An official website of the United States government
About Jamaica
+1 (876) 929-0495
Peace Corps' global mission of promoting world peace and friendship through community-based development and intercultural understanding is the mainstay of Peace Corps Jamaica. Indeed, Peace Corps Jamaica's vision is to be nationally recognized for being responsive to Jamaica’s development needs by providing Jamaican communities and organizations with trained Volunteers; identifying effective and sustainable solutions; forging mutually beneficial partnerships; and supporting Volunteers and staff in a safe, peaceful, and culturally sensitive environment.
Our commitment to service in Jamaica began on February 22, 1962, when Premier Norman Washington Manley signed an agreement with the United States Government inviting the Peace Corps to start a program in Jamaica. On June 12 of that year, a few weeks before Jamaica’s independence, the first group of Volunteers arrived in Jamaica. That group of 37 Volunteers worked in many fields, including agriculture, vocational education, library development, construction, electricity, and plumbing. By 1963 there were about 100 Volunteers serving in Jamaica. Their work mostly focused on grassroots development projects. Volunteers lived then as they do today—with Jamaican host families, adapting to Jamaican culture while learning the local language and foods.
Since that day, more than 3,880 people have served as Volunteers in this beautiful island nation. Current Volunteer assignments are part of a uniform plan that has a significant community development core. Peace Corps Jamaica invites Volunteers to serve either in the Education sector, where the emphasis is on primary school literacy, or the Environment sector, where the emphasis is on environmental education and environmental adaptation in agriculture. While each project plan has specific tasks and skill requirements, all assignments generally involve facilitating the growth and development of communities and their members by supporting them in making decisions about their own lives. Most Volunteers are placed in small, rural communities; however, some sites are near small towns.
Volunteer satisfaction, health, and safety
- Annual Volunteer Survey satisfaction results [PDF]
- Health and medical care summary [PDF]
- Crime, harassment, and early termination of service [PDF]
Partners
We work with the following organizations and agencies to implement projects in Jamaica.
Jamaica Library Service
We assist Jamaica Library Service in training Volunteers on how to set up and run a school library. The organization assists in providing books and multimedia resources to support teaching and learning throughout the key stages and foster a reading and information culture that promotes independent motivated readers and learners for life.
Junior Achievement Jamaica
We work with Junior Achievement Jamaica to help to prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs that make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace.
Mico CARE Centre
We work with the Mico CARE Centre to provide training to Volunteers in the areas of identifying and working with students with special needs.
Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA)
Peace Corps partners with RADA to support their efforts in “promoting the development of agriculture in Jamaica, as the main engine of economic growth in rural communities, through an efficient, modern, and sustainable extension service which will enhance the national economy and improve the quality of life of rural farm families.”
Jamaica 4H Clubs
Peace Corps partners with the Jamaica 4H Clubs to provide training and outreach in agriculture, home economics, leadership, social skills, entrepreneurship, healthy lifestyles, and environmental awareness.
Lasco R.E.A.P. (Releaf Environmental Awareness Program)
Peace Corps partners with Lasco R.E.A.P. to support an awareness-building program for primary school children, with the goal of increasing children’s participation in environmentally friendly activities (school gardens, tree planting, and plastic recycling) and increasing awareness of how lifestyle impacts the environment.
Resources
Peace Corps service is a life-changing experience, and no two Volunteers experience their service in exactly the same way. Check out some of the links below to learn more about our country and the experiences other Volunteers have had serving here.
To find information about countries around the world, including social and political history, travel information, and U.S. embassy websites.
The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA)
A national organization for Returned Volunteers. You can find links to the “friends” groups for most countries of service.
Jamaica Gleaner is a leading newspaper in Jamaica, covering local and international news, sports, business, entertainment, and more. Find breaking stories, opinions, videos, etc.
The Jamaica Observer is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica.
Television Jamaica is a television station in Kingston, Jamaica, owned by the RJRGleaner Communications Group. It is one of Jamaica's two major television stations.
CVM Television Limited is a television station in Kingston, Jamaica, owned by VertiCast Media Group.
