Following a successful volunteer vacation in August of 2019 at the Jamaica National Children Home, team Sunshine & Stars will return to continue their volunteer efforts. During their volunteer trip, there was a devastating fire that destroyed the children home, which is currently being rebuilt with donations from companies and individuals from around the world.
Once the Jamaica National Children Home has been rebuilt, the children, who are currently housed in a temporary home, will be relocated to the home. This is where your efforts will come in handy, as you will help make the rebuilt property the home that the children remember by redoing the artwork for both the girl’s and boy’s dorms. In addition to brightening up the premises, team Sunshine & Stars will also arrange games and activities with the children during the summer.
For the vacation aspects, you will join some amazing excursions in Jamaica and get to explore the island’s beauty to the fullest. You will also spend a week at a hotel on the Montego Bay Hip Strip to get a taste of the ‘tourist’ lifestyle.
By joining this 2-week program you will undertake several goals that need to be completed within the time frame. Some tasks to be completed towards accomplishing your goals are:
Here are some of the highlights of this project:
This project is ideal for volunteers who work well with others, are willing and eager to give back, and who are excited about becoming a part of a new volunteer movement. These volunteers may include:
Jamaica National Children home has been one of our volunteer partners since 2015. Having been opened in 1973 as a branch of Britain’s National Children’s Home, they have since become one of the top homes of safety for disabled, abandoned and abused children, or wards of the state in the island. As a result, their primary objective is to provide a safe haven for all of the children enrolled there, as well as to aid in their development.
The children home operate 3 programs on their premises, all of which provide vital services to the children there. These include the Residential Dorm, Carberry Court Special Project and the Tegwyn Facility.
The Residential Dorm: This is the home where most of the children reside. It houses over 50 children between the ages of 6 and 18.
Carberry Court Special School: This is a school for the intellectually disabled children with about 100 students enrolled. These students are taught life skills, basic academics, as well as gain work experience that prepares them for working in the world and allowing them to lead more fruitful lives. In addition, it serves children from the surrounding communities.
The Tegwyn Facility: Special round the clock care is provided to severely mentally and physically challenged children and young adults who live in this facility. Moreover, exercises are performed for the children, including stimulation programs, water therapy and more.
On Friday, August 9, 2019, just 15 minutes after Team Sunshine & Stars departed the property, a huge fire broke out at the children home, destroying the girls’ dorm and causing over $150 million JMD worth of damage, while also rendering the property uninhabitable. While many volunteers and donors have already pledged assistance, there is always much to do. Thus, the work set out for Team Sunshine & Stars in 2020 is more crucial than ever.
This project will run for 2 weeks (14 nights/15 days).
The dates for this project are Saturday, August 1, 2020, to Saturday, August 15, 2020. You may book your flight for either the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay (MBJ) or Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston (KIN) and should be booked for the above dates for arrival and departure.
The deadline for booking and finalizing all payments for this trip is Tuesday June 30, 2020. If you plan on booking after this date, then you will be required to make a full payment during booking (if there is availability).
Immediately after booking this project, you will begin receiving our support services, which include the following:
As a part of your package, we provide you with a complimentary class on the Jamaican culture, which you will receive a certificate for upon the completion of your project.
During the cultural class we will touch on the following topics:
The date of the class will be listed on your itinerary.
We will also give you a lesson on Patois (pronounced Pat-Wah) which is our local dialect. It is a second language you will hear many locals speaking around you.
As soon as you begin your Patois lessons you will learn the following:
As the Program Director for this project, I organize the activities included in this trip, as well as arranging the local logistics. My duties include:
Barnett’s Homestay
Full breakfast and dinner are included in your package each day. We cater for volunteers with special dietary requirements such as gluten allergies, diabetes, vegans and more.
The health, safety, and security of all our volunteers always remain our top priority. Here are some of the steps we take to ensure you remain safe during this project:
1 Week Dorm Room Package (Bunk Twin Size) — $1,130 USD Per Person
2 Weeks Dorm Room Package (Bunk Twin Size) — $1,710 USD Per Person
1 Week Double Room Package (1 Queen Bed) — $1,340 USD Per Person
2 Weeks Double Room Package (1 Queen Bed) — $1,920 USD Per Person
To secure your space in this project you will need to make a payment as soon as possible, as space is limited and will go quickly. After you book this program you can either pay in full or pay a $300 USD deposit and a 6-month payment plan to settle the balance. Immediately after all the spaces in this project are booked the booking option will be disabled, so act fast to secure your space!
You may pay using either a credit card or bank wire transfer. All credit card payments will incur a 4% processing fee, and for wire transfers, you will be responsible for covering any wire transfer fees.
We encourage all of our volunteers to do some fundraising back home before you arrive in Jamaica. This can help you cover the cost of your trip, as well as allow you to collect donations in cash or kind that you could take along to give to the children at the children home.
We can also provide you with a sponsorship letter that you could take to businesses, schools, churches, family members and friends back home to help collect items or cash to purchase items for you to donate to the children’s home. When you board your flight, you can take along donation items in an extra suitcase.
You can sponsor this trip by providing funds to help offset some of the expenses incurred by the volunteers, as well as to help provide some needed resources to help the volunteers better perform their duties.
Some areas your sponsorship will cover include:
By being a sponsor, you will receive the following perks:
To become the official sponsor of this project, please visit our sponsorship application form and submit your inquiry. We will review it and get back to you within 24 hours.
This has been a fabulous trip, 18 months planning resulted in our having as near as perfect experience as possible. Spending time in the children’s home was life-changing and bonds made with the home will last a long time. The Grand Port Royal hotel was a great place to stay and was more than we expected. The caterers provided us with great food and were so accommodating when we were late. The excursions were amazing and all of it was made possible by the fantastic attention to detail by the wonderful Jomo.
Incredible authentic experience. A fantastic first experience of Jamaica! The volunteer aspect was well organized and incredibly worthwhile. The experience and bonds made will last forever. The excursions were well thought out and gave a real authentic experience of the country. One of the best trips I’ve ever done and I am so impressed with every aspect of the project and especially loved the Jamaican food every night.
We volunteered by painting the girl’s dorms at Jamaica National Children’s Home. It was the most wonderful experience as we really got to know the girls and their personalities. I really enjoyed spending time with the children and playing with them. It truly was an amazing experience. The excursions really immersed us in the culture of Jamaica. The food and accommodation were lovely and gave us an authentic experience of Jamaica.
A fantastic experience with memories that I will share back home and that will stay with me forever. We have had an amazing two weeks in Jamaica. It has been a full programme and a good mix of volunteering at the children’s home, plus visiting different attractions around the island. At the children’s home, I spent most of my time decorating which was hot and sweaty work, but it was very satisfying to see and hear the difference we had made. Our sightseeing days were long and busy days, but there was so much to see and do – from climbing waterfalls to swimming in the sea to visiting a plantation. Food and hotel have been good and everyone has been friendly and welcoming. Thanks for the great experience.
My whole experience in Jamaica has been amazing. Working in the home and seeing the bedrooms, bathrooms, and corridor of the girl’s part being made to look more decorative and seeing the girls smiles when asked if they liked it. The hotel was perfect, it is by the sea. Lovely friendly, helpful staff and the caterers who came in were wonderful. They catered for all of us. We tried a lot of different Jamaican dishes and they were wonderful and took requests.
During my time in Jamaica with Jamaica International Projects, I have had a very enjoyable time. The volunteering gave me a fantastic experience that I will never forget. The excursions we were able to do gave us an authentic vision and experience in Jamaica. The food was amazing and nobody ever went away hungry, and whenever we needed to buy lunch we were always given plenty of options for food. The accommodation was very good and the staff at the hotel very useful. Jomo Barnett was an amazing guide and support during our time in Jamaica.
