Barbuda needs to be developed on a small scale, but we need to rebuild houses first. We need to be able to vote on what is allowed to be built here after Irma. The NGOS have helped rebuild homes but now they have left. I was the fourth person on the island to get the roof of my uncle’s house repaired, but some people still don’t have roofs."
During our time in Barbuda we stayed with Joyce. Like most people we met, Joyce had been displaced by hurricane Irma and resided in her Uncle’s house whilst awaiting repairs on her home and business. The design of his house was influenced by his time in the UK. Joyce, who fervently worked in the kitchen preparing food for the early morning workers, lamented its impractical design where she never knew where anything was because she couldn’t see it behind cupboard doors. Joyce was forever on the move, sharing stories and information whilst cleaning, preparing food, cooking and gardening, with a constant stream of washing up. She stayed connected to the community through her church.