Advertorial | JICA volunteers making a difference in local communities

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Jamaica is forging bonds of trust with local partners, such as the St Ann 4-H Club.

Tedroy Gordon, Parish Manager at the St Ann 4-H Clubs has had the opportunity to collaborate with JICA volunteers, Ayumi Joroku, Natsumi Oguchi and Natsumi Nagamura.

“Since the parish received our first volunteer October 1, 2014. The training figure for environmental education jumped from 200 persons yearly to over 4,000 and this figure increased by 1000 each year. The Volunteers assisted the parish to achieved this key performance indicator (KPI)”.

When asked about his experience working with the volunteers, he had this to say:

Work Ethic: “JICA Volunteers always obey the company's rules, demonstrate effective communication skills with students and staff, the volunteers are very responsible, reliable, accountable, always conduct themselves as professionals, I consider them trustworthy, honest and well-disciplined and show mutual respect for colleagues at work. They are extremely strict on time, well organised and almost never late for work or an appointment."

Cultural Exchange & Community Involvement: “JICA Volunteers are ambassadors for Japan they always share different ideas in terms of food, heritage, fashion and traditions. The students and teachers always embrace the Japanese culture and try to learn and speak the language. They adapted quickly to the Jamaican culture and heritage and integrated themselves well within the community in which they lived. Some of the community activities include helping the senior citizens, beach and coastal cleanup and assisting the schools with various environmental and climate change initiatives.