Help Supporting Survivors and Second Chances in Jamaica
- manricotirocchi
- 17 ago
- Tempo di lettura: 5 min
Here are Stand up for Jamaica we have two main activities: rehabilitating and reforming inmates & providing relief to women suffering from Gender Based Violence - Here is a quick overview of what we do!
Behind Bars: Give Hope, Build Futures
In Jamaica’s correctional centres, where overcrowding, isolation, and lack of opportunity are daily realities, our project offers something powerful: a second chance.
We work in three adult and one juvenile facility, providing comprehensive education and rehabilitation programs that include remedial classes, CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) preparation, and university-level learning through partnerships with tertiary institutions. Incarcerated individuals-too often dismissed or forgotten-learn associate and bachelor’s degrees, build confidence, and begin to envision a life beyond bars.
Thanks to these programs, Stand Up for Jamaica launched a pilot partnership with the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean, enabling 8 incarcerated individuals each year to pursue an associate degree in business. In addition, we provide remedial, CSEC, and technical training to over 700 participants annually. Notably, in 2024, six inmates chose to continue their studies at the bachelor’s level after completing their associate degrees.
And yet, education alone is not enough. Rehabilitation means empowerment- learning skills, finding purpose, and building real paths to economic independence. That’s why we’ve created a robust technical and vocational training program, designed with inmates and rooted in real-world market needs. At the heart of this initiative are three fully equipped training labs:
Our Technical Labs: Learning That Builds Futures
Computer Lab
Here, participants are trained in data entry, computer repair, and IT basics, with official certification delivered through a national vocational training partner. The goal is simple: real skills for real jobs-inside and outside prison. Around 50 people graduate yearly.
Radio Lab & Music Lab
Managed by inmates, for inmates, our radio and music space provides a unique creative outlet and professional training. Participants learn how to be MCs, host programs, operate sound systems, and create original music. In Jamaica, where music is a lifeline, this lab offers more than skills-it offers voice, expression, and hope. 15 inmates are in charge of the radio.
Craft Lab & Screen Printing Lab
Located in Tower Street General Penitentiary, this lab trains participants in screen printing-a versatile and high-demand trade used across the textile, design, and commercial sectors in Jamaica. Inmates leave with certified training and a viable trade to pursue upon release. 25 were certified this year.
A Holistic Approach to Change
Rehabilitation isn’t just about individuals, it’s about systems. That’s why our program also includes correctional officers and prison staff, providing them with access to training opportunities and helping build trust, respect, and shared investment in change.
We also provide psychosocial support, including counseling and mental health care, recognizing the deep trauma that many incarcerated individuals carry. Our work helps restore dignity, nurture self-worth, and rebuild lives.
And it works. We’ve seen individuals become university graduates, vocationally certified, and emotionally resilient. They leave prison equipped not only with knowledge but with purpose, skills, and a vision of what their future could be.
But Leaving Prison Can Be the Hardest Part
The outside world isn’t always welcoming. Stigma, lack of opportunity, and the absence of support make reintegration a steep uphill battle. Many falls through the cracks-back into poverty, violence, and incarceration. More than 1 out of 3 individuals go back to prison in Jamaica.
You Can Help. Here’s How
That’s why your support is essential. We don’t just teach. We prepare people to rejoin society, build careers, and live with dignity.
Given our limited resources, all this work is today in jeopardy. Our previous sponsorships have been discontinued not on the account of our work but rather since most institutional funding tends to shrink everywhere. Now we need your help, and even a small donation comes a long way.
- $50 helps us provide textbooks, notebooks, and educational supplies.
-$100 helps equip our music and radio lab with instruments and recording tools.
-Larger donation can cover certification fees, fund a trainer, or support a therapist for several months.
Every dollar supports education, healing, and transformation in a place where it is hardest-and most necessary-to offer.
This Is More Than Charity It’s justice. It’s second chances. It’s believing in the possibility of change.
Donate today. Help us bring hope, skills, and futures behind bars-and beyond.
Find more information about we do here:
Empowering Survivors of Gender-Based Violence through Skills Training and Sensitization
Every year, Stand Up for Jamaica (SUFJ) works with around 40 women who have survived gender-based violence (GBV), often with little more than courage and determination. Many of them have been isolated, silenced, and economically dependent on their abusers. We believe the best way to support them isn’t just to offer care. It’s to give them the tools to take back control of their lives.
That’s the heart of this program.
Technical Training = Financial Independence
We begin with hands-on cosmetology training, in partnership with HEART Trust/NSTA, Jamaica’s national vocational certification body. Participants are taught real, marketable skills, hair styling, nail care, facial treatments, that they can use to start their own business or find employment. When a woman can earn her own money, she is less likely to return to an abusive situation.
Entrepreneurship Workshops = Real-World Opportunity
But skills aren’t enough, we also help participants understand how to turn those skills into income. Through tailored entrepreneurship training, they learn how to market their services, manage money, build client relationships, and develop a small business mindset. Empowerment is sustainable when it creates opportunity.
Counseling = Healing
GBV leaves invisible wounds. That’s why we provide group and individual counseling, creating a space to rebuild confidence, self-worth, and mental well-being. Survivors don’t just need income: they need healing, community, and validation. We walk with them every step of the way.
Men’s Engagement = Prevention
Violence can’t be ended by supporting survivors alone. We also engage 180 men annually in GBV sensitization sessions, challenging toxic norms, promoting respect, and encouraging accountability. To truly build safer communities, everyone must be part of the solution.
The long-Term Vision
This program isn’t just a one-off effort. It’s a yearly cycle, with each group of 40 women becoming part of a growing network of trained, resilient survivors who are no longer victims, they are professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders in their communities.
We’re building more than skills, we’re building a movement.
Why We Need You
Your donation helps fund:
-Training kits and supplies
-Certified instructors
-Mental health support
-Business development workshops
-Certification fees
Your support helps us keep this going.
-$25 helps buy training materials
-$50 provides counseling sessions
-$100 helps one woman become HEART Trust/NSTA certified
-$500 supports an entire training module
Every dollar you give goes directly to changing lives—not just today, but for years to come.
Donate now to support this powerful model of justice, healing, and transformation!
Here the link to donate