Carib Scope

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  • Sandals National Learn to Swim Week. We Ready!

    Sandals National Learn to Swim Week. We Ready!

    Grenada is gearing up to host its annual Sandals National Learn to Swim Week between July 6 and 10, capping off a foundational instructor upskilling program that aims to raise the bar for swimming education across the island nation, including its smaller sister islands Carriacou and Petite Martinique. This year’s event brings a major upgrade to local swim instruction: for the first time, Grenadian instructors have completed the internationally accredited Discover Water Swim Instructor Course developed by global governing body World Aquatics.

    The rollout of the program traces back to earlier this year, when the Grenada Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) sponsored Tara Baksh, Grenada’s newly appointed national Discover Water lead, to attend a specialized training conference in Aruba. Baksh returned with full certification to deliver the World Aquatics-endorsed curriculum to local instructors, marking the first time the standardized program has been brought to the country.

    Unlike traditional training that focuses heavily on stroke technique, the Discover Water program takes a holistic approach to building capable, confident swimmers. Beyond core swimming skills, the curriculum trains instructors to embed water safety, survival protocols, critical decision-making in aquatic environments, and confidence-building into every lesson. All participating instructors also completed full CPR certification as part of the training. The program emphasizes modern, child-centered teaching methods designed to make lessons more engaging, fun, and effective for young learners.

    Reflecting on the recent training sessions for local instructors, Baksh highlighted the high level of engagement among participants. “The instructors were engaged, eager to learn, and willing to participate both verbally and practically. I felt I was able to demonstrate how to incorporate fun into every lesson while still teaching children the core swimming skills they need,” Baksh said. She noted that while local instructors already had foundational teaching experience, the program added critical new tools to their practice: “This course has provided them with valuable tools for communicating more effectively with younger swimmers, so they understand what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how to think critically and solve problems in the water.”

    Looking forward, Baksh and local swimming advocates have ambitious plans to embed this global training standard into Grenada’s national swimming ecosystem. She aims to make the Discover Water certification a permanent core requirement for all new swim instructors in the country, through ongoing collaboration with GASA and local non-profit Get Grenada Swimming. Longer-term goals include expanding the child-centered teaching methods to primary schools and after-school programs across all three islands.

    This year’s Sandals National Learn to Swim Week will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily across 15 different locations spanning Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The event is coordinated by Get Grenada Swimming in partnership with Sandals Grenada, aligned with the organization’s long-running mission to ensure every child in Grenada has access to free swimming training, an essential life-saving skill. For families unable to join during the official event week, additional follow-up lessons will be offered between July 13 and 24 at six participating locations: Grand Anse, Grand Mal, Gouyave, St Mark, Sauteurs, and Grenada Marine in Corinth. These extended sessions are run in partnership with the Ministry of Sports’ Holiday Recreation Programme.

    With a cohort of newly certified instructors, evidence-based global teaching methods, and expanded access across the country, 2025’s Learn to Swim Week is positioned to be the most impactful iteration of the event to date. All lessons offered during the initiative are completely free for participants. Families interested in registering their children can sign up through the official Get Grenada Swimming website at www.getgrenadaswimming.com, or direct questions to the event hotline at 404-5237.

  • International Day of Co-operatives, 4 July 2026

    International Day of Co-operatives, 4 July 2026

    The 2026 International Day of Cooperatives will be marked across the globe on Saturday, July 4, with this year’s campaign centered on the powerful theme “Cooperatives for a Peaceful World.”

    This annual global observance has a deep-rooted history stretching back more than 100 years, earning official United Nations recognition in 1995. It was established to shine a spotlight on the unique and far-reaching contributions cooperative enterprises make to global peacebuilding, social cohesion, and inclusive sustainable development. Beyond celebration, the day functions as a critical global platform to boost public understanding of how cooperative models strengthen local communities and drive equitable economic growth that benefits all members of society, rather than just a select few.

    The 2026 theme is intentionally aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16, which calls for Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. The framework underscores a core truth: lasting peace can only take root where fairness, equal access to opportunity, and widespread social trust are prioritized. Cooperatives are uniquely positioned to cultivate these foundational conditions, through their structure that ensures broad sharing of economic gains, builds community resilience in the face of crisis, and encourages cross-group collaboration that bridges divides along ethnic, economic, and social lines.

    Across sectors, cooperative models have delivered tangible, life-changing impact around the world. Agricultural cooperatives have boosted food security by connecting smallholder farmers to resources and markets, lifting rural livelihoods out of poverty. Community-focused credit unions have expanded affordable access to financial services for groups historically excluded from traditional banking systems. Worker-owned cooperative enterprises have created stable, dignified employment that gives working people direct agency over their labor and working conditions.

    In Grenada, local organizers are preparing a full slate of community-focused events to mark the occasion. The Grenada Co-operative League Ltd (GCLL) has partnered with the country’s Department of the Co-operatives to roll out a series of public engagement activities. The centerpiece of the local calendar is Co-operative Fair 2.0, set to take place on Friday, July 3 – one day ahead of the official global observance – at the Esplanade Mall Courtyard in St George’s, running from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. At the fair, dozens of local cooperatives will set up displays to demonstrate how core cooperative values – including voluntary open membership, democratic member control, and a prioritization of community well-being – translate into tangible, positive impact for Grenada’s residents.

    This report was published by NOW Grenada, which notes that it is not responsible for the opinions, statements, or third-party media content shared by contributors to the outlet. Readers are invited to flag any abusive content via the outlet’s official reporting channel.

  • Police searching for missing 13-year-old Kemera Murray

    Police searching for missing 13-year-old Kemera Murray

    Law enforcement authorities in Barbados are turning to the community for help in tracing a missing teenager who has not been seen for nearly a week. Kemera Murray, a 13-year-old resident of Blackman Field in The Pine, St Michael, was last reported seen on Monday, June 29, and has not made contact with family or friends since that date.

    Authorities have released a detailed description of the missing teen to help members of the public identify her. Standing approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall with a slim build and dark complexion, Kemera was last spotted wearing a distinctive blue crew-neck T-shirt printed with a bear graphic on the front, paired with dark blue cargo shorts and brown-and-gold slide sandals. Police also confirmed that the teenager is known to regularly visit two areas in the neighboring parish of Christ Church: the coastal district of Oistins and the residential neighborhood of Sayers Court.

    In their official public appeal, law enforcement officials are urging any resident or visitor who may have seen Kemera since June 29, or who holds any information that could lead to her safe location, to contact authorities immediately. Multiple tip lines have been opened to accept information: the main District ‘A’ Police Station can be reached at 430-7242 or 430-7246, the 24/7 national police emergency line is available at 211, anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, and information can also be provided in person at any local police station across the island.

  • Police, stakeholders form working group to tackle crime in Soufriere

    Police, stakeholders form working group to tackle crime in Soufriere

    A collective, cross-sector security initiative is underway in the coastal town of Soufriere, spearheaded by the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) to counter rising crime and violence through coordinated partnership between public agencies, tourism stakeholders, and local community groups. The collaborative effort grew out of a high-level strategic gathering held June 11, where top RSLPF leadership sat down with Emma Hippolyte, Soufriere’s parliamentary representative, alongside leaders from the local accommodation sector, the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation, and regional civil society organizations. During the June 11 summit, participants centered talks on evaluating existing public safety initiatives active in the town, as well as outlining expanded support that the police service can deploy to strengthen local security outcomes. A landmark agreement emerged from that initial meeting: stakeholders voted to form a dedicated cross-sector working group tasked with designing actionable, coordinated, and long-term sustainable interventions to address Soufriere’s crime and violence challenges. The newly assembled working group wasted little time moving forward, holding its first official plenary session on June 24. Attendees included representatives from RSLPF, the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation, the national Ministries of Equity and Crime Prevention, local civil society groups, and the Saint Lucia National Youth Council. Before diving into formal strategy discussions, working group members completed on-the-ground community walkthroughs of three high-priority neighborhoods: Palmiste, Market Road, and Baron’s Drive. During these visits, participants held direct conversations with local residents, creating space for community members to share their firsthand security concerns, outline daily safety challenges they face, and articulate what specific changes would improve quality of life in their neighborhoods. The community feedback collected during these walkthroughs formed the foundation of the working group’s subsequent strategy session, where members worked to turn resident input into concrete, actionable plans to cut crime rates, boost public safety, and raise overall living standards across Soufriere. Per RSLPF updates, the working group is currently finalizing a comprehensive, community-centered action plan. Once the draft is completed, it will be submitted to the Commissioner of Police and Representative Emma Hippolyte for formal review and approval to move forward with implementation. The full working group has scheduled its next meeting for July 14, as partner organizations continue building out collaborative, resident-driven solutions through sustained public engagement. RSLPF leadership has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to partnering with local stakeholders and residents to build a safer living and visiting environment not just for Soufriere’s permanent population, but for communities across the entire island of Saint Lucia. The initiative marks a shift toward collaborative, community-informed public safety, rather than top-down policy making, prioritizing the input of the people most affected by local crime and insecurity.

  • National Spice Replanting Day mobilises every parish

    National Spice Replanting Day mobilises every parish

    On Sunday, June 28, every single parish across the Caribbean island nation of Grenada came together for the first National Spice Replanting Day, a nationwide collective effort that brought hundreds of volunteers together to nurture and reinforce the country’s world-famous spice agricultural legacy.

    Organized as a flagship community initiative under the banner of Grenada Diaspora Homecoming 2026, the event drew participation from a diverse cross-section of the population: local residents, Grenadian nationals returning from overseas, grassroots community groups, and independent volunteers all joined forces for a shared mission rooted in national pride, agricultural renewal, and collective environmental stewardship. Framed around the theme “From Roots to Legacy”, the initiative was designed to strengthen Grenada’s centuries-old agricultural heritage while cementing the country’s beloved global nickname as the “Spice Isle” for future generations.

    Across all participating communities, volunteers spent the day working side-by-side to plant native spice saplings, contributing to a national strategy to boost domestic agriculture, restore declining spice crop populations, and honor the centuries-deep connection between Grenada’s land, its people, and its cultural identity.

    Senator Roderick St Clair, speaking on behalf of event organizers, highlighted that the unprecedented full-parish turnout underscored both the power of collective community action and the critical importance of protecting Grenada’s distinct agricultural identity. “National Spice Replanting Day was far more than just a routine tree-planting exercise,” St Clair explained. “It was a public declaration of shared national responsibility. Every volunteer who showed up across every parish, who put their hands into Grenada’s soil, did more than just plant trees. They helped secure a legacy that is woven into the very fabric of Grenadian life: our rural communities, our centuries-long agricultural history, and our core national identity.”

    Beyond its agricultural and environmental goals, the event also served as a key test of the core mission of the Grenada Diaspora Homecoming 2026, an initiative designed to re-connect Grenadians living overseas with their home country and create meaningful opportunities for them to contribute to national development. Organizers emphasized that the full islandwide participation perfectly embodied the spirit of the Homecoming project, which centers on five core pillars: reconnection, collective contribution, cultural celebration, community building, and shared national purpose.

    (Disclaimer: NOW Grenada holds no responsibility for the opinions, statements, or third-party content shared by contributors to this report. To report abusive content, please follow the platform’s designated reporting procedure.)

  • By The Waterfall Inc. vacancy: Housekeeper

    By The Waterfall Inc. vacancy: Housekeeper

    A Caribbean-based firm called By The Waterfall Inc., located in Grand Bras, St Andrew, Grenada, has publicly posted an open employment vacancy for the full-time position of Housekeeper. One core non-negotiable requirement for all candidates applying to the role is proficiency in the Ukrainian language, a specification that stands out in Caribbean regional hiring listings.

    Interested individuals who meet the language and role requirements are instructed to submit their formal applications exclusively via email to the address [email protected]. The company has set a firm application deadline of 22 July 2026, meaning all submission materials must be received by the hiring team before this date to be considered for the position.

    As the hosting platform for the job posting, NOW Grenada has issued a standard content disclaimer: the platform is not liable for the views, statements, or any third-party contributed content published through its classified listings. The portal also notes that users can flag any inappropriate or abusive content associated with the posting through a dedicated reporting channel on the site.

  • The Children of Black Water Now Have a School on the Way

    The Children of Black Water Now Have a School on the Way

    In a landmark step for rural education development in northern Belize, construction has officially kicked off on a new pre-primary and primary school serving the Black Water community of Trial Farm village. This project marks the second major investment in regional education infrastructure delivered in Orange Walk District in just 10 days, signaling a sustained push to expand learning access across the country’s rural zones.

    Per an official statement released by the Belizean government, the new facility was designed to directly fill long-standing gaps in accessible early childhood and primary education for residents of Black Water and its neighboring smaller settlements. Beyond simply adding classroom space, the initiative is framed as a strategic investment in youth empowerment, with the explicit goal of unlocking more diverse and promising future opportunities for the next generation growing up in this rural region.

    The project is the result of a collaborative partnership between two key stakeholders: Belize’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), a regional financial institution focused on supporting sustainable development across the Caribbean. Local firms are leading the on-the-ground delivery of the build: Anthony Thurton & Associates Ltd. serves as the project consultant, while Kee-Chanona Ltd. has taken on the role of general contractor for the construction phase.

    The formal groundbreaking ceremony, held to mark the start of construction, drew a host of senior officials from both the government and the CDB. Attendees included Belize’s Minister of State Ramon Cervantes, as well as Elbert Ellis, the Caribbean Development Bank’s Portfolio Manager for the Social Sector Division, alongside other project leadership and local community representatives.

    This latest groundbreaking comes on the heels of another major education milestone in the district just one week prior. On June 23, 2026, officials inaugurated a $581,000 pre-primary facility in Orange Walk’s Santa Cruz Village. That project was also delivered through a multi-partner partnership, bringing together the Belize Social Investment Fund, the Caribbean Development Bank, and the Ministry of Education. The new Santa Cruz preschool sits adjacent to the Santa Cruz Government Primary School, which opened its doors in October 2025. Together, the two facilities create a complete, continuous early learning corridor that serves all young children in the Santa Cruz community from early childhood through primary education.

  • Boats Blessed as Lobster Season Nears

    Boats Blessed as Lobster Season Nears

    As the highly anticipated 2026-2027 lobster fishing season approaches, hundreds of Belizean fishers gathered on the Belize City waterfront on June 30 to take part in a centuries-old tradition, marking Caribbean Fisherfolk Day ahead of the season’s official opening on July 1.

    The annual boat blessing event, jointly hosted by the Belize Fisheries Department and Wildlife Conservation Society Belize (WCS Belize), unfolded across two key cooperative venues first: the National Fishermen Cooperative and the Northern Fishermen Cooperative. Following ceremonies at these sites, Father Scott Giuliani traveled along the waterfront to bless dozens of docked fishing vessels one by one, offering prayers for safe voyages and bountiful catches for all fishers heading out to sea this season.

    Running from July 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, the lobster fishing season is a cornerstone of Belize’s seafood economy, supporting hundreds of working fishers and generating substantial revenue for coastal communities across the country. This year’s Fisherfolk Month celebration, themed “Celebrating and Empowering Fishers’ Contribution to Food Safety and Security”, highlights the critical role that commercial and small-scale fishers play in Belize’s national food system, feeding millions of domestic consumers and supporting the country’s thriving seafood export sector.

    To ensure the long-term sustainability of Belize’s lobster populations, the Fisheries Department has issued a clear set of regulations that all harvesters must follow in the upcoming season. Only lobsters with a minimum shell length of three inches and a minimum tail weight of four ounces may be legally caught. Soft-shell lobsters and female lobsters carrying eggs are fully protected under Belizean fishing law, meaning they cannot be harvested or possessed. Additionally, no individual or licensed food establishment is allowed to hold or process pre-filleted or diced lobster tail, a rule designed to prevent illegal poaching and mislabeling of undersized catch.

    Regulators have also called on members of the public to act as watchdogs for sustainable fishing, urging anyone who observes illegal fishing activity to report it directly to the Fisheries Department for investigation. Conservation leaders note that strict enforcement of these rules is essential to preserving Belize’s vibrant marine ecosystems and ensuring that lobster fishing remains a viable livelihood for future generations of coastal workers.

  • CND unveils plan to promote mental health in the workplace

    CND unveils plan to promote mental health in the workplace

    In Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic’s National Drug Council (CND) has unveiled an ambitious new public policy initiative aimed at transforming workplace wellness across the country: the Workplace Prevention and Wellbeing Plan, known locally by its Spanish acronym PPBL. This comprehensive technical framework has been crafted to equip both public sector institutions and private enterprises with the tools they need to prioritize worker mental health, proactively prevent substance use disorders, and cultivate work environments that are not only healthier for employees but also more productive for organizations.

    Alejandro de Jesús Abreu, President of the CND, outlined the multifaceted support structure the initiative will deliver to participating organizations. Under the plan, both digital resources and in-person training opportunities will be made available to upskill employees and human resources departments on evidence-based strategies for mental health promotion and addiction prevention. Abreu emphasized that the new workplace plan is intentionally aligned with the national mental health strategy introduced by Dominican President Luis Abinader, and it forms a core component of the far-reaching 2026–2036 State-Society Plan for Prevention and Coexistence, a decade-long framework focused on public health and social cohesion.

    The official launch event drew attendance from senior government officials and leading private sector representatives, nearly all of whom expressed enthusiastic support for the new initiative. Stakeholders highlighted the plan’s unique potential to address underrecognized psychosocial risks in Dominican workplaces, reduce rates of substance abuse in professional settings, and foster more inclusive, health-focused organizational cultures across all industries. The CND further confirmed that the plan has been developed to fully comply with the Dominican Labor Code, existing national public health regulations, and evidence-based guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), positioning it as a credible, internationally aligned approach to workplace wellness.

  • Works Minister urges drivers to slow down

    Works Minister urges drivers to slow down

    A grim wave of fatal traffic collisions has swept across The Bahamas, leaving seven people dead over just four days ending Tuesday, prompting top transportation officials to issue urgent appeals for safer driving as grieving families cope with one of the deadliest stretches of road fatalities the nation has seen in recent years.

    The deadliest single incident unfolded early Sunday on Shirley Street in New Providence, near the intersection with Church Street. A vehicle carrying eight occupants veered off the road and slammed into a tree, killing four young women inside: 17-year-old Diamond Stubbs and 19-year-olds Betrica Brown, Stania Webb, and Evalena Johnson. Three male passengers and one additional female passenger were transported to local hospitals with injuries, and local reports confirm most of the group had been close friends since childhood.

    The tragedy quickly sparked public scrutiny over the long-reported poor condition of Shirley Street’s pavement, with many residents questioning whether unaddressed road deterioration contributed to the crash. During press briefings following the incident, Works Minister Clay Sweeting pushed back against attempts to link the fatality to delayed infrastructure work, confirming that Shirley Street had already been prioritized for repaving prior to the crash. Sweeting emphasized that the string of recent deadly incidents across multiple islands points to excessive speeding as the core systemic issue driving the rise in fatalities, not underinvestment in specific roads.

    “I don’t think it’s fair to any of us, to the grieving families, to try to frame this tragedy as a blame game right now,” Sweeting told reporters, pushing back on questions about the timeline for Shirley Street repairs. “Families are mourning the loss of their loved ones, and right now that is what matters most. This is not a moment to assign blame.”

    Sweeting added that deadly crashes have not been isolated to New Providence, noting fatal incidents have been recorded across Abaco, Grand Bahama, and Andros in recent days. “This is a national concern centered on driver behavior and the dangerous speeds many motorists are traveling at,” he said. “I am strongly urging all drivers to slow down. We cannot afford to have more families grieving unnecessary deaths.”

    The most recent fatality was recorded Tuesday morning, when a 23-year-old male driver died in a head-on two-vehicle collision on Coral Harbour Road near Odyssey Aviation. Assistant Superintendent Lakeisha Sawyer, who spoke to reporters at the crash site, told journalists that preliminary investigation indicates the victim’s vehicle spun out before the driver was ejected from the vehicle. Based on the severe damage to both vehicles, investigators have marked speed as a likely contributing factor.

    Police confirmed that officers from the Western Division were called to the collision just before 7 a.m. The 23-year-old, driving a blue Suzuki Swift, was traveling south when he collided with a northbound black 2016 Kia Sorento operated by a 53-year-old woman. Emergency medical personnel pronounced the Suzuki driver dead at the scene, while the Kia driver was transported to a hospital for treatment; as of press time, her condition has not been updated. This crash brings The Bahamas’ total traffic fatalities for the year to 36, per records kept by The Tribune.

    The four-day fatal spree began Saturday, when 26-year-old Nica Julien died after her Ford Focus overturned and crashed into a concrete utility pole on East Sunrise Highway in Grand Bahama. The following day brought the Shirley Street tragedy, and a Monday collision on Ernest Dean Highway in Spring City, Abaco, killed a 30-year-old man in a two-vehicle crash.

    Unverified CCTV footage circulating widely on social media purports to capture the moments leading up to the Sunday Shirley Street crash. The footage shows a dark-colored vehicle traveling at high speed down a nearly empty stretch of road before hitting the tree, snapping the trunk and causing it to fall. Moments after impact, a man is seen exiting the vehicle with his head slumped forward, stumbling away from the wreck before bystanders approach to check on the remaining passengers. Police have not yet confirmed the authenticity of the video as the official investigation remains ongoing.

    Addressing broader public frustration over widespread potholes and poor road conditions, particularly worsened by the recent rainy season, Sweeting outlined the Ministry of Works’ ongoing infrastructure efforts. He confirmed that over the past two years, the government has ramped up repaving work across New Providence, which has more than 1,000 miles of road in need of maintenance. The ministry has launched a public-private partnership with Baha Mar and contracted more than a dozen small local paving contractors to complete work across the island since January.

    Looking ahead, Sweeting announced a new pothole patching method that will roll out within six months, boosting daily pothole repairs from the current five to 10 per day to 100 per day, dramatically increasing maintenance capacity to address longstanding road quality issues.

    Sweeting and law enforcement officials have both joined in the renewed call for motorists to adhere to posted speed limits and prioritize road safety practices, as the nation enters a period of mourning for the seven recent victims.