Partnering Up Through the Pandemic — Digicel St. Lucia & the Daren Sammy Foundation
Throughout the pandemic, Digicel St. Lucia and the Daren Sammy Foundation worked together to help Caribbean students.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, education systems were particularly strained. During this challenging time, Digicel St. Lucia partnered with the Daren Sammy Foundation to provide some much-needed relief to the island country in this sector. First, 20 full academic scholarships were bestowed to primary and secondary school students for the 2022/23 academic year, which offset costs including school fees and textbooks. Sponsors such as Bank of Saint Lucia Limited, The Landings Resort & Spa, Duty-Free Shoppers and Access also helped see this vision come to fruition. Second, the Digicel Scholarship programme presented 15 students with back-to-school disbursements. The estimated value of these scholarships totalled EC$35,000.
In 2016, Daren Sammy, a well-known cricketer, conceptualised the Daren Sammy Foundation. Since then, the charity has benefitted hundreds of disadvantaged children and poverty-stricken households. The Foundation organises funds for youth athletic programmes and provides the next generation of cricket players with sporting equipment and a mentorship programme. If you look at the Foundation’s Facebook Page today, it is involved with bolstering the sports of tennis, swimming and golf too. Academically, the Foundation has provided student aid payments, grants, academic support and supplemental resources. Kids who are citizens of Saint Lucia, and based upon their age, qualify for assistance if they are a high-achieving pupil at a primary or secondary institution, athlete for a school team/community/local league or member of an after-school activity.
How the Digicel Foundation Focuses on Education
Through the Digicel Foundation, the Digicel brand continues to try closing the global education gap. For the Digicel Haiti Foundation, this means constructing almost 200 schools for over 60,000 children to attend. At one time, it also meant rebuilding devastated infrastructures that were ruined during natural disasters. For example, after a 2010 earthquake, the Digicel Haiti Foundation erected 130 new schools.
For the Digicel Jamaica Foundation, affirmative action looks like working with Jamaica’s Early Childhood Commission to have centres certified with the Government for supplementary funding. Advocacy also means dedicating resources like mobile science labs, tablets and Smart Rooms to teach children about STEM, the trades, the arts, foreign languages and Information Technology. Lastly, the Digicel Trinidad and Tobago Foundation has been an ally during the global education crisis by fighting for students with special needs. Through its Therapy-based Education programme, educators across 15 schools have learnt more about Occupational, Speech & Language and Behaviour Therapy. Likewise, its Centres of Excellence programme further prioritises therapy efforts and overhauls spaces in order for them to meet international standards. Digicel has made an investment of USD$390,798 into the Centres of Excellence Initiatives, which have benefitted 681 people.
For more news on the Daren Sammy Foundation, follow their Instagram.