School2School™ builds lasting relationships between school communities while supporting schools in Jamaica affected by Hurricane Melissa (October 2025). Learning has stopped in many schools, and in others, the learning environment has been disrupted. Support goes to schools, and impact happens in classrooms—restoring the ease, focus, and dignity of the school day.
A devastating disruption to learning across Jamaica
Normal school operations with safe, functional learning environments
Learning stopped in many schools; disrupted environments in others
26 priority schools serving 13,430 students need immediate support to restore learning. From catastrophic damage requiring complete rebuilding to severe disruptions needing rapid repairs—every school needs help to bring students back to safe, functional learning environments.
All funds managed by The American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ), a registered 501(c)(3) | theafj.org | Tax-deductible contributions
Choose your level of engagement: partnership with a named school, contribution to a named school, or pooled support allocated by Jamaica's Ministry of Education.
Use this visual guide to understand the key differences and choose your pathway
Choose the pathway that works best for you
Not sure which pathway is right for you? Visit our Choose Your Path page for detailed comparisons and FAQs.
A classroom is not simply a space where instruction is delivered. It is a cognitive environment that shapes how the mind settles, processes, and moves. When that room is stable, orderly, calm, and clean, the student's attention can settle. Their mind can remain with the content. Their thinking can deepen. But when the physical environment is damaged—when there are leaks, broken furniture, missing materials, or structural instability—the student's cognitive function is compromised. They cannot focus. They cannot think at depth. Learning still occurs, but it occurs under strain.
Restoring a classroom returns steadiness to the school day. It restores the psychological ground that gives students the rhythmic stability they need to think. That restoration is not cosmetic. It is structural. And that is why it matters.
Hurricanes in Jamaica have damaged school buildings, classrooms, and learning environments across the island. These are not schools that have collapsed or ceased operation. Teachers continue teaching. Students continue arriving each morning. The school day goes on.
But the conditions have been compromised. Roofs leak. Doors don't close. Furniture is broken. In some classrooms, water intrusion or structural instability make ongoing environmental stress an everyday reality. Students are still learning—but they are learning under conditions that should not persist.
The need is not framed as suffering. It is framed as information—an interruption to the architecture of learning. That interruption can be corrected. The context is structural, not emotional.
We coordinate the partnership invitation. We pair schools thoughtfully and create space for schools to figure out their own shared experience together. We provide communication support when helpful, but schools decide what connection looks like.
School2School™ does not manage funds, direct restoration work, or prescribe curriculum—we create the framework that enables organic school-to-school connection.
The Ministry identifies which schools require restoration based on the extent to which devastating hurricane damage is affecting the learning environment and the continuity of the school day. They determine the specific scope of restoration work and oversee the process.
Decisions come from Jamaica, from educators who know their schools—not from outsiders.
AFJ serves as the fiduciary. All funds raised for school restoration are contributed through AFJ. They receive and disburse funds directly to the restoration process under the Ministry's oversight. Complete transparency, auditing, and documentation.
AFJ is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) with 40+ years of experience. All contributions are tax-deductible.
Schools organize fundraising activities—which may involve students, families, local partners, or community organizations. Teachers guide students through reflective, age-appropriate learning experiences. The fundraising is purposeful and focused, understood as a contribution to restoring the environment where students learn.
The relationship does not end with fundraising—schools remain connected in a way that feels natural and human.
Support and examples to help schools figure out their own shared experience
Connect classrooms • Restore learning environments • Build partnerships
Questions? Learn more about how the partnership works