• According to a 2008 UNICEF report, 41.7% of Jamaica’s poor are children; one of every four Jamaican children live in poverty.
  • Debt servicing continues to be the major cost to the country accounting for 54% of the budget or 54 cents of every dollar spent. Debt to GDP ratio remains very high, the fourth highest in the world, while rates of inflation have averaged almost 17% each of the last two years, compared to about 6% in 2006 (OCA/UNICEF, 2009).  This means Jamaica cannot afford to provide many of the social services its citizens need.

Officially, Jamaica is ranked as a country of 'medium human development' on the United Nations' Human Development Index.  Despite its progress on many accounts, Jamaica still suffers from economic and social disparities; problems that are felt most deeply by children and youth living in extremely poor urban and rural communities.  For the families living in squatter settlements in inner-city Kingston or in isolated rural communities, high illiteracy, lack of employment skills and/or opportunities, insufficient income for basic food, education, or transportation lead into the cycle of poverty that in Jamaica can often become linked to crime or violence. 

According to the Jamaican National Youth Policy (2003), unemployment and education-related issues are the most critical concerns affecting young Jamaicans today.

In Grade One, only about 42% of the children mastered all four testing areas, while in the Grade Four literacy test three-quarters of girls showed mastery compared to 53% of boys.   Overall performance in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) is “stagnant” with mean scores of around 50% each year and girls outperforming boys by more than 10 percentage points each year.   While there have been significant improvements in high school CXC exam scores over the past 20 years, scores in the core subjects continue to be of concern, with 55% pass rate in Language and 43% pass in math. (OCA/UNICEF, 2009)

Other critical issues cited in the Youth Policy include crime and violence, gender disparities, drug trade and drug use, teenage pregnancy, and the need for activities for youth.  For example, almost 25% of all girls have had at least one child by the age of 18 (JNYP, 2003).  This may impede their chances to complete their education and may result in entering a cycle of poverty that is very difficult to break.

Violence levels are well known in Jamaica, especially but not solely in the capital city of Kingston.  In 2003, the Jamaican Gleaner, the main national newspaper, reported that in poor inner-city communities:

  • 80% of students have witnessed street violence;
  • 74 % have witnessed stabbings; and
  • 40% have witnessed killings by the police.

Among youth aged 0-19, there were over 11,100 cases of violence related injuries recorded in Jamaica’s hospitals in 2007 and 2008, including sexual assault, stab wounds, gunshots or blunt force injury. (OCA/UNICEF, 2009)


Clearly, the ranking of Jamaica as a 'medium level' country does not account for a great need for intervention particularly for vulnerable children and youth.

Strategies outlined by the Jamaican National Youth Policy include several areas that the JSH programme supports:

  • promote the strengthening of families to provide a supportive environment for youth development
  • promote strengthening of community programmes to support families
  • promote schools as community empowerment points and safe zones
  • increase the employability of youth
  • enhance the capacities of young people to participate in societal processes
  • provide spaces and opportunities to increase participation (including through the use of sport as an avenue to foster increased participation, develop leadership skills and build character)
  • enhance cultural dynamism through enhanced opportunity for creative expression and unique Jamaican talents.

Jamaican Self-Help supports Jamaican organizations that are working to address these issues at the community level.