Established in 1980, Jesuit Volunteers Philippines Foundation, Inc. (JVPFI) has engaged in nation-building by recruiting, training, and sending volunteers for a year of service to marginalized communities and areas with the greatest need. It began with 11 young Jesuit Volunteers who set off to serve in the peripheries of Mindanao.

The following batches of volunteers were sent not only to assist the Jesuits in rural parishes in Bukidnon but also to special programs in other Jesuit schools in Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Zamboanga, and Naga. As years went by, JVP volunteers were no longer confined to Jesuit mission areas but to non-Jesuit apostolates and non-sectarian development programs in various parts of the Philippines.

Since then, JVPFI has successfully deployed over 1000 volunteers to more than 330 partner institutions in marginalized communities across the country.