In southwestern Jamaica, thousands of lives depend on fishing. A fleet of small-boat fishers catch fish in handmade pots, supporting not only themselves, but the community of fisherfolk whose lives turn on that catch.
The specially crafted pots allow juveniles to escape, keeping the fishing industry sustainable. In October 2025, powerful winds from Hurricane Melissa tore up the artisanal pots stored carefully along the shore. But new fish pot wire is helping the fishers rebuild their tools and their livelihoods.
Good360 and Sandals Foundation provided 170 rolls of fishing wire in St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland to help restart this crucial industry upon which so many lives turn. Immediately, the community set to work.
Within hours, the new wire was in the hands of potmakers like Natty Watson, 55, who supports his wife who has a disability, and his six grandchildren. Natty, like most fisherfolk in the area, has been out of work since Melissa. But when the wire rolled in, Natty was immediately commissioned for work making new pots for the fishers. Potmaking is a detailed artisanal skill—Natty is locally known for his excellent handicraft. The new work means groceries for his grandchildren, and taxi fare to go back to school.
Damion Heath, 22, is proud to be a fisher just like his grandfather and great-grandfather. But the hurricane destroyed all his pots. Without them, he can’t make a living. But now, he’s rebuilding.
The roll will produce five more large pots, and from there, he can buy more wire, and build his food stall where he can cook and sell his catch.
“Just one of those rolls of wire can feed us for up to six months! It's a jump start, a very big jump start,” he said.
Back on land, waiting for the fisher and there catch are a host of fish scalers who make their living processing fish. Women like Sonia Jameson, who has been out of work since the storm, relying on her children to take care of her. Now that the fishers are going back to sea with new pots, Sonia has work again.
"It's helped me a lot to pay my bills,” she said.
Jelecia Brown, 35, lives in Whitehouse, one of the main fishing villages, and home to a Sandals resort. She has been working only about 25% as much as before the storm, she said. But as the work comes back, she can afford to send her 4-year-old to the nearby preschool, which Sandals Foundation has been helping rebuild. It costs money for the taxi fare and lunch, and which fisherfolk like her can’t always afford without their fish-derived income.
Grace Wilson and Marie Perrin, 55, have been selling fish for 35 years at the famous St. Elizabeth-Westmoreland Border Food Stop, a market of 30 or so stalls along a busy road where tourists and locals alike stop for local delicacies. Grace said the hurricane damaged her house and her business, but without an inflow of fish for her to sell, her rebuilding has stalled. She relies on the catch to be able to sell and make a living, and since the storm she’s had to drive far away to find fish for her stall.
Marie is a fisher as well as a seller, and she and her brother operate a boat nearby. But the storm damaged their pots, and they’ve struggled to pull fish from the sea.
As potmakers in the area build the 850 or so pots that they’ll be able to get from the 170 rolls of wire donated by Good360 and Sandals Foundations, vendors like Grace and Marie will be able to buy the fish they catch. Grace hopes to make money to rebuild her roof, and Marie, her boat. Catch by catch, the famous food stop can come back to life.
As work returns to the fishers, kids can get back to school. Culloden Infant School, a coveted free government preschool, sees children of fishers return when the catch is good. The school gives a critically important start to life, says principal Michelle Whittingham, as it’s where the little ones learn to read. If they miss this step, they can struggle and drop out of school in elementary. Working fishers means the next generation of Jamaicans building a future.
By providing the raw material to jumpstart the economy, Sandals Foundation and Good360 are helping the fishing communities of southwestern Jamaica restart their lives. Donating goods that directly fuel livelihoods goes beyond temporary—but sometimes more visible—assistance, and allows Jamaicans to start a cycle of work, income, rebuilding and even schooling that boosts the whole region and uplifts future generations.
The Sandals Foundation utilizes a two-stage application process to ensure efficiency and fairness in the review of submissions for projects to begin in 2027:
Stage 1: Concept Application (Initial Screening)
• The Concept Application Form will open on July 6 - 27, 2026.
• Applicants are required to complete and submit the Concept Application Form via THIS link.
Submissions will be reviewed based on alignment, feasibility, and potential impact.
Stage 2: Full Proposal (By Invitation Only)
• Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a detailed project proposal. (A link to the
application will be provided at such time).
• Only invited applicants will proceed to this stage.
Submission of a concept application does not guarantee advancement to the full proposal
stage.
GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE
• Projects must take place within Caribbean islands where Sandals & Beaches Resorts operate
(Jamaica, The Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Antigua, Curaçao, Turks & Caicos
Islands, St. Vincent & the Grenadines).
• Support may be extended to neighbouring islands during times of crisis (e.g. disaster relief).
STRATEGIC FOCUS AREAS
The Foundation invests in initiatives that build local capacity and promote sustainable development,
including:
• Education – school infrastructure, teacher training, digital literacy, scholarships
• Environment – biodiversity protection, marine conservation, environmental education, coral
restoration
• Community Development & Health – youth engagement, sports, culture, mental & physical
health
• Economic Empowerment – skills training (artisans, farmers, fisherfolk), social enterprise
• Disaster Preparedness & Relief – crisis response and resilience-building
FUNDING TIERS
To better align funding with project scope and impact, applications will be considered under the
following tiers:
Small Grants: Up to US $20,000
• Community-based initiatives
• Targeted interventions with clear, immediate impact
Medium Grants: US $20,000 – $50,000
• Multi-component projects
• Broader community reach and structured implementation
Strategic Grants: US $50,000 – $80,000
• Larger-scale or multi-year initiatives
• Strong alignment with Foundation priorities
• Demonstrated capacity, partnerships, and sustainability
Strategic Grants are limited and highly competitive. Only a small number of projects will be
considered at this level each cycle.
PARTIAL FUNDING
• The Sandals Foundation may offer partial funding based on project scope, priorities, and
available resources.
• Applicants should clearly indicate:
- The minimum funding required to deliver the project
- Any confirmed co-funding
PROCUREMENT GUIDELINES
• Local and regional suppliers are strongly preferred to support local economies and ensure
sustainability.
• Where international suppliers are proposed, applicants must provide:
- Clear justification
- Evidence that local or regional options were explored
- Rationale for supplier selection (e.g. cost, availability, quality)
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Organizations must:
• Be legally registered and compliant in their country of operation
• Demonstrate strong governance, transparency, and financial accountability
Projects must:
• Be located within eligible Caribbean regions
• Align with one or more strategic focus areas
• Demonstrate clear community need and support
• Include measurable outcomes and long-term benefit
• Be inclusive, accessible, and non-discriminatory
• Have necessary approvals (where applicable)
INELIGIBLE PROJECTS
The Foundation does not fund:
• Political, partisan, fraternal, labour, or purely religious activities
• Individual grants (unless scholarships or hardship-based)
• For-profit enterprises (unless structured as social enterprises)
• Government entities/agencies
• Activities outside the Caribbean
• Sponsorships, uniforms, or prizes without broader community benefit
• Raffles, giveaways, or unrelated travel
• One-off events without sustainable impact
• Projects lacking community buy-in, approvals, or sustainability
EQUITY, INCLUSION & CRISIS RESPONSE
• Preference is given to initiatives supporting vulnerable or underserved populations
• Projects promoting equity, gender balance, and environmental justice are strongly
encouraged
• The Foundation provides emergency response funding during regional crises
FULL PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS (BY INVITATION ONLY)
Shortlisted applicants will be required to submit:
• Detailed project overview and objectives
• Implementation plan and timeline
• Comprehensive budget with justification
• Monitoring and evaluation framework
• Sustainability plan
• Supporting documentation (e.g. approvals, designs, letters of support)
GRANT REVIEW PROCESS
Applications are assessed based on:
• Alignment with geographic and strategic priorities
• Clarity of need and proposed solution
• Organizational capacity
• Cost-effectiveness and feasibility
• Sustainability and long-term impact
• Inclusivity and equity considerations
Approved projects will proceed to due diligence, followed by funding and implementation in
collaboration with the Foundation.
Please submit your concept application HERE
For students at Titchfield High School, agriculture is more than a subject but a pathway to practical skills, entrepreneurial opportunity, and growth. Supported by a J$5.8 million private sector investment from the Sandals Foundation, Caribbean Broilers, and Rainforest the school's expanded broiler programme is set to enhance hands-on agricultural science education, strengthen student nutrition, and support income generation.
The project, which includes the expansion of its broiler farm to add a second house to produce 1800 birds per production cycle, construction of a slaughterhouse, and the installation of a commercial cooling system has enabled the school to enrich its Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education and meet the nutritional needs of its student athletes across disciplines of football, track and field, netball, and table tennis.
“We previously operated a small-scale broiler project consisting of a 600-bird broiler unit that faced a few challenges,” says Richard Thompson, Principal of Titchfield High School. “The capacity of the broiler unit could not meet the protein needs of the athletes and wider student population. The absence of a slaughterhouse forces us to rely on external sources for meat processing – increasing cost and reducing efficiency and the lack of a cold storage meant meat could not be stored safely – leading to spoilage and missed opportunities for future use.”
Contributing some $1.3 million towards the physical construction of the Broiler House as well as labour costs, Heidi Clarke, Executive Director at the Sandals Foundation expressed delight in the holistic approach being taken by the school to sustain its operations and nurture the development of its students.
"The future of food security, innovation, and economic resilience will depend on how well we prepare young people today. I am extremely encouraged by the vision of the Titchfield High School community to create a framework that creates an ongoing source of food, training, and enterprise opportunities for by and large - its students.”
Helping to establish industry-standard operations, Caribbean Broilers Group injected approximately J$1.5 million dollars into equipment including a nipple drinking watering system, automated feeding system, 2 side-wall ventilation fans, a complete automated curtain system to regulate the brooding temperature of baby chickens, and a pancake brooder. The company was also instrumental in providing the technical drawing for the Broiler House, installation of the equipment, and facilitated training of key school personnel free of cost.
“As part of efforts to develop Agri-enterprise within our islands learning institutions and improve school nutrition programmes, the CB Group has been partnering with multiple high schools, colleges, and universities to promote building their infrastructure and capacity,” says Joseph Small, Senior Manager – Scholastic Partnerships at Caribbean Broilers Group. “As a food company we feel it is our responsibility to improve food systems for the next generation of healthy humans.”
And leading on the installation of 40ft refrigerator container at a value of J$3 million, Roger Lyn, Director of Corporate Affairs and Strategic Partnerships says, “Food security is one of the most pressing issues facing the country and our region today. The ability to be self-sufficient and produce safe, quality protein locally and be able to train the next generation to do it well is not just good for the school, but for Jamaica. This 40ft reefer container will allow the school cold storage capacity of up to 46,000 lbs of chicken meat that will go a far way in supporting the growth and expansion of the Titchfield High Broiler Project.”
Beyond the facility’s expansion, as part of its sustainability plan, the school will seek to reinvest revenue generated from poultry sales, school events and fundraisers into continued maintenance, feedstock, and ongoing student training.
As STEAM education connects learning with real-world outcomes, Titchfield High School's expanded broiler programme offers a practical example of how education, food production, and enterprise can work together to create lasting change.
As part of efforts to support the emotional well-being of more than 1,700 of Jamaica’s most vulnerable young learners, the Sandals Foundation, in partnership with Food For The Poor Jamaica and the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, have established therapeutic play spaces in three primary and infant schools.
Valued at some JM $5.2million, the specialized environments designed to build resilience and enhance educational outcomes involved the renovation and outfitting of existing guidance counselling areas at Port Maria Infant School in St. Mary, Granville Primary and Infant School in Trelawny, and Irwin Primary and Infant School in St. James with child appropriate furniture, the provision of therapeutic tools, and adding vibrant murals.
The initiative, which has also provided therapeutic play training to 40 guidance counsellors has transformed underutilized rooms into safe, welcoming spaces where children can express themselves, process trauma, and begin to heal.
Speaking at a handover event at the Granville Primary and Infant School, Patrice Gilpin, Public Relations Manager at Sandals Foundation says, “Across Jamaica, many students are navigating grief, trauma, family separation, emotional regulation challenges, and other experiences that can affect how they learn and develop. Children learn best when they feel safe, supported, and understood so by creating dedicated spaces to deliver targeted support, our goal is to facilitate a holistic approach to student well-being as a critical foundation for academic success.”
Beyond the physical upgrades, every space was stocked with a carefully selected suite of play therapy materials including puppet family set, comfort blankets and hugable toys, an Adopt-A-Pet kit, stress balls, sensory and expressive animal figures, and therapeutic workbooks.
Dr. Claudette Crawford-Brown, Play Therapy Consultant, says play is a powerful tool for healing, growth, and learning.
“In a play therapy space, a child may use puppets to tell a story they cannot yet put into words, express emotions through art, role-play difficult situations, or create scenes in a sand tray that reflect their experiences and feelings. Through these activities, guidance counsellors gain insights that help children process emotions, develop healthy coping skills, and build confidence in a way that feels natural, safe, and age-appropriate.”
For Food For The Poor Executive Director, Denise Jeffereson, the partnership reflects a shared commitment to supporting the whole child.
“At Food For The Poor Jamaica, we recognize that true development extends beyond meeting physical needs, it must also nurture the emotional and psychological well-being of our children. This partnership with the Sandals Foundation reflects our shared commitment to ensuring that students are equipped not only to succeed academically, but to heal, grow, and thrive in safe and supportive environments. By investing in these play therapy spaces, we are helping to build resilience, restore confidence, and create meaningful opportunities for Jamaica’s children to reach their full potential.”
According to Guidance Counsellor at Granville Primary and Infant School, Mrs. Jacqueline Thompson-East., the space is already showing positive results.
“Apart from talking to students, when you give them toys, sometimes you learn things you wouldn’t hear normally. I remember a little girl who used the toys to explain her home dynamic — at the end of the session we were able to see what the root cause of her problems were. In fact, we brought in her father and spoke to him about his role in helping us help his daughter.”
