Volunteering Abroad in Jamaica

I came to Jamaica with a group called VISION from a university in Minnesota. Vision is a service learning group that travels to different parts of our beautifully diverse world to experience just that. The Evans family and their business, Jamaican Volunteer Programs allowed me and my group to experience the real Jamaican culture starting by so generously and lovingly opening up their own home to our group, blessing us with the beautiful, jaw-dropping view of the Blue Mountains surrounded by the lush and bright Jamaica, providing delicious traditional Jamaican meals cooked by the sweet Ms. Louise and the quiet yet talented chef Jerry (who even taught us how to Jerk chicken and make my all time fave, gingery, sugary coconut drops:) ) The Evans family smoothly coordinated a diverse itinerary for our group- allowing us always to feel safe in route and on site. It was a wonderful and fulfilling learning experience working with the bright children at Mannings Hill Primary, the energy filled children at SOS and Salvation Army Orphanages, and the inspiring elderly at Ozanam Home for the elderly. These service sights all provided a different view into Jamaica, and paired with educational and adventurous field trips to Hellshire Beach, Marroon Tour, Dunns River Falls (INTENSE AND SO FUN!) and finishing up the week with the breath-taking Blue Mountain hike and picnic, Maureen, Audley, Omar, Marlon, Louise and Jerry passionately and smoothly created an experience that catered to our groups concrete goals and visions. Shout out to the amazing Evans Family for allowing me and my group to have the experience of a life time.

Travelling to Jamaica through Jamaica Volunteer Programs was one of the most amazing experiences I've had in my life. It's difficult to sum up my two weeks in a short paragraph. The program directors were extremely hospitable. They went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. My group spent our first week in Jamaica volunteering at Mannings Hill Primary school (elementary school) and SOS Children's Orphanage. At the school, we were able to ask questions about Jamaican culture, answer questions about American culture, and teach lesson plans. The children were all so excited about having us there. We were able to make unforgetable connections with the students and staff. At the orphanage, we were able to play games and paint with the children. They loved having extra people there to love them. I made a special connection with a young boy. I am considering sponsoring this child. It was difficult to leave the children on the last day. Our group was able to visit Hellshire Beach. We learned how one of the vendors makes his delicisou fish and bammy. We learned about the costs involved in his business. We were able to enjoy a relaxing day on the beach (not without getting a little burnt, of course). The program directors brought us to a local market. We were able to buy ingredients to learn how to cook our favorite Jamaican foods (jerk chicken, banana fritters, and jerk vegetables). I can't wait to cook these items for my family and friends. My group also had the chance to go to Dunn's River Falls. The falls were beautiful. We even climbed the falls top to bottom. It was probably the coolest thing I've ever done! During our second week, we volunteered at Ozanam Nursing Home and Salvation Army Orphanage. At the nursing home, we did yard work, painted the building, washed windows, and visited with the residents. It was fun to make connections with a different generation of Jamaicans. At the orphanage, we re-organized and cleaned the library. We also played games with the children. We were also able to bring donations for the children. My group was able to "live like a Maroon" for a day. We learned how the Maroons eat, dance, bathe, and use herbs for medicine. I feel like I learned so much about Jamaica while making a difference in the lives of many people. I especially enjoyed the delicious food we were served each day. I also enjoyed waking up to the beautiful mountains and sunshine every morning. I definitely want to come back to Jamaica someday and volunteer through Jamaica Volunteer Programs again.

Coming to Jamaica was a fabulous thing for me I was able to escape the rat race of the states and just get away. Our adventure here was filled with a great variety of volunteer opportunities, including helping out at a primary school with daily lesson plans and answering a variety of questions about America. The kids were all so kind and sweet and it was a great experience. We also visited two orphanages where we played with kids and helped them with homework. The days were long but the children's energy definitely was easy to feed off of. I truly did enjoy my time with this program and with the awesome Evans family. I can honestly say that I made a difference to at least a few peoples lives in Jamaica and i would definitely recommend this program to anyone no matter what age. I am a college student and have a lot of energy so I worked more with younger kids, but lets say you don't have as much energy, there are various other places to volunteer. This program is for all ages so no worries