Caribbean News

Sandals Foundation Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary with Strengthened Commitment to Environmental Sustainability

Published

7 years ago

March 19, 2019

On Monday March 18th, the Sandals Foundation – the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International – celebrated its 10^th anniversary of fulfilling its promise to the Caribbean community and impacting over 850,000 people. Investing in projects directly related to improving communities, fostering growth through education and protecting the environment, the Sandals Foundation has committed to doubling down on protecting the Caribbean natural ecosystem and bringing its over 14,000 employees and its customers together to support environmentally sustainable projects over the next decade. The Sandals Foundation currently operates in Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Turks & Caicos.

“Our goal has always been simple – to unite the Caribbean region, elevate its people, and protect its delicate ecosystem and I am so proud of how far we’ve come in our first decade,” said Adam Stewart, Deputy Chairman of Sandals Resorts International and President of the Sandals Foundation. “To build on our momentum and bring even more awareness to the importance of supporting the Caribbean, we are tapping into the power of social media, our local and international partnerships and the strong support that we have within Sandals Resorts International to galvanize the world to join in our efforts.”

Since its inception in 2009, the Sandals Foundation has worked with its extensive network of donors, volunteers, partners and team members to implement projects and programmes valued at over US$58 million. The Foundation has worked with 578 schools across the region, impacted over 348,000 community members and reached over 43,000 people through environmental programmes.

“We have been very fortunate in the support we have received over the past 10 years that has allowed us to impact so many people across the region,” said Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation. “It has been especially gratifying to know that we have uplifted the spirits and improved the quality of life for thousands of children and adults alike and this has fueled us to make this significant commitment for the way forward.”

The Sandals Foundation has constructed three early childhood institutions, awarded 180 five year scholarships to deserving students, implemented programmes to promote literacy and technological advancements and completed major infrastructural developments to schools. The Foundation has also taken significant strides to protect the environment, managing two marine protected areas and supporting another four in Jamaica. The Foundation has also taken steps to reduce plastic pollution in the region and educate adults and children on the dangers of irresponsible waste disposal, distributing 5,000 reusable water bottles to students and 10,000 reusable shopping bags in an effort to promote environmental protection. The Sandals Foundation has also supported programmes aimed at protecting endangered species including turtles, conch, forestry and coral reefs.

The Foundation’s work in communities have seen the donation of critical medical equipment to hospitals, support for women farmers, pregnant teens, artisans and the provision of critical dental and eye care services to over 240,000 people.

Over the past decade, the Foundation has also extended support to neighbouring islands on the ground in times of crisis, including natural disasters in Haiti, Dominica, Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, and some of the out islands of the Bahamas.

Face It… The Caribbean Marine Ecosystem Needs Your Help Today

While the Sandals Foundation will continue to support projects across each of its core pillars, the organisation is placing a special emphasis on the environmental component in the years to come.

Clarke said the Sandals Group of Companies and the Sandals Foundation have already started to intensify their efforts by reducing plastic pollution through their operations which is indicative of the pledge they have made to protecting the Caribbean’s natural resources.

“The Caribbean Sea connects more than 700 islands and coastlines which is a source of livelihood for thousands of people. The role we all play in supporting protected areas and teaching the next generation the importance of caring for their precious environment is crucial now more than ever.” Clarke continued.

Last year, in partnership with Oceanic Global, a non-profit focused on providing solutions to issues impacting our oceans, all 19 Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts eliminated the 21,490,800 single-use plastic straws and stirrers used across the resorts each year, along with plastic laundry bags and plastic bags throughout gift shops. As of February 1, 2019, all resorts have eliminated Styrofoam. The company is currently exploring opportunities to eliminate other plastic across its resorts by September 2019.

Face the Future!

Over the next year, the non-profit commits to putting a special emphasis on expanding awareness and funding to support the beautiful, yet vulnerable, Caribbean ecosystem. With the help of partners, key stakeholders and volunteer team members, the Foundation is committed to engaging 100,000 people in environmental protection and conservation over the next 10 years. This commitment includes working with schools and educators to integrate marine education in their lesson plans, spearheading hands-on field trips to protected areas and engaging residents in coastal communities on proper solid waste management programmes. In line with its mission to reduce waste, the Foundation will also provide school children in the region with reusable lunch kits to reduce their dependence on Styrofoam.

Funds raised through donations and partnerships will help to expand on training workshops aimed at building the capacity of educators and club leaders on environmental conservation, as well as engage wardens and provide enforcement equipment to ensure proper management and protection of marine areas.

With even greater focus on turtle conservation, the Foundation will work to certify Sandals and Beaches Resorts in turtle protection, continuing support of the highly successful turtle tour and help to rehabilitate beaches to provide safer nesting grounds.

The Foundation pledges to strengthen the resilience of coral reefs in the region, with a commitment to plant 30,000 coral fragments onto reef systems over the next 10 years. As part of this, community members will receive training in coral restoration, and guests at Sandals and Beaches Resorts will be able to participate in coral planting dives.

With the devastating effects of climate change on the environment more evident than ever, Clarke urges residents and organisations across the region to join the pledge to make sustainable environmental practices a part of their everyday lives and operations.

Press Release: Sandals

Photo Caption: Sandals Foundation representatives with faculty and students of the Clement Howell High Schoo

ABOUT SANDALS FOUNDATION

The Sandals Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was created to continue and to expand upon the philanthropic work that Sandals Resorts International has undertaken. It is the culmination of three decades of dedication to playing a meaningful role in the lives of the communities where we operate across the Caribbean. The Sandals Foundation funds projects in three core areas: education, community and the environment. One hundred percent of the monies contributed by the general public to the Sandals Foundation go directly to programs benefiting the Caribbean community. To learn more about the Sandals Foundation, visit online at www.sandalsfoundation.org

Caribbean News

Guyanese Scholar and Olympian Arrested in Iowa ICE Crackdown

Published

1 week ago

September 27, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

September 27, 2025 – In a shocking breach of public trust and institutional oversight, Ian Andre Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, who is a citizen of Guyana, was arrested on September 26 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under a string of serious offenses that raise troubling questions about hiring practices, accountability, and public safety.

Roberts, born in Georgetown, Guyana, is a former Olympian and accomplished scholar. According to online reports, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Coppin State University after transferring from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where he played soccer. He holds two master’s degrees—from St. John’s University and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business—attended an Executive MBA program at MIT Sloan School of Management and earned a doctorate in education with a focus on urban educational leadership from Trident University.

Despite these accomplishments, Roberts was living and working without legal authorization. ICE reported that he fled a traffic stop and abandoned his school-issued vehicle. At the time of his arrest, he was reportedly in possession of a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash. He also has a prior weapons-related charge.

ICE officials questioned how Roberts could hold such a prominent role while subject to a final deportation order issued in May 2024. The school district said they were unaware of his immigration status, noting that he had undergone background checks and completed an I-9 form confirming work authorization. Roberts was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.

This case highlights vulnerabilities in systems meant to safeguard public institutions and underscores the challenges ICE faces in identifying individuals operating outside U.S. immigration laws while in positions of authority.

For many, Roberts has become a near-literal poster child for these enforcement gaps.

Caribbean News

Bermuda Shaken by Targeted Murder as Crime Returns After a Decade of Calm

Published

2 weeks ago

September 21, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Bermuda is reeling after the brazen murder of 37-year-old Janae Minors, a mother of two, who was gunned down in her own beauty supply store on Court Street, Pembroke. The attack, which police describe as “targeted,” has rattled the island, not only for its brutality but for what it says about the state of law and order in a country that less than a decade ago was celebrating a dramatic fall in violent crime.

The Attack on Court Street

According to police, at approximately 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, September 16, a lone gunman pulled up on a stolen black motorcycle, walked into the Beauty Monster shop Minors owned, and shot her multiple times. Despite the rapid response of emergency services, she succumbed to her injuries shortly after being transported to hospital.

Detectives say the killer was thin, tall, dressed in dark clothing with a full-face helmet, and wearing bright gloves. CCTV shows him fleeing north on Court Street, down Tills Hill toward TCD, before turning onto Marsh Folly Road. Investigators are pursuing all leads, with a focus on recovering evidence from nearby cameras and eyewitness accounts.

Police Commissioner Darrin Simons confirmed the attack bore the hallmarks of gang-related violence, a chilling indicator that Bermuda’s gang rivalries — long simmering beneath the surface — may once again be spilling into broad daylight.

A Vibrant Life Cut Short

Minors, remembered as a hardworking entrepreneur with “a vibrant, beautiful personality,” leaves behind two children, ages 16 and 18. Her murder has ignited outrage across Bermuda, not just for its senselessness but for its timing: the island had once prided itself on virtually stamping out gun violence.

Then: Near-Zero Murders

Back in 2014, Bermuda made international headlines for reporting zero firearm murders — a remarkable achievement given the small island had endured a spate of gang-related shootings in the early 2010s. Police credited intelligence-led operations, tighter firearms interdictions, and aggressive prosecutions of gang leaders. Community programs and mentoring initiatives also played a role, giving at-risk youth alternatives to gang life.

By 2015 and 2016, gun crime was at historic lows. That period was hailed as proof Bermuda could beat back the tide of violence with coordinated policing, social investment, and political will.

Now: Alarming Resurgence

Fast forward nine years, and the picture looks starkly different. In 2024 and 2025, Bermuda has recorded a rise in gun-related deaths. Rival gangs such as Parkside and 42 have resurged, fueled by a new generation of recruits. Economic pressures, high youth unemployment, and the easy flow of smuggled firearms through maritime routes have undermined earlier gains.

Community trust in the police has also eroded, making investigations harder and retaliations more likely. Opposition MPs and neighborhood leaders warn that without sustained focus, Bermuda risks sliding back into the violent cycles of the early 2010s.

Public Alarm and Political Pressure

Premier David Burt condemned Minors’ killing as “an escalation of community violence that cannot be tolerated,” promising stronger enforcement and deeper engagement with residents. The Bermuda Police Service has appealed for CCTV, dashcam, and doorbell footage from the area, urging residents that even the smallest detail could break the case.

Yet among the public, frustration is growing. People remember the calm of 2014 — when zero murders were recorded — and cannot understand how the island has returned to headlines dominated by gun violence. The contrast is stark: from celebrating the elimination of gun murders to confronting the targeted execution of a businesswoman in broad daylight.

A Test for Bermuda’s Future

The murder of Janae Minors has become more than a single case; it is now a symbol of Bermuda’s struggle to hold on to the progress it once made. The question facing the island is whether the successes of a decade ago can be replicated and sustained in today’s harsher climate of economic pressure and gang rivalries.

For Minors’ family, nothing can erase the tragedy of losing a mother and daughter so violently. But for Bermuda at large, her death is a wake-up call — that the island cannot afford complacency when it comes to crime.

As one community leader put it: “Nine years ago, we had beaten this. Now, we’re back to fearing what happens when the sun goes down. That is not the Bermuda we want to live in.”

Caribbean News

CARICOM-Africa Summit Yields Draft Pact on Trade, Travel and Reparations

Published

2 weeks ago

September 19, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Imagine an Atlantic Bridge connecting the Caribbean Region to the African Continent

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — When CARICOM leaders convened with African counterparts and Afreximbank officials in Ethiopia, the outcomes were savory and exactly what many Caribbean people want to see materialise as the islands become uniquely reconnected to the African continent.

At the Second CARICOM-Africa Summit, held at the African Union headquarters, leaders moved beyond symbolic language to agree on a draft communiqué that, if finalized, would anchor this partnership in practical action. While not yet officially published by the AU or CARICOM, the document points to an agenda that blends history with urgent twenty-first century priorities.

The draft outlines commitments to improve air and sea transport links, including the pursuit of a multilateral air services agreement to break down the barriers that still keep the Caribbean and Africa physically apart. It also calls for visa facilitation and simplified entry regimes, making it easier for citizens of both regions to travel, study, and work across the Atlantic.

Equally significant are pledges to advance double taxation treaties that could remove one of the most stubborn obstacles to investment. With Afreximbank’s Caribbean headquarters already established in Barbados and the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) gaining momentum, leaders now want to lock in the financial and legal frameworks that will drive new business.

Reparatory justice also featured prominently, with the draft communiqué sharpening a joint call for coordinated advocacy. CARICOM’s long-standing Reparations Commission is expected to work more closely with African institutions to demand global recognition and redress for the shared traumas of slavery and colonial exploitation.

CARICOM’s incoming chair, Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew of St. Kitts and Nevis, captured the spirit of the gathering when he urged that the Atlantic Slave Trade be reimagined as an “Atlantic Bridge — a bridge of hope, a bridge of advancement, a bridge that will ensure our people take their rightful place in this world.”

For Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, the meeting was a “homecoming,” but also a reminder that concrete steps like the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean (HeDPAC) and improved transportation links are needed to transform rhetoric into results.

For citizens back home, wrestling with inflation and economic uncertainty, the Addis outcomes — transport, visas, investment, health, and reparations — are precisely the kinds of measures that can validate leaders’ journeys and rekindle faith in South-South cooperation. What was once only rhetoric now hints at the beams of an Atlantic Bridge, connecting the Caribbean and Africa in ways that could finally turn history’s tragedy into tomorrow’s advantage.