the global Olympian family who gave proof of what the community can do when it comes together for its own.