A beautiful place - with real needs
You don't have to go much past just saying the word "Jamaica" to elicit visions of beauty in your mind. Know for its breathtaking terrain and easy going people, it is a wonderful place to visit. However, masked by its natural beauty lie the very real needs of the Jamaican people.

Bringing regular health providers
Few Jamaicans have access to regular healthcare, so for many our trips are their only chance to see a doctor or a dentist. While we groan at the thought of having a tooth filled, the Jamaicans are grateful to have American dentists come and extract the teeth that have been infected for months.

Making a difference in the schools
New for 2008 - Sponsor A Child
Jamaican children often do not have shoes to wear to school, and rarely have shoes that fit properly. Although education is provided by the government, all school age children must acquire a uniform, including shoes, and must get to school on their own - there are no buses to pick them up. Jamaican teachers are eager to adopt better methods for teaching and working with students.

Part of the ACE outreach program includes bringing American teachers in to share ideas for classroom instruction, and using positive reinforcement instead of the traditional methods of punishment.

Making the trip a little easier
Having an overseas experience usually requires getting several shots and spending extensive amounts of time traveling - usually on more than one aircraft. Following that, there is the entry into an unfamiliar culture, language barriers, new foods, and the potential lack of safe drinking water. With an ACE. experience, you can rest assured that most of these stumbling blocks have already been taken care of:

• English is the primary language in Jamaica. Although Jamaicans converse in a dialect called "Patois" (a mixture of French Creole and English), most everyone in Jamaica speaks and understands English.
• No special inoculations are required to enter Jamaica.
• Jamaica is only a three-hour flight from many major US cites, making it just far enough away, but not too far.
• Although classified as a developing country, Jamaica has a number of public utilities, including a drinkable water source.
• ACE has a full pharmacy on hand and medical assistance for travelers is always available.