#PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos, October 18, 2020 – As more and more schools are faced with replacing or diversifying in-person instruction with some form of distance learning, the Sandals Foundation is helping to make that transition a little easier for students across the Caribbean.
On Monday,
October 5, the Sandals Foundation expanded its Lessons Alive social media campaign to raise funds for purchasing
digital tablets for vulnerable primary school students across the region.
Each
contribution of US $200 goes towards the purchase of a brand new tablet. And as
a further show of its commitment to the cause, the Sandals Foundation will
match the donation up to 500 tablets – doubling its impact and reach.
With the Deputy
Chairman of Sandals Resorts International and President of the Sandals Foundation,
Adam Stewart, leading the charge, and working alongside its valued partners,
team members, and well-wishers, the Foundation took to social media to
galvanize support for its remote learning goal.
“We are
absolutely encouraged by the positive response since launching this expanded
focus of our Lessons Alive campaign. In less than 24 hours, we’ve
secured more than 400 tablets. The Sandals Foundation has always placed a priority
on education and with this campaign, we can help ensure our children have as
much support as possible,” said Adam Stewart.
In August, the
Sandals Foundation launched the Lessons Alive campaign to help families
across the Caribbean prepare for the new academic year.
Since then,
the team has effected the construction of multiple proper hand wash stations across
18 schools to foster better hygiene practices and sourced school supplies for
students.
Now,
throughout the months of October and November, the campaign will focus on assessing the remote
learning landscape and assisting where there is a need across the seven countries in which it
operates – Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia, The Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados and The
Turks & Caicos Islands.
Heidi
Clarke, Executive Director at the Sandals Foundation says the campaign’s newly
expanded focus will help lessen the digital divide.
“For many
families here in the Caribbean, access to the Internet, computers and digital
devices are severely limited or nonexistent, but together, we can change that!
This campaign will help us raise much needed funds to purchase the devices
needed to help primary school students in tourism dependent communities
continue their formal learning programme.” Clarke said.
Persons are invited
to join in the efforts by donating to Education
at www.sandalsfoundation.org 100% of every dollar donated will go
directly to remote learning resources.