Stephen puts his skills to good use in Jamaica (From Malvern Gazette)

Stephen puts his skills to good use in Jamaica

10:50am Saturday 20th March 2010 in News

A MALVERN student has travelled over 4,000 miles to help rebuild homes damaged in Jamaica two years ago by Hurricane Gustav.

Stephen Forrester, of Geraldine Road, is in the parish of St Ann on a four week work placement as part of his Geographical Information Systems degree at Bath Spa University.

He said: “I’m excited to be working with a team made up mostly of Jamaicans, seeing how they will rebuild homes to make them stronger for future disasters.

“Having worked on site here in England, it will be interesting to see if they use similar techniques when rebuilding.”

In 2008, Hurricane Gustav claimed the lives of 15 Jamaicans and flooded homes, businesses and streets leaving in its wake £130 million of damage. Two years on, there is still plenty of work to do.

The volunteers will work alongside the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) doing minor repairs to aluminum roofs, mixing mortar and putting in windows.

It’s not the first time that Stephen has used his skills abroad. In 2008 he spent two weeks with a team from Malvern in northern Thailand working with HANDS, a charity dedicated to promoting sustainable living for underprivileged people.

The trip is doubly exciting for Stephen as he turns 21 during the first week.

He said: “On one hand it would be nice to spend my birthday with my family and friends, but I can’t ask for a better present than celebrating in the Caribbean.”

Visit ADRA’s website at adra.org for more information.