Volunteering Abroad in Jamaica

I loved every moment of my time in Jamaica here with the Volunteer in Jamaica program. At the begging of the week we were told we would never want to leave once we got, and it's true! Thanks for the memories, I will NEVER forget them (Especially the Rastafari's. . . Jah Rastafarai! ;) ). Thanks again and I hope to be back in the future.

Smokey Manor is a wonderful place to stay and to undertake your Kingston exploration experience. Tucked into the hills above Kingston, the house is beautiful in a safe and quiet neighborhood. The staff is more than accommodating. 30 minutes to anywhere in Kingston we visited many of the fantastic sites around town including Blue Mountain, Strawberry Hill, Hellshire Beach, Devon House and Bob Marley Museum. I would recommend time at Smokey Manor to anyone who wants an authentic Jamaican experience.

Good trip. Rustic homestead experience on an authentic homestead. No frills. Beautiful location to escape city life and experience real Jamaica. Excursions were well planned. Transportation wasn't the most comfortable (old, uncomfortable buses) but it was tolerable and overall a quite enjoyable experience.

We had a wonderful time...Maureen and Staff are personable, reliable, informative and just delightful. The activities all met our needs - I am already planning to come back with another group. We especially love the cooking and meeting so many friendly people. Accommodations were great - safe and beautiful. And the staff went the extra mile to provide unique things we wanted like the Bobo Camp. Thanks to all - it is like home away from home.

This is my second time as a school group leader working alongside Jamaica Volunteer Programs, and they have been terrific. The minute we arrived in Jamaica, we were greeted by friendly staff who treated us like family. Throughout the course of the week, our group was immersed in the Jamaican culture by traveling through the city and countryside, trying authentic food, visiting beaches and venturing up into the Blue Mountains. JVM helped us fulfill our goal of teaching at a local school, and the students I was in charge of said that was one of their highlights. I would recommend Jamaica Volunteer Programs to anyone looking experience this incredible country!

I would have liked it a lot better if we had been allowed to pick which programs we wanted to do and the ability to choose the different culture experiences. I also this it would have been nice to have a better break down of the cost because there were expenses we were not informed about that caused us to run out of money. The cost for transportation at night to go done a hill to the supermarket of to do something in the city was outrages. I think that this should have been allowed without having to pay, since it is only a five min drive. Another things is I didn't realize that none of the money going to help the children. I thought that was why it cost so much.

I really enjoyed working with the children. This was life changing, but I felt like I could have done more if part of the money we payed was going to help the children.

The volunteer aspect was incredible. The kids were great to work with and I'm happy we found them through the Jamaica Volunteer Programs. The excursions were cool, I just wish there were more options to choose from. It was a bit expensive and no money was donated to the schools/orphanage. However, breakfast and dinner was provided and we felt very safe. The environment was relaxing. I wish we got to interact with the locals at night more often. The view is incredible.

This experience was amazing.From the day that I got here to now has been wonderful. Volunteering at the orphanage and schools was one of the greatest highlights. I love being able to interact with the kids and seeing their smiling faces everyday. The kids were very welcoming and brought so much joy to me. Other highlights were being able to stay at this beautiful house filled with wonderful people. I loved all the places that we got to visit such as Dunn River falls, and Strawberry Hills, Craigton Estate, and Living like a maroon. Overall this whole trip was my highlight and a once in a lifetime type of experience, and I cant wait to come back again!!