The Salvation Army began its work in Jamaica in 1887. Today its ministry on this island nation is administered by two divisions: Jamaica Eastern, headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital city, and Jamaica Western, headquartered in Montego Bay.
Kingston also is the location of the Caribbean Territorial Headquarters and the territory’s Training College. The 15 other countries in the territory are Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, French Guiana, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
In addition to corps worship centers (churches), Jamaica boasts several facilities for social services and education. Among them are eight feeding centers, three children’s homes, a vocational training home for women, a men’s hostel, a senior citizens’ home, a residential school for the blind and visually impaired, 17 kindergarten schools, four daycare nursery centers, two community centers, a medical clinic and an addiction rehabilitation center for men. A recent rededication service for the William Chamberlain Rehabilitation Center was attended by government officials, civic dignitaries and representatives from the Salvation Army’s International Headquarters in London, England.
