Jamaican Self-Help – Empowering People, Building Community

Jamaican Self-Help (JSH) is a non-governmental, registered charitable organization based in Peterborough, Ontario founded in 1978 by John & Rosemary Ganley, two teachers from Peterborough. In its beginnings, JSH was a volunteer based organization that worked with a Jamaican musical

JSH is currently working to help improve the living circumstances of Jamaican people by fostering self-sustaining programs such as literacy, skills training, community development, and institutional strengthening. Our Jamaican partners inspire us — they are the reason we do what

There are many ways you can get involved! You can attend or host an event, volunteer your time or make a donation. JSH is a welcoming and inclusive organization and we truly appreciate any contribution you can make. To find out

We’ve seen many successes over the years thanks to Jamaican Self-Help — and especially with our music programme and our dance programme... We have seen our children singing, and we have seen the manifestation of their happiness as they participate in the music programme funded by JSH. This is the first time the students have been able to play with instruments in over 15 years! This is a major achievement. So thank you, Jamaican Self-Help!

Estella Forrester St. Annie's Teacher

Update from the JSH Board
May 10, 2016
Dear Friends of JSH, Good news! After 35 years JSH has a new look! Although we have had to close the office and say farewell to our wonderful staff, Jamaican Self-Help will continue as a volunteer organization! Experienced, long timeRead More »
Teach Outside the Box Social Justice Certificate
June 1, 2015
Jamaican Self-Help collaborated with other Peterborough-based community organizations for the Teach Outside the Box Social Justice Certificate. This was a unique opportunity for teacher candidates and educators to: 1) Explore theories of anti-oppression from global and Indigenous perspectives 2) DevelopRead More »
SPARK Photo Festival All Wrapped Up!
May 31, 2015
JSH would like to thank everyone involved for making our 2015 SPARK Photo Exhibition a huge success! A special thank you to SPARK Photo Festival for organizing the event and Naked Chocolate for housing our photos for the month ofRead More »