Continuing the spirit of giving, the Sandals Foundation has just donated over 2,060 digital tablets to more than 2,000 students across the Caribbean to support the region’s online learning needs following the successful execution of the Lessons Alive campaign. With access to tablets, students are now more equipped for online classes and can take advantage of distance learning instructions this school year.
Front row left to right: Sharon Bailey beside her daughter Ashley Bailey, 6th grade student at Ocho Rios Primary School in Jamaica and student Antonio McDuffus with his mother, Angelene Palmer. Back row left to right: Karen Zacca, Director of Operations at Sandals Foundation, Minister of Education, Youth and Information in Jamaica, Fayval Williams and Lyndsay Isaacs, Sandals Resorts Regional PR ManagerThe impressive feat was made possible thanks to the contributions of Sandals Resorts International, major local corporate partners including Rainforest Seafood, Digicel Foundation, Fontana, Grab N Go, Fraser Fontaine and Kong Insurance, Billy Craig Insurance Brokers, 4Ys Foundation, CPJ, and an incredible network of Sandals and Beaches Resorts' guests.
Adam Stewart, Deputy Chairman of Sandals Resorts International and President of the Sandals Foundation, expressed his gratitude to donors and joy at the long term impact of the initiative.
“We are humbled by the overwhelming support and are encouraged by the spirit of community service that continues to ring true even in the toughest times. Our regional and international partners answered the call for our Caribbean students' needs, and I am extremely humbled and grateful for the amount of support we've received. No doubt, this will have a positive impact on the lives and the future of our children,” said Adam Stewart.
The new devices, which were sourced in close partnership with islands’ Ministries of Education, will serve a wide range of needs, including the disabled, at-risk children in marginalized neighborhoods, and vulnerable students within the formal education system.
Heidi Clarke, Executive Director at the Sandals Foundation, said "When we began our Lessons Alive campaign, we knew we wanted to help our islands meet their digital learning needs in a tangible way. We are humbled that this campaign has evolved to serve multiple communities, many of which would possibly go undetected, whose access to education and the tools to engage in remote learning is equally as important,” Clarke said. The initiative, the foundation’s Executive Director notes, forms part of the organization’s sustainable investment and support of education within the Caribbean.
In August, the Sandals Foundation launched the Lessons Alive social media campaign to help families across the Caribbean prepare for the new academic school year. On October 5th, 2020, the fundraising campaign expanded to target sourcing digital tablets for students to help them meet growing remote learning needs. The digital learning landscapes across the seven islands in which the Sandals Foundation operates - Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia, The Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados and The Turks & Caicos Islands - were all assessed and help was provided as needed.
To learn more about the incredible work of the Sandals Foundation and the Lessons Alive
program, visit: www.sandalsfoundation.org.
