ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Vanessa Winston’s home and business on the island of Dominica were destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Starting from scratch, the mother of four fought back, and now, with UN support, she has rebuilt her life.
The 44-year-old Winston lives in Roseau, the island’s capital, where she runs a small-scale business primarily making bespoke, hand-made fashion accessories. She is also President of the UN-supported Dominica Arts & Craft Producers Association, which helps its members to promote their products.
Hurricane Maria destroyed her home and the workshop where she produced all her products. Despite this setback, she has bounced back and is an inspirational example for other Dominican entrepreneurs, even attending the first Commonwealth Fashion Exchange initiative at Buckingham Palace in London.
In early April, Winston sat down with UN News to look back at the dark days that followed Hurricane Maria, explaining how she has managed to bounce back.
“Back in 2017, life was looking good. I returned from a trade show in Barbados with two other association members. I was excited to come home and take my business to the next level. I had my workshop and a small but comfortable home with my children.”
But Hurricane Maria had other plans.
“On the day it hit, we assumed that the storm would blow off the roof but that we would be safe downstairs, in the workshop part of the house. So, we carried what we could, covered the rest in plastic, and headed down at around 6:00 pm (local time).
She said that the ground floor ceiling was made of wood, “so we could feel the wind and rain, and the door kept threatening to burst open or split in two.
“We heard the fridge and the stove upstairs crashing to the floor, and the ceiling began to rise. That’s when my older daughter became hysterical.
“I bundled all my daughters under the stairs, and everyone was crying as the water poured and the winds howled around us. The house was destroyed, but the stairwell saved us.
“After the storm, there were more challenging days ahead. When we looked outside and saw the state of the mountains, everything was black -the storm transformed the countryside, removing much of the lush green foliage and trees. Even the surface of the road had been lifted by the winds. I was left with four children and nowhere to stay, but I just had to give thanks that we were still alive.”
Winston said the community came together right away, and with support from aid agencies like the Red Cross and the UN, “we received cash assistance, which I used for food.
“However, it was too challenging for my daughters without a home, so I sent them to live with my cousin in Barbados.”
She said that, together with members of the Dominica Arts and Crafts Producers Association, they decided to focus on bringing the forest back to life.
“Our industry depends heavily on the forest because most of our products are made from raw materials that grow there, such as coconuts and the different reeds we use to make baskets and jewelry.
“But after Maria, we saw that many of the plants and trees were destroyed so that we couldn’t find the raw materials. We sought the seeds we needed, and all planted them in the forest. We also taught our members how to get involved in the beekeeping industry, using local wood to build beehives because the wax from the hives is essential for polishing our furniture products.”
Winston said she was always there when the UN offered business training “because they helped me develop my skills as an entrepreneur and network with other small business owners.
“This is the kind of support that helped me to get on my feet and become a success, which means improving myself, helping my members, and providing for my family<” she added.
The United Nations has helped Dominicans recover from Hurricane Maria, which greatly strained the country’s economy.
Following the hurricane, Winston received money from the Joint Emergency Cash Transfer Programme, which involved the Dominica government, the World Food Programme (WFP), and UNICEF.
The Dominica Arts & Crafts Producers Association receives funding from the Green Environment Fund’s Small Grants Program, a UN Development Programme initiative, to finance its reforestation projects and beehive construction.
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