Sandals Foundation: Making a Big Difference in the Bahamas

Sandals Foundation is committed to preserving the environment, building stronger and healthier communities, and supporting education within all of the destinations where there are Sandals and Beaches Resorts properties. From Antigua & Barbuda to Barbados, from Curacao to Grenada, from Jamaica to Saint Lucia, and to the Bahamas, Sandals enriches the lives of the people of these Caribbean islands.

For Sandals, inspiring hope is more than a philosophy; it is a call to action. It is about equipping people in the Caribbean with confidence, empowerment, and fulfillment, while providing communities with real sustainable solutions to the problems they encounter each day. In turn, the Foundation is inspired daily by the resilience of the people, their creativity, and their tenacity to achieve a better life. The immeasurable rewards for the Sandals Foundation have been the progress and success of its programs and the beneficiaries.

Here is what Sandals has been doing in the Bahamas.

Hurricane Relief

The Sandals Foundation has made a commitment to the entire Caribbean region to respond promptly to national emergencies caused by natural disasters. The Foundation lobbies support from resort guests, trade partners, travel agents, suppliers, and other organizations to bring relief to communities affected by disaster.

The Bahamas has suffered severe damage over the years as a result of hurricanes. In 2015, Category 4 Hurricane Joaquin made landfall on Long Island causing significant damage. The Sandals Foundation initiated an extensive companywide campaign across all properties and corporate headquarters to assist with the islands’ recovery efforts.

Subsequently, the Foundation repaired and equipped the Cancer Society Scrub Hill Long Island, Long Island Resource Centre, through partnership with the Ministry of Education and Ladies Friendship Club of Long Island.

In 2016, Hurricane Matthew rampaged the islands of the Bahamas. The Sandals Foundation mobilized an immediate response to help expedite the process of restoring normalcy to the islands’ operations. Home of the elderly were recovered in Bains Town along with distribution of generators, tarpaulins, food, and water in Grand Bahama, Andros, and Nassau.

Conch Conservation

Sandals Foundation partnered with the Bahamas National Trust for a Conch Conservation campaign as the conch fishery is culturally and economically important to the Bahamas. The “conchservation” campaign helped to promote sustainable fishing practices and was successful in increasing awareness about the conch industry.

Television and radio PSAs were produced for educational purposes in rural communities and consideration-themed placemats were placed in fast-food and local restaurants as part of the efforts to lobby support and increase knowledge of the campaign and its objectives.

Ride to Save the Wetlands

Through experiential education, the Sandals Foundation has brought over 3,000 students in the Bahamas on boat-ride field trips to mangroves to educate them on the importance of wetlands to the ecosystem. A poster competition for participating students was also hosted to allow students to showcase what they learned from the field trips.

Gambier Primary School

Since 2010, the Gambier Primary School, with a population of 105 boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 11, has been an adopted school of the Sandals Foundation. The Foundation has actively been involved in the development of the students, staff, and school facilities over the years including the donation of school supplies, mentorship and literacy program for boys, dental cleaning for students, and the hosting of annual Christmas treats parties and toy distribution.

Rokers Point Primary

Rokers Point Primary School has been an adopted school of Sandals Foundation since 2011. The Foundation has been an integral part of the developmental process of the school to ensure the students’ advancement in the education system and the wider society. One of the major projects undertaken by the Foundation at Roker’s Point Primary was the renovation and outfitting of a computer lab for the benefit of the 140 students.

The Sandals Foundations is a non-profit organization that was launched in March 2009 to help Sandals Resorts International continue to make a difference in the lives of the people where Sandals properties exist.

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