DONALVA, Hanover — Three months after the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025, Mount Hannah Primary School is still without electricity from the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), so it was a great relief for the administrators when they were gifted a generator by the Wayne Wonder Foundation on Wednesday.

The donation to the school was part of a wider gift — valued at more than US$30,000 (approximately $4.8 million) — to the community of Donalva by the foundation led by reggae/dancehall star Von Wayne Charles, who goes by the stage name Wayne Wonder.

“The generator will go a far, far way in keeping us up with our Starlink. We already have a Starlink but now that we have a generator, we can start doing things back online and that sort of thing,” stated an elated Principal Nicholas James.

He pointed out that the school’s canteen will also benefit from the generator.

“We were also having an issue with food storage for canteen purposes for the children. That has now been solved because I can now start storing my food for the students. So, this is really a big deal and we can’t tell Wayne Wonder how much we appreciate it,” James told the Jamaica Observer.

During the hand over of the relief supplies at the Mount Hannah Resource Centre, some 700 packages were handed out from a 40-foot container which contained generators, food items, care packages for the elderly, and children, among other items from overseas.

Wayne Wonder told the Observer that he became involved in the Melissa relief effort after a resident of the community contacted him.

He said he wanted to provide a caring hand after being told that three months after the hurricane no one had returned to Donalva.

“Someone who is living here — her name is Renée — I knew Renée from years ago, so when she told me this situation, it was just the right time as I was in the process of sending stuff. When she told me what was going on in this community, I decided that they were the right candidates to get this stuff. So, it is just God and timing,” explained the reggae and dancehall artiste.

He told the Observer that having visited the community, it was obvious that it needs help and he is happy to know that he could play his part in giving a helping hand.

“The people are the ones who made me and for me to give back, I just did it from my heart. And to know that I can bring some comfort to someone, it was no problem for me to do something like that,” added Wayne Wonder who recently received three Grammy certificates — one for winning and two for being nominated.

The artist has an upcoming Valentine’s Day concert with another Jamaican reggae artiste Sanchez, and others, at Devon House on February 14.

Wayne Wonder in his element onstage.