When Hurricanes Beryl (2024) and Melissa (2025) tore through the Caribbean, they left behind a trail of destruction — but also a few quiet victories. In Jamaica, one of those victories was found in the classrooms of 13 primary and infant schools built or renovated by the CHASE Fund. These schools, located in some of the hardest-hit areas, stood firm against the storms.

On February 4, 2026, the Fund reported, via a quarter-page, black-and-white advertisement in The Sunday Gleaner — most persons would not have recognised the import of the content — in eight- or nine-point font, that its strategy had succeeded. The message: its building strategy emphasised “structural integrity, improved roofing systems, reinforced foundations, and overall build quality”. In other words, resilience was not a motto or an afterthought — it was an integral part of the structures’ blueprint.

Implicit in its statement was a profound but simple argument. This is what preparedness looks like in practice: investments that withstand disasters, protect children, and double as community shelters when the winds howl. It is a tangible example of resilience, not the resilience that policymakers talk about.