Sandals Resorts encourages holidaymakers to donate sanitary products to vulnerable women in the Caribbean

This past week has been a rollercoaster for women all over the world but hearing about positive initiatives is always a great reminder that there is always good to be found in this world. Our friends at Sandals Resorts are calling for guests to bring sanitary towels, tampons, and hand sanitiser with them on holiday to help vulnerable women in the Caribbean.

Guests visiting the brand’s resorts in Jamaica, Barbados and The Bahamas, when international travel resumes, are urged to bring a small number of products with them in their luggage which can be donated to local women’s centres via the Pack for a Purpose initiative.

Heidi Clarke, Director of the Sandals Foundation, the Company’s non-profit organisation, says: “Period poverty is a problem all over the world and now, more than ever, disadvantaged women in the Caribbean are finding it difficult to access the products they need. By bringing one or two packs of sanitary towels or tampons with them and signing up to the Pack for a Purpose programme, Sandals guests can do their bit to help women who are living difficult lives. What’s more, they weigh next to nothing, so guests don’t need to worry about exceeding their luggage weight allowance.”

The Sandals Foundation distributes products donated by guests chosen from the Pack for a Purpose site to local women’s centres and programmes in the Caribbean, giving them much needed support.

Projects that benefit from the programme include:

Jamaica:

• The Women’s Centre of Jamaica provides a second chance at education for adolescent mothers. With seven main centres and 11 outreach stations across the island, the facilities serve 200 young mothers through continued educational instruction, group and individual counselling, mentorship programmes and vocational training. Holidaymakers can help young mothers secure a better future by bringing feminine products that are a necessity but can sometimes be inaccessible due to no or low-income.

The Bahamas:

• The PACE Foundation in Nassau, The Bahamas provides access to continued education programs for 25 teen mothers. In addition to helping with coping mechanisms, the Centre prepares its student mothers academically and socially for re-entry into secondary school, a technical and vocational centre or the job market. Guests can help prevent absenteeism that can interrupt their developmental progress by donating feminine care products, which are sometimes expensive and out of their reach.

Barbados:

• In Barbados, Jabez House, a non-profit partner of The Sandals Foundation serves as a haven of hope and empowerment for female sex workers, facilitating their transition from the sex industry through educational and vocational training. As the women of Jabez House carefully map the road to their new lives, lowered earning power can prevent them from adequately meeting their basic needs. Guests’ donations of feminine products on their next trip can help eliminate one more barrier.

To take part in the programme, travellers just need to visit the Pack for a Purpose website, select the resort that they’re visiting from the ‘destinations’ list and pack the chosen items they wish to donate before they travel. Items are then delivered to the hotel’s front desk on arrival.

For more information about the Sandals Foundation and other projects supported by it, visit www.sandalsfoundation.org. For more information about Sandals Resorts visit www.sandals.co.uk.