Program Reviews

My normal day in Jamaica is to wake up with breakfast prepared by amazing staff. Then on weekdays we would go to our day programs such as teaching math and reading at Manning primary school and others will work on building the playground at Manning hill basic school for the young children. After work around 2:30 pm we would come back and get some time to relax before dinner. Dinner was always filling and great. Best things we have experienced would be site seeing such as blue mountain, maroon village, hillshire beach and dunn's river falls. The culture here is excellent and the staff does a great job highlighting it to the group.

Staying at Smokey Manor with the Wright-Evans family has been an incredible experience. I felt welcome immediately upon entering the house and continued to feel so throughout my two-week stay. Every morning began with incredible cooking from Jerry and Louise; every bus ride ended safely at our volunteer site (Mannings Hill Primary School); every evening settled down in the tidy and homey dorm rooms. The view from the house is incredible, not to mention the community the volunteers who are staying there provides. Meeting people from around the world who have chosen Jamaica as their ideal volunteer spot has been such an enhancement to the already vibrant cultural exchange found in Jamaica. The school invited us in and even the surrounding businesses welcomed our group with love and pride. Furthermore, each outing provided incredible and overwhelming amounts of history, excitement, and culture. Overall, my stay at Smokey Manor has been incredible, and I could not have imagined a more wonderful Jamaica experience.

The trip I went on had six days of volunteering (every Monday through Wednesday) and adventure days the rest of the week that immersed us in the Jamaican culture. I worked at a school that had never had volunteers before and they were overjoyed to have us. We started to build a play area for them and had lunch with them. We played with the kids (ages 2-5) and had so much fun. We also spent time at a local orphanage and donated items they really needed (with a list provided by our hosts)

Every outing provided new insights to the culture from history to the food and landscape. We never went anywhere alone and the hosts made sure that every step of the way we were having fun and learning.

This experience has been amazing! We have gotten to experience both service work and the cultural aspects of Jamaica! The staff has been MORE than friendly and helpful with everything. One thing that we got to do was supply and build a playground. This provided a place for the students to play and will always be there! Also the different cultural trips we went on, like Blue Mountain, were great ways to show us the Jamaican Cultural, while still having fun.

I really enjoyed this program because safety seemed to be the number one goal for each and every volunteer. I really enjoyed being in the mountain as well as having safety with our food and water each and every day.

My service trip to Jamaica has been a great experience. I had the opportunity to work at a basic school and build a build a playground for the children. It was a much better experience than i can imagine anyone getting as a tourist. I was able to work alongside individuals who were either married to a teacher at the school, had children there, or where related to the principal. Participating on this trip gave me an understanding of the true Jamaican culture. Meeting the local people and working alongside them has taught me more than any class could have. I have made relationships with the people and was sad when we had to say goodbye. This trip not only focused on service but provided us with opportunities to get to see different areas of Jamaica such as the beach, the mountains, and the city. I would recommend this trip to anyone!

I had an amazing time in Jamaica with this program. We had a ton of fun doing day trips to places like Blue Mountain and Hellshire Beach. However, the time we spend working with the children at Mannings Hill Primary school was just as much fun. It was wonderful to see how excited the children were to see the volunteers come in, and the cultural exchange was great. We didn't have much direction going into the schools which was challenging, but we found ways to serve them regardless. I absolutely loved my time in Jamaica because the people were so welcoming and helpful.

I spent two weeks at Smokey Manor just outside Kingston, Jamaica. My friend and I chose this guest house because the host seemed very genuine in the on-line video. When we arrived we were warmly greeted at the airport and for the next two weeks chauffeured back and forth to the school where we volunteered. We also enjoyed several trips to tourist attractions that were planned by Jamaica Volunteer Programs. Host Maureen checked on us daily and was interested in our successes and compassionate with our difficulties.

We quickly discovered the differences between schools in Jamaica and schools in Canada. In Jamaica, the classroom noise level is much higher; the educational resources are extremely sparse; and prayers and devotions are very much a part of the school day.

I had the opportunity to give eleven presentations on a children's book I wrote, called, "The Boy Who Was Bullied" which tells the story of Canadian John Peters Humphrey, who wrote the draft copy of the "United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights". The Grades 4-7 students quickly identified with young John Humphrey who was bullied as a child and were fascinated to learn that young John moved beyond the childhood bullying to spend his adult life working for human rights around the world.

The students were curious about us. One Grade 5 student asked, "Please, Miss, is your blood dark?" I replied by asking him if he cut his finger what colour would his blood be, and he answered, "red". I told him that if I cut my finger, my blood would be red as well.

One skit I did with the students was based on one of the articles of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" - "All human beings are born free and equal, regardless of skin colour". I played the part of the "white-skinned" person who was not included in the football game because I did not have black skin like everyone else. That gave me, for the first time in my life, a chance to play the part of the minority. One of my lines was, "I was born with white skin and although I look different from you, I have hopes and feelings just like all of you." The skit ends with one of the students saying, "Alright, you can play with us. The colour of your skin doesn't matter." These daily interactions with students were the highlight of my trip!

At Smokey Manor we were surrounded by young people in their early twenties and my friend and I are over 65. This was not a problem although sometimes they stayed up too late and could have been quieter. I enjoyed their vitality and their passion for being involved in a service project. At the same time, they were fascinated with the fact that my friend and I had met at university fifty years ago and have remained good friends ever since. We all have an interest in helping others and enjoying an adventure at the same time.

I highly recommend coming to Jamaica through the Jamaica Volunteers Program. Be prepared for the friendly nature of Jamaicans and leave some of your Canadian expectations behind - like an unlimited supply of water for long luxurious baths and showers!

As a "mature" volunteer, my overall teaching experience here in Kingston was fabulous. The primary and junior high school I was placed at was welcoming and the teachers/administrators were supportive. They were very appreciative of my work with the children. I am so happy I chose the Jamaica Volunteer Programs. My stay with Maureen Wright-Evans, owner of her beautiful Smokey Manor house on top of the hill was absolutely wonderful in every respect....stunning views, authentic Jamaican food, everyone was so warm and friendly here. I truly felt like part of the family. The tours Maureen provides were magnificent as they enable you to experience the true beauty and interesting culture of this amazing country. Do go on as many as you can! I highly recommend this program - you will be well taken care of here!

Through participating in health fairs, visiting different clinics and meeting patients we have gained practical skills and learned about the challenges that Jamaica is facing. We are happy about our placement.