Bridgetown, Barbados March 13, 2023 – The Regional Training Centre (RTC) of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is currently facilitating its Strategic Leadership Programme for senior officers in the National Disaster Organizations. First offered in 2021, the programme’s second cohort commenced training on February 3 and is set to finish on May 17, 2023.

The intense 15-week course targets senior officers of National Disaster Organizations (NDOs). This mainly includes National Disaster Coordinators and Directors of Emergency/Disaster Management, and their deputies, as well as persons with equivalent posts in agencies that make up the wider national emergency management system.

Officers on a leadership track, in managerial roles or with portfolios with significant responsibility, were also encouraged to take part. This year’s current student cohort includes fifteen (15) participants in total, from National Disaster Management Offices (NDMOs) across thirteen (13) CDEMA participating states.

The Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International, has pledged its support to the programme, generously agreeing to provide three years of funding valuing some US $50,000. President of the foundation and Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, Adam Stewart says the pledge is reflective of its commitment to taking a structured approach to effecting positive, transformational change within the areas of education, community and environment. 

“Building the Caribbean’s capacity to respond in times of emergency is a critical part of our region’s sustainable growth and disaster resilient plan. As an organisation that has been instrumental in providing relief and support in times of need, we have witnessed first-hand the life-changing difference that can be made when local organizations are equipped with the knowledge and resources to act in a timely manner.”

For the second consecutive year, training will be delivered by the UWI-Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. An internationally accredited business school, UWI-Arthur Lok Jack GSB has been a leading provider of business education, executive training, management consulting and research in the Caribbean.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, March 2, 2023 – The Sandals Foundation has partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Positive Pathways activity to launch and implement the Supporting Youth Development through Positive Youth Engagements (SYD-PYE) Project.

On Thursday, March 2, community, resort and programme stakeholders convened at Sandals Montego Bay Robert Daddy Stone Conference Centre to commence the youth centered initiative for which the Sandals Foundation is a grantee and project manager. 

The 12-month intervention, valued at more than US $252,000, will focus on addressing some of the most pressing risk factors for crime and violence to which young people in the communities of Flanker, Norwood, and Salt Spring in St. James are exposed. The programme will target 240 youth aged 10 to 24, sharing critical life skills and supporting their relationships with their families, schools, communities and other state institutions.

“It is a widely accepted position that connection and engagement in social systems that promote positive youth development is a powerful protective factor that significantly reduces their risk of involvement in crime and violence. This activity proposes to engage youth through non-traditional modalities such as art and sports to address social and behavioral issues, as well as pursue traditional methods of workforce development training, community and family support,” said Paul Teeple, Chief of Party for the USAID-supported Positive Pathways Activity in Jamaica.

Sandals Resorts has a longstanding history of youth and community development, a role Director of Operations at the Sandals Foundation, Karen Zacca says the company will continue in this project.

“Our Training and Development Team at Sandals Resorts International will build the capacity of more than 100 young people to maximize their general job success efforts. For those interested in the hospitality industry and meet the criteria, they will be enrolled in the Hospitality Training Programme. 

The company’s Human Resources Department will raise awareness to job fair opportunities and a mentorship programme will be developed for which resort team members can volunteer.

“We firmly believe that empowered young people, such as those here in Montego Bay, have the ability to shape their own destiny. By nurturing their passion for life and empowering them, we will create a ripple effect of transformation across the communities in which they live,” said Zacca.

Supporting Youth Development through Positive Youth Engagements (SYD-PYE) Project is funded by USAID under its Positive Pathways Activity in Jamaica and implemented in partnership with Youth Crime Watch of Jamaica.     

USAID, through its five-year Positive Pathways Activity, seeks to reduce youth involvement in crime and violence in 12 Jamaican communities by building the resilience of youth, their parents and/or caregivers, while helping youth find positive pathways that deviate from the violent nature of their communities.

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands, February 23, 2023—Students at Clement Howell High School enrolled in the two-year hospitality training programme—Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) in Commercial Food Preparation—are now better equipped to conduct their practical sessions following the donation of key appliances and resources valued at over US$9000 by the Sandals Foundation. 

The Food & Nutrition lab which serves as a space for practical lessons for some 300 students in the Home Economics Department was outfitted with premium cookware, baking utensils, glasses, serving utensils, cutting-edge deep fryers, toaster ovens, digital microwaves, ice cream makers, full complements of bar stools and dining furniture, cooking utensils, linens, and a much-needed printer with scanner and copier.

Karen Zacca, Operations Director at the Sandals Foundation said it was important for the philanthropic arm of Sandals and Beaches to respond to the school’s call for assistance and support hospitality training and certification through the programme.

"One of the Sandals Foundation's key areas of focus is to empower young people by providing them with the tools and resources they need to receive training to expand their skill sets so they can achieve their professional goals and have more livelihood opportunities," Zacca said. "With this donation, we are doing just that and enabling the next generation of service leaders to receive the necessary training and certification, opening up a world of opportunity for them in the region's largest economic industry," she continued.

Dhrupattie Khan, Head of the Home Economics Department at Clement Howell High School, explained how beneficial the donation will be for the students during the recent handover.

"We have a two-year CVQ training programme for students in the Home Economics Department who want to specialize in commercial food preparation. This amazing donation from the Sandals Foundation will now allow these students to gain practical hands-on experience as they build their portfolios and receive the requisite Caribbean-wide academic certification upon completion which will definitely make them more employable."

The project forms part of 40 sustainable programmes of the Sandals Foundation to mark the 40th anniversary of Sandals Resorts International and builds on the charitable arm’s as well as Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort’s longstanding support of Clement Howell High School. In previous years, the Foundation outfitted both computer rooms with computers and a digital Wi-Fi tower to support students' digital literacy educational development. The learning institution has also benefitted from the donation of dozens of books to support its library that was constructed by Sandals Foundation, as well as musical instruments to support their ongoing music programme, teacher training, and the refurbishment of the canteen.

TRELAWNY, Jamaica, February 16, 2023 – Admitting and caring for critical care patients at the Accident and Emergency Department of the Falmouth General Hospital in Trelawny has been enhanced with the provision of over $1.3 million dollars of priority equipment by the Sandals Foundation.

The pivotal equipment identified by the hospital consists of a stretcher, two life care recliners with trays, and 5 transfer-sliding boards. All will bring relief for the high volume of patients who visit the health care facility at a sensitive time of their lives. 

“These items help save lives,” says Manager of the Accident and Department Kareen Adlam-Morris. “Our ultimate function at the A&E Unit is to save lives and provide the best care to all those we come in contact with. These items will contribute to improved efficiency especially in light of the volume of critical cases we see on a daily basis.”

The Accident and Emergency Department sees on average 23,000 patients annually needing care for various illnesses with varying degrees of severity.

The donated resources will aid in the team of health professionals comfortably admitting, transporting and treating patients at the fast paced operating unit where every second counts.

In making the official handover, Heidi Clarke, Executive Director at the Sandals Foundation expressed gratitude to the men and women who work within the sector and a commitment to support their service.

“These items make an incredible difference in the quality of care delivered to patients in what can be described as a most vulnerable time of their lives. Our investment in the island’s health facilities is an investment in the right of every Jamaican to have access to the services that support their wellbeing.”

The Sandals Foundation has been a longstanding partner of the island’s hospitals and health care institutions, supporting the development of key infrastructure, resources and training to improve the quality of care provided.