Welcome to Treasure Beach, Jamaica. Welcome to Breds, The Treasure Beach Foundation. A wholly volunteer-based charitable organization run by members of the community, for the benefit of the community in Treasure Beach, a small, rural enclave on Jamaica’s undeveloped South Coast where fishing and farming are still common ways of life.
100% of donations to Breds goes toward a variety of programs designed to meet the direct needs of the Treasure Beach people, ranging from educational enrichment to the country’s first community-based ambulance service. Breds is the term used in the local vernacular short for “bredren” or friend.
Breds is a community based organisation led by stakeholders from a cross-section of the community including a fisherman, principal,a guest house operator, a shop owner, villa owner and a hotelier to name a few.
History
Breds, The Treasure Beach Foundation was established as a nonprofit organization in 1998 by Peace Corps volunteer Aaron Laufer and hotelier Jason Henzell. The organization was started with the purpose of addressing the specific needs within Treasure Beach, while also providing a mutually beneficial connection between the tourism sector and the community--a relationship that in many ways has come to define Treasure Beach.
With over a decade's worth of service to the community of Treasure Beach, Breds now looks to continue its fundraising beyond the regional tourism base, and has turned to social enterprise organizations, foundations and development institutions to assist Breds in creating a long term sustainability plan for the community.
Mission
To foster community empowerment through programs designed to enhance the education, vocational training, recreation and livelihoods of Treasure Beach community members and to ensure the sustainability of the environment that nurtures our community.
Vision
Breds envisions a community where each member is empowered to discover and create opportunity, achieve success and care for one another, all while protecting the sustainability of the community of Treasure Beach and its environment.
Mission
To foster community empowerment through programs designed to enhance the education, vocational training, recreation and livelihoods of Treasure Beach community members and to ensure the sustainability of the environment that nurtures our community.
Vision
Breds envisions a community where each member is empowered to discover and create opportunity, achieve success and care for one another, all while protecting the sustainability of the community of Treasure Beach and its environment.