Sandals Foundation brings solar power to Jamaica schools

The Sandals Foundation has installed solar-powered systems at two Jamaican primary schools and a health clinic, investing over $4.6 million to ensure uninterrupted electricity for computer labs and vaccine storage as part of a wider Caribbean energy security mission.

The Sandals Foundation has installed solar systems at Hague Primary and Infant School in Trelawny and Cove Primary in Hanover, Jamaica, valued at $3.6 million. The solar infrastructure powers computer labs at both schools, ensuring uninterrupted digital learning access regardless of grid reliability. Hague Primary, which serves approximately 1,100 students, also received 20 computers from the Foundation in 2024. A separate solar system valued at over $1 million was installed at the Jamaica Family Planning Association's Beth Jacob's Clinic in St. Ann, which has provided healthcare services including immunizations for more than 60 years. The projects were funded through a global campaign launched for the Foundation's 15th anniversary in 2024, in partnership with Coca-Cola Latin America. The Foundation has announced plans to expand solar installations across Jamaica and all nine islands where Sandals operates.

These solar installations address two of the Caribbean's most pressing vulnerabilities: energy insecurity and the digital divide. For schools where computer labs represent students' only access to digital technology, uninterrupted power transforms solar panels from a green amenity into essential educational infrastructure. At Beth Jacob's Clinic, solar-powered refrigeration directly safeguards vaccine supply chains threatened by outages and extreme weather.

"On average in the Caribbean, one kilowatt-hour of electricity costs more than double the average price in the United States, reaching over $0.51 per kWh."

— Sandals Foundation

Philanthropic-strategic: Clarke frames the solar installations as a deliberate investment in Caribbean energy security aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She emphasizes that reducing energy costs allows institutions to redirect resources toward their primary missions of education and healthcare.

Frontline educator: Elvin highlights the immediate, practical benefit: grid independence for the school's computer lab. With 1,100 students relying on the facility, he values the system's ability to keep classes running through power outages, reducing government electricity bills simultaneously.

Community health impact: The clinic installation addresses a life-or-death concern — vaccine storage integrity during power outages and extreme weather. The over $1 million investment protects immunization services that have served St. Ann communities for more than 60 years.

"If teachers are having classes and electricity should go, then we will still have our units running so they can complete what they are doing."

— Dameian Elvin, Principal, Hague Primary and Infant School, via Sandals Foundation press release

The Caribbean's energy crisis is not abstract — it shows up in darkened computer labs and compromised vaccine fridges. What the Sandals Foundation has done at Hague Primary, Cove Primary, and Beth Jacob's Clinic is straightforward but significant: it has decoupled essential services from an unreliable and expensive grid.

At over $0.51 per kWh, Caribbean electricity is a tax on development itself. Every dollar a school spends keeping the lights on is a dollar not spent on books, teachers, or technology. Solar infrastructure at schools is not charity — it is rational economic intervention.

The real test will be scale. Three installations are a proof of concept. The Foundation's pledge to expand across nine islands must be matched by urgency and transparency on timelines. Other corporate actors across the region should take note: this is a replicable model where philanthropy, sustainability, and community resilience converge. The Caribbean cannot afford to wait for national grids to modernize. The sun is already here — we just need to use it.