Boomers Abroad

Description

As a volunteer on a Care project in Jamaica you have an important role to play, whether you are a trained professional offering us the benefit of your experience, on a gap year, or on a career break looking for some experience in development work. Everybody is welcome, provided they are willing to work hard and committed to their role, their work-colleagues, and the ones they are there to help.

At Projects Abroad Jamaica we work with orphanages, children's homes, an infirmary, and social service organizations in and around Mandeville. Though we don't pretend that we can solve all the social problems affecting modern day Jamaica, we can work to make a difference to the prospects of a large number of underprivileged children and adults. But we cannot do this without the help of our volunteers.

In whichever volunteer Care project you find yourself, you need to be ready for a challenge. Many of the children have had very difficult lives and may require special care and attention. Some children have special needs and require special diets, physical therapy, special education plans, and/or social development intervention plans. Your job is to help improve their lives in whatever way possible. This may involve playing games and sports with the children, helping with their homework, or attending to their daily needs such as bathing, feeding, and laundry. You may even want to take a group out on a trip. Projects Abroad will support you in any way that we can.

Helping with basic education is also important as many of the children arrive at the homes after being orphaned, abandoned, or placed there by the courts and have received no previous formal education. Volunteers also teach in pre-school or special needs schools for children with mental, physical, and learning disabilities. Volunteers at these placements assist with interactive activities that enhance the growth and development of the children. Volunteers also help to provide vital information about nutrition and some of the homes we work with have their own small farms on site.

Working at a care placement in Jamaica offers you the opportunity to help in the emotional, social, educational, and physical development of children. Please be aware that you will be asked to do more than just play with the children and a flexible attitude is always appreciated. All the care work in Jamaica focuses on providing worthwhile services to produce real results and also expand the skills of the volunteer.

The elderly need your attention as well. By working with the elderly you provide assistance to individuals who have been neglected or abandoned by their families or who are in need of support at this stage in their lives. The objective is to provide efficient needs-based care to these individuals. Volunteers can assist on this project by helping to feed the residents as well as reading to them, taking them for walks around the compound, and engaging them in wholesome activities that will stimulate them mentally, physically, and socially. This is a chance to really get creative and help to touch the lives of people in a meaningful way. Volunteers who have experience working with the elderly are encouraged to help develop new programs.