Impact Spotlight
Powers the Accompong Resilience Centre with solar backup, ensuring electricity continuity for 150+ schoolchildren during outages
Rebuilt 10 homes with solar systems under the Rebuild 50 initiative
Trained 10 residents in solar installation and cooperative workforce development
About
In Jamaica’s Cockpit Country, Accompong is a historic Maroon community with a centuries-long tradition of self-governance, cultural continuity, and connection to the surrounding landscape. Located in St. Elizabeth Parish, the community was formally established in 1739 following the peace treaty between the Leeward Maroons and British colonial authorities, and remains one of Jamaica’s principal Maroon communities today. That legacy of resilience took on new urgency after Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica in October 2025, severely damaging homes, farms, the local school, and other community infrastructure in Accompong. Government and local reporting estimated that roughly 80% of structures in the community were damaged, while electricity and telecommunications were also significantly disrupted.
Friends of Accompong USA is a mutual-aid organization working alongside the community to move from emergency response toward a locally led, just recovery. Its work combines rebuilding with decentralized energy, workforce development, and community ownership—using solar not simply to restore what was lost, but to make homes and shared infrastructure more resilient before the next disruption. With a focus on decentralized systems and energy independence, the organization leads with cultural integrity, indigenous wisdom, and collective healing.
“Our skin is of the soil.”
HF Partnership
Through this partnership with the Honnold Foundation, Friends of Accompong USA will advance a community-led vision for energy resilience and sovereignty in Accompong, moving beyond short-term disaster relief by building solar infrastructure, local skills, and community ownership. The partnership will center the Accompong Resilience Centre (ARC) as a solar-powered community hub for emergency energy access, education, and workforce development, with key activities including expanding solar and battery capacity at the ARC, supporting solar backup power for the local school, and deploying more than 100 solar street lights.
Just as important as the infrastructure is who has the knowledge to sustain it: the project will pair solar development with hands-on workforce training and cooperative organizing, with intentional opportunities for youth and women, so residents can learn to maintain the systems and build skills that lead to employment. Ultimately, the partnership aims to help Accompong become more energy independent and disaster-prepared, creating a community-led model for a just, off-grid energy transition that can inspire other Maroon and rural communities throughout Jamaica and the Caribbean.
In the News
