Two Jamaican crafters from the Sandals Foundation’s Caribbean Artisan Collection Programme will take center stage at this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, April 23 to May 3, showcasing the island’s artistic expression on a global stage.
Westmoreland natives Dana Baugh and Omar “Sheldon” Daley are part of a 5-member local craft team that will spotlight the island’s rich creative heritage within the Festival’s Cultural Exchange Pavilion, which is sponsored by Sandals Resorts and the Jamaica Tourist Board. The move comes as Festival organizers have selected Jamaica as the country of focus to celebrate through music, food, and art.
Building Local Craft
Dana Baugh, founder of BAUGHaus Design Studio handcrafts porcelain tableware, planters, and sculptural forms that capture the quiet beauty of everyday Jamaican life. Having spent over a decade refining a practice that merges functional design with cultural storytelling, purchase of her products under the Sandals Foundation’s Caribbean Artisan Collection, enables proceeds to be reinvested by the philanthropic organization into the development of other artisans and their crafts.
“When people experience my work at the festival, I want them to feel a Caribbean that is both elevated and deeply rooted. Pieces that are elegant, well-made, and grounded in who we are. My work invites people into our way of life—where memories are made around the table, and food, stories, and laughter shape everyday moments. From Saturday soup to patties, I translate those experiences into heirloom pieces that carry warmth, joy, and culture. It’s about showing that our story goes beyond sun, sand, and sea—it is rich, layered, and beautifully expressed through what we make and use every day”.
Omar “Sheldon” Daley, founder of FIRSTSTRAW Company, is one of the first crafters under the Sandals Foundation Caribbean Artisan Programme, gaining key product and business development training from Sandals Resorts’ retail team in 2018. A thatch straw weaver trained by his mother, Daley’s work is deeply rooted in traditions carried from our Taíno and African ancestors. Today, he reimagines that heritage into contemporary designs, weaving bags, baskets, trays and more that utilize resources and skills from a robust value-chain ecosystem in and around his community.
“Even as basketry declines, there are still artisans committed to keeping the craft alive. Through my work, I blend traditional techniques with modern design and materials to create pieces that reflect Jamaican creativity and identity. It’s a reflection of who we are—‘Out of many, one people’—where different elements come together to form something unified and meaningful. Being at the festival is not just about me; it represents the many people and forms of support that made this journey possible. While each piece I create is different, the story behind them remains the same”.
Rebuilding after the Storm
The journeys of Dana and Sheldon are not without challenge. Following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, damaged infrastructure and loss of access to raw materials impacted Daley’s livelihood. However, through targeted intervention by the Sandals Foundation, the installation of a solar energy system enabled the artisan to restore production and re-enter the market.
“This is what meaningful investment in people looks like,” said Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation. “When we support artisans, we are not just preserving craft—we are protecting livelihood and strengthening communities. We are extremely honoured to be part of the stories of Dana and Sheldon, who will share their expressions of Jamaica at the upcoming Jazz Fest to a whole new market.”
Since its launch in 2018, the Caribbean Artisan Programme has supported over 30 artisans across the 9 islands in which Sandals Resorts operate. The initiative has resulted in members experiencing expanded production, up to 30% increase in sales, and a stronger and more stable livelihood.
For Baugh and Daley, the upcoming Jazz Fest, which will be attended by some 500,000 patrons, is a signal of what is possible when creativity is supported with intention. Both, through their active mentorship of emerging creatives, set the stage to ensure the knowledge, skill, and vision are passed on.
For the Sandals Foundation, the crafters are a representation of a broader mission of investing in people, preserving culture, and building pathways so that communities not only survive—but thrive.
Over 300 children across eight Caribbean islands stepped out of the classroom and into nature this Earth Day, as the Sandals Foundation rolled out a guided mindfulness programme designed to build environmental awareness and support mental well-being.
Spanning multiple ecological spaces, students aged 9 to 11 across Antigua, Barbados, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Curacao, and Jamaica engaged in breathing exercises, nature walks, sensory observation and discussions within national parks, mangrove forest, the gardens at Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort, and national conservation areas, allowing time to decompress and connect to observed biodiversity.
The activity, which fostered disengagement from digital devices, highlighted the role of nature in physical and mental wellbeing. The programme also reinforced the everyday actions young people can take to protect these resources.
“By combining mindfulness with environmental education, we wanted to encourage students to slow down, be present, reflect, and appreciate the beauty of nature which is around them,” says Heidi Clarke, Executive Director at the Sandals Foundation. “We also wanted to share with students that sense of responsibility and power they each have to protect their communities’ natural resources and the services those resources support.”
Across the Caribbean, the Sandals Foundation implements in a wide range of conservation work – engaging 177,526 people in environmental education, planting 28,117 trees, outplanting 38,156 corals, investing in programmes that see to the safe hatch of 221,392 sea turtles, and supporting 23 marine and terrestrial protected areas.
The Earth Day initiative forms part of the Foundation’s ongoing work to support sustainable development—ensuring that environmental protection, community well-being, and economic stability advance together.
The ocean has come ashore. The University of the West Indies (UWI) Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory (DBML) and the Sandals Foundation have partnered to launch an immersive marine ecosystem hallway — the first of its kind on Jamaica’s North Coast — transforming a traditional corridor into a living journey through the island’s underwater worlds.
From the depths of the deep sea to vibrant coral reefs and intricate mangrove forests, the installation features live aquaria, large-scale 3D marine species models, authentic coral skeleton displays, and research footage captured by UWI DBML divers along Jamaica’s north coast.
Valued at over JMD $4.2 million the investment also supports the facility’s wider outreach and education programme, providing upgrades to the Lab’s conference room with new furnishings to enhance the visitor experience, display screens for interactive learning, and modern retractable projector screen.
Speaking at the launch on Monday March 16, Dr. Camilo Trench, lecturer and academic coordinator at the UWI DBML says the project has been a lifelong dream to enhance the educational experience at the Lab. “The Hallway is an indication of our commitment to conservation and continued education in Marine Sciences. We aim to bring the sea and its diverse inhabitants closer to the curious minds of all ages. The features, adaptations, and nuances of these species are excellent teaching tools for STEM learning and inspire human thinking and innovation. We are thrilled that the Sandals Foundation afforded us the resources to fulfil this ambition.”
Interactive learning stations along the hallway have been strategically installed to deepen environmental education, allowing students to explore biodiversity through sight, sound, and touch to understand ecosystem connectivity, examine threats facing marine environments, and discover how they can help protect ocean health.
For Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, the project aligns with its mandate to nurture a sense of stewardship in the young. “Our oceans sustain livelihoods, protect our coastlines and support the natural beauty that defines the Caribbean,” Clarke said. “When young people are able to see and experience these ecosystems up close, they begin to understand just how vital they are to our future. This immersive hallway helps make that connection real. It allows students to move beyond textbooks and encounter the living systems that surround our island, while inspiring them to see themselves as guardians of the environment.”
Highlighting the importance of the space in advancing STEM education, Technical Development Officer at the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth, and Information for Region 3, Dr. Latoya Morgan Smith, “When students explore coral reef health, analyze water quality, study marine biodiversity, or examine the impacts of climate change on coastal communities, they are not simply learning science, they are applying STEM to solve real problems affecting our island, the Caribbean region and the world. This space… will allow young Jamaicans to encounter science not as an abstract concept, but as a living exploration of the natural world.”
Kiandra Greyer of Discovery Bay Primary and Infant School described the experience with excitement. “I was amazed by the lionfish. It has so many spikes, colors and fins! Seeing all the marine life made me realize how important it is to protect the ocean. Without the corals and the different sea animals, we wouldn’t have the beautiful island we are supposed to have.”
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), more than 600 million people worldwide rely on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods, while over 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for food security and economic survival.
Here in the Caribbean, the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) reports that at least 3 million people rely on fisheries for their livelihoods, while coral reefs generate an estimated US$3.4 billion annually through tourism, fisheries, and coastal protection.
As climate change, overfishing, and other human pressures intensify, the immersive hallway positions education as a powerful first line of defense — equipping the next generation with the knowledge, awareness, and sense of responsibility needed to safeguard Jamaica’s marine resources.
“A lot of our students are absorbed in the hospitality industry and so I am very excited for this.” The sentiments of a beaming Principal at Wycliffe Martin High School, Evorine Henry-Tracey as she shares the importance of a recent $3-million renovation of the Home Economic Department that has been completed by the Sandals Foundation.
Located just about 2.5 kilometers outside of St. Mary’s capital, Port Maria, the predominantly male population of Wycliffe Martin High are beneficiaries an inclusive learning approach that focusses on skills and professional development.
“To help meet the needs of our students, we focus on vocational areas even as we prepare them for 6th form, higher education and a place of work. We are part of the tourism belt so the Home Economics Department each year is oversubscribed,” says Principal Henry-Tracey.
For approximately 6 years, the department has been in disrepair, forcing a 50% reduction in the number of students that could be facilitated. Now, students of the 2025/2026 academic year will be able to complete their practical training in an industry-like environment.
“The whole internal space has been refurbished. One of the major problems we had was serious termites which would have damaged cupboard spaces. We have gotten rid of all the pests, fumigation has been done, all the tiles have been replaced. The space is better organized, in addition to the paint and electrical work, we have a refrigeration section and an extractor fan to help minimize the heat in the space. And we have new glass windows and steam tables that can also be easily cleaned.
For Heidi Clarke, Executive Director at the Sandals Foundation, the support forms part of the philanthropic organization’s commitment to youth education and skills development.
“To facilitate the academic growth of our young people, it is important that they are provided with the resources they need to explore and learn. The renovation of the Home Economics classroom will, we hope to strengthen the teaching-learning process, enabling students to sharpen their skills to confidently take their place in hospitality- an industry that is boundless in the opportunities it presents.”
The improved infrastructure now enables up to 40 students to be facilitated in their studies. A welcomed feat of Principal Henry-Tracey.
“Far more students can now do the subjects and get the practical experience. Senior students being prepared for the world of work - they will now be in a modern space that will look more or less like where they will be working soon. The upgrade has significantly improved what we are able to offer our students.”
