Two Lowcountry nonprofits have partnered to help people in Jamaica still dealing with the devastation from Hurricane Melissa last month. One has deep Jamaican roots.
“Falmouth is home to so many people we love,” said Livity Foundation founder and Charleston native Dave Brisacher.
“When we saw how hard Hurricane Melissa hit and how families were left without something as basic as clean water, we knew we had to act.”
Brisacher, a reggae artist, formed the Livity Foundation in 2019 with the support of friend and fellow musician Ky-Mani Marley, the son of the legendary Bob Marley. Their mission is to uplift communities through programs focused on environmental resilience, wellness, athletics, and arts. They try to help both local and international communities in need.
The foundation is working with Water Mission, also of North Charleston, to provide safe drinking water for people in Falmouth, Jamaica. Together, they’ve installed two emergency safe water treatment systems along the Martha Brae River. Those systems will provide clean drinking water for as many as 10,000 people each day.
“We are grateful for our partnership with The Livity Foundation,” said Brock Kreitzberg, senior director of disaster response for Water Mission.
“Their relationships in Jamaica and familiarity with the people and community allowed us to accelerate our response.”
Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica on Oct. 28th as a powerful, category five storm. 45 people were killed, and the nation island’s infrastructure was decimated.
A concert fundraiser is being held on Saturday, Nov. 22nd from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m. at the Navy Yard in North Charleston. It will feature a special performance by Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC.
