ETHEA
ETHEA, which stands for Environment Technology Health Education and Agriculture, is a newly founded NGO operating in Jamaica and Sweden. ETHEA is dedicated to the advancement of holistic, circular, and sustainable development in and around Jamaica’s Cockpit Country. Our mission is to mobilise local stakeholders, and engage the international community in supporting Jamaica’s green transition by harnessing local resources, values, and expertise to empower right-holders and foster sustainable growth.
Our Story
ETHEA began as a dream: a vision of a community and a space where ideas about sustainability and development could flourish. When founders Valentino and Erika returned to Jamaica, they were confronted with the urgent challenges facing the Cockpit Country—a threatened ecosystem, outdated infrastructure and technology, and the critical issue of safe, clean drinking water. This reality inspired them to act.
Since the 1960s, numerous initiatives have sought to protect the unique Cockpit Country ecosystem, engaging local and international stakeholders. ETHEA, as its name suggests, aspires to be more than just a project—it’s a hub, a meeting place, and an incubator for ideas and collaboration. It’s where like-minded individuals come together to research, create, and bring dreams to life.
Our mission at ETHEA is twofold: to improve the well-being of local communities while safeguarding the region’s ecosystem. By developing holistic growth strategies, we aim to preserve Jamaica’s natural resources. Our Strategic Themes are:
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· JAMAQUA: Provide safe, clean drinking water
· DIGICLASS: Digitalize classrooms, public libraries and communities centres
· GREENTECH: Green Energy technology and Innovations
· AGRITECH: Sustainable technological innovation within Agriculture
· SUSHOUSE: Sustainable-Passive Housing, and building technology
The possibilities are boundless, as we harness resources and creativity to explore every opportunity. By establishing an ETHEA innovation hub, we aim to create a space that inspires and attract domestic and international projects in finding new ways to restore lands damaged by mining, create solar energy parks, initiate waste recycling systems, and all that fosters a circular, sustainable economy.
Our first initiative, Jamaqua, focuses on restoring the vital water systems that weave through the Cockpit Country. But this is just the beginning—laying the foundation for the thriving, vibrant communities at the heart of Jamaica to prosper and grow.
At ETHEA, we strongly believe that sustainable change can only come about through collective effort, which is why all of the steps towards restoring the critical water infrastructure is done in tandem with local stakeholders, experts and everyone affected by the current situation.
