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标签： Dominica

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  • Dominica mourns Marcella André, distinguished communicator and daughter of the soil

    Dominica mourns Marcella André, distinguished communicator and daughter of the soil

    The entire Caribbean media community, led by nations Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda, is grieving the passing of Marcella André, a pioneering broadcaster, communications entrepreneur, and beloved mentor whose life and work shaped regional media and empowered generations of emerging professionals.

    André’s story was deeply tied to one of the Caribbean’s most devastating modern natural disasters. Born in Dominica, she was just five years old when Hurricane David tore across the island in 1979, destroying infrastructure, displacing thousands, and permanently altering the course of her young life. What was meant to be a temporary evacuation to neighboring Antigua and Barbuda became the foundation of a decades-long career that bridged the two island nations and left an indelible mark on the entire region.

    Though she built her professional legacy in Antigua and Barbuda, André never lost her connection to her Dominican roots, and often spoke openly about the complex emotional experience of building a life between two identities, two homes, and two families. In her viral 2018 TEDxAntigua talk titled *Displacement Breeds Discovery*, she reflected candidly on the loss, uncertainty, and disorientation that followed the storm that uprooted her, revealing how she ultimately turned that trauma into a source of purpose and resilience. Her core message — that displacement does not equal defeat — resonated deeply with countless Caribbean people who have faced similar experiences of migration, disaster displacement, and post-crisis rebuilding.

    “Looking back at the seemingly disjointed parts of my story allows me to create positive meaning,” André shared in that talk, a line that would become a defining mantra for her life and work.

    André’s professional journey spanned more than three decades across both nations. In the 1990s, she held a role at the Dominica Broadcasting Corporation, before rising to become one of the most recognizable voices in Antigua and Barbuda’s private media sector, where she spent more than 15 years as a broadcaster, producer, and media personality with the Observer Media Group and Observer Radio. Her distinctive commanding voice, sharp intellect, and natural ability to connect with audiences earned her widespread respect across the regional industry, and she stood among the group of professionals who drove a transformative era of growth for private broadcasting in Antigua and Barbuda. She worked closely alongside the late Observer Media Group founder Winston Derrick, whom she counted as both a mentor and a friend, and later penned a moving tribute to his legacy after his passing.

    Beyond her work in broadcasting, André built a successful regional communications firm, NIA Comms, founded on the core principle of “Purpose plus Excellence.” The full-service consultancy provided a wide range of services to clients across the Caribbean and beyond, including public relations, marketing strategy, event management, social media support, and professional capacity-building training. A sought-after motivational speaker, master of ceremonies, and moderator, she led countless high-profile government, corporate, cultural, and educational events across the region, known for her ability to balance warmth and humor with the authority and professionalism required to steer major gatherings.

    André’s greatest passion, however, was lifting up other women and young emerging professionals. In 2020, she partnered with fellow communications specialist Jamilla Kirwan to launch the NIA Mentor Award, an initiative that provides a selected female entrepreneur in Antigua and Barbuda with both EC$7,000 in financial grants and a full year of one-on-one mentorship from seven accomplished regional women business leaders. The program grew out of André’s core belief that true empowerment requires more than inspirational words — it demands practical support, intentional guidance, and intentional creation of opportunity for marginalized groups. She also was a dedicated advocate for Caribbean performing arts, serving as Antigua and Barbuda’s country director for the Caribbean Performing Arts Federation and contributing as both an organizer and performer to regional cultural initiatives.

    For the Eastern Caribbean, André’s life was more than a personal success story — it was a reflection of the deep, interconnected familial, cultural, and historical ties that bind the region’s small island nations. She was a fully integrated member of Antigua and Barbuda’s professional and cultural community, while remaining a proud daughter of Dominica, known widely as the Nature Isle. She often drew on her own experience as a displaced child to encourage others to turn hardship into growth, and stands as a powerful example of the immense impact that Dominican diaspora members contribute across the Caribbean.

    Tributes poured in across the region this week, with colleagues, mentees, and community leaders remembering André for her unmistakable voice, bold unapologetic personality, and unwavering commitment to excellence. Articulate, fearless, and generous with her knowledge, she prioritized lifting up emerging communications professionals and new entrepreneurs, dedicating countless hours to helping others build confidence and realize their potential.

    Her passing is described as a profound loss for three communities: for Dominica, it is the loss of an accomplished native daughter whose influence stretched far beyond the island’s borders; for Antigua and Barbuda, it is the loss of a leading communications figure who shaped the nation’s media, business, cultural, and community development sectors; for the wider Caribbean, it is the loss of a regional leader whose life embodied resilience, reinvention, and the transformative power of purpose-driven communication.

    Though her iconic voice that informed, motivated, and inspired so many has fallen silent, those who knew her note that André’s legacy will live on through the hundreds of professionals she trained, the entrepreneurs she mentored, and the countless lives she touched across her 46-year life. As of press time, details surrounding her passing and formal funeral arrangements have not yet been released to the public. Heartfelt condolences have been extended to André’s family, friends, colleagues, and the broader media and communications community across the Caribbean. May she rest in eternal peace.

  • Gregor Nassief seeks legal advice over alleged government monitoring of private meeting

    Gregor Nassief seeks legal advice over alleged government monitoring of private meeting

    A prominent Dominican businessman has launched a push for legal scrutiny after claiming surveillance by agents linked to the country’s top elected official caught on closed-circuit camera footage. Gregor Nassief confirmed this week that he has retained legal counsel to explore his options, following the discovery of what he says is visual evidence showing two members of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s personal security detail attending a closed civic discussion hosted at Roseau’s Fort Young Hotel on August 26.

    The private gathering, organized as a space for civil society stakeholders to exchange views on matters of public concern, was never advertised to government officials, and none of the security personnel assigned to the Prime Minister were formally invited to attend, according to people close to Nassief. The uninvited presence of the two agents, captured on the venue’s internal security system, has raised serious questions about the extent of government monitoring of opposition-aligned and independent civil society activity in Dominica.

    Nassief, a well-known figure in the Dominican private sector with long-standing ties to community organizing efforts, has not yet formally filed court documents, but his legal team confirmed they are reviewing the footage and collecting witness statements to assess potential violations of constitutional protections for privacy and freedom of assembly. The incident has already sparked debate among local political observers, who note that it comes amid growing tensions between the Skerrit administration and opposition and civil society groups pushing for greater transparency and electoral reform in the Caribbean island nation. As of this reporting, the Prime Minister’s office has not issued any formal response to the allegations surrounding the incident at Fort Young Hotel.

  • Dominica Netball seeks interested persons for certified umpiring course

    Dominica Netball seeks interested persons for certified umpiring course

    Dominica’s national netball governing body has opened applications for aspiring sports officials eager to earn official certification as netball umpires, launching a new initiative designed to shore up the sport’s local ecosystem and maintain competitive integrity across all levels of play.

    The call for candidates targets community members who hold a genuine passion for netball and are committed to upholding the sport’s core standards, ensuring every match unfolds fairly, safely, and in full alignment with internationally recognized netball rules. To be eligible for the program, prospective applicants must meet a set of clear baseline requirements: they must be at least 16 years of age, possess a solid working knowledge of netball’s official regulations, demonstrate sharp communication skills and sound decision-making judgment, and come prepared to engage in ongoing learning and professional skill development.

    Once accepted into the program, candidates will progress through a structured, multi-level official umpiring training pathway that begins with a foundational certification course. From the entry-level Foundation stage, umpires can work their way up through the C Award and B Award tiers, with the elite A Award marking the highest level of professional qualification available through the program.

    Organizers of the recruitment drive emphasize that the effort is about more than just filling open officiating roles: it is a core part of a broader strategy to strengthen Dominica’s entire netball community, supporting growth both on the court through consistent, high-quality officiating and off the court by building a larger, more connected network of invested netball stakeholders.

    Individuals interested in either joining the umpiring ranks or participating in the upcoming training course are invited to reach out directly to program coordinator Mr. Dershanel Jno Lewis via email at [email protected] to express their interest and secure additional details about the application and training timeline.

  • CTEC pilot delivers strong results in Dominica, offering new pathway for mathematics success

    CTEC pilot delivers strong results in Dominica, offering new pathway for mathematics success

    For years, secondary education systems across the Caribbean, including that of Dominica, have grappled with a persistent, frustrating challenge: widespread underperformance in mathematics that leaves many learners locked out of formal academic recognition, despite years of effort. Now, a new modular assessment initiative from the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is showing early promising results that have earned high praise from Dominican education officials.

    Dominica’s Chief Registrar Magalie Celestine publicly commended the CXC’s new Caribbean Targeted Education Certificate (CTEC) program during the August 31, 2026 presentation of CSEC/CXC assessment results, held at the Dominica Public Service Building. She outlined the long-standing gaps the new program aims to fix, noting that hundreds of Dominican students have attempted the traditional CSEC Mathematics examination multiple times without earning a passing grade. Some private candidates have even sat the exam three or four times, walking away with no formal documentation to acknowledge the math skills they did develop over years of secondary schooling. Under the legacy one-and-done assessment model, learners who cannot complete the full syllabus for any reason—personal, financial, or academic—leave the education system with nothing to show for their time and effort.

    The CTEC program, which ran its first pilot during the May-June 2026 examination cycle, addresses this gap by reimagining how math assessment is structured. Unlike the traditional full single-subject examination, CTEC retains CXC’s existing rigorous syllabus and quality standards, but splits the full mathematics curriculum into smaller, manageable standalone modules. Candidates can master each module, complete its assessment, and earn formal certification for their completed work incrementally, rather than having to pass the entire full subject at once to receive any recognition.

    This modular design ensures that learners who face interruptions to their studies do not leave empty-handed, and it also creates a clear, low-pressure pathway for them to return to their education at a later date to complete remaining modules and earn their full credential. For Dominica’s inaugural pilot, 50 candidates were registered from two local institutions: the Adult Education Division and the Dominica Technical College (BTC). Of that group, 35 candidates ultimately sat for the first CTEC Mathematics module assessment, 30 of whom were female and five male.

    Early results from the pilot far exceeded expectations, Celestine reported, with 33 out of 35 participating candidates—representing a 94.3 percent pass rate—earning acceptable grades between A and D for the first module. In an additional boost for successful learners, CXC has pledged to fully cover all examination fees for the second and third CTEC Mathematics modules for these 33 candidates, as long as they continue to meet acceptable grade standards moving forward.

    Celestine was careful to clarify that completion of a single module does not equate to a full mathematics qualification. Candidates must successfully pass all three required modules to earn their full CTEC subject certificate. Even so, she emphasized that the skills and competencies assessed in the first module are fully aligned with the existing CSEC Mathematics curriculum, meaning learners do not have to learn disconnected content to participate in the modular program.

    Looking beyond the strong pass rate, Celestine noted that the 2026 pilot proves the modular assessment model delivers meaningful benefits beyond just scores: it builds learner confidence, formally recognizes incremental learning progress that would otherwise go unacknowledged, and creates a realistic, achievable pathway for learners who have struggled with the traditional system to finally complete their secondary mathematics qualification. For a region that has long struggled with math underperformance, this new framework could reshape how secondary education credentials are awarded and open up new opportunities for thousands of returning and struggling learners across the Caribbean.

  • Dominica records improved performance in 2026 CXC examinations

    Dominica records improved performance in 2026 CXC examinations

    The Caribbean island nation of Dominica has announced notable across-the-board progress in student performance on the 2026 regional examinations administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), with the country’s Ministry of Education framing the outcomes as clear proof of systemic improvement across its education sector.

    Preliminary official results for this year’s exams were publicly unveiled during a formal ceremony hosted this week by Dominica’s Ministry of Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training and National Excellence. The event drew a cross-section of key education stakeholders, including senior government education officials, primary and secondary school principals, classroom teachers, participating students and their guardians, members of the press, and other community partners.

    This year’s CXC assessment cycle covered five core credential pathways: the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC), the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), and the newly launched Caribbean Vocational/Targeted Modular Assessment (CTEC) initiative.

    Speaking to attendees at the launch ceremony, Chief Education Officer Dr. Jeffrey Blaize explained that the 2026 results should be interpreted as more than just a snapshot of individual student achievement. When measured against regional performance benchmarks, he noted, the outcomes also act as a reliable indicator of how effective the national education system has been in delivering learning outcomes. “We are indeed proud of our students,” Dr. Blaize told the audience, emphasizing that the overall quality of student performance has improved steadily compared to results from recent years. This year’s cohort, he confirmed, turned in exceptionally strong results that outpace performance from the recent past. “They deserve a round of applause. This year, our results revealed that our students have performed extremely well, even better than in the recent past. More specifically, the quality of our students has significantly improved.”

    Dr. Blaize added that the ceremony was not just a venue to release official scores, but also an opportunity to honor the hard work, resilience, and growth that students across the country demonstrated throughout the academic year, while highlighting the wide range of future opportunities open to graduates. He also offered a reminder to students that even as they celebrate their successes, a single set of examination results does not define a person’s inherent worth, innate ability, or long-term future trajectory. “There are many pathways to success and our education system must continue to ensure that every young person has an opportunity to find and pursue that pathway,” he said. “We are proud that we have made significant gains in areas where we expressed concern in past years.”

    Among the most encouraging gains is progress in a long-troubled subject area: mathematics. Dr. Blaize revealed that numeracy pass rates have jumped 10 percentage points compared to 2025 results, putting the national average 7 percentage points above the baseline average that the ministry set years ago. He called the improvement “probably the highest in recent memory.”

    Another key win for the education system came in School-Based Assessments (SBA), a mandatory graded component for most CXC subjects. Three years prior, in 2023, Dr. Blaize had publicly called out the widespread issue of students failing to submit SBA assignments, a problem that was needlessly dragging down overall student grades. At that time, the ministry committed to implementing targeted measures to fix the issue. While incremental progress was seen in 2025, officials were still not satisfied with the submission rate. This year, however, over 90% of schools achieved full SBA submission, with many schools hitting a 99% completion rate or higher. “This is worth celebrating. We are aiming for 100 percent next year,” Dr. Blaize said.

    Beyond test scores, Dr. Blaize emphasized that holistic education extends far beyond examination results. If the education system is to properly prepare young people for full and productive lives, he argued, it must prioritize opportunities for students to build real-world skills and contribute to their communities, and those contributions deserve to be recognized alongside academic achievement. He called on schools across the country to prioritize the development of core soft skills in students, including critical thinking, creative problem-solving, independent decision-making, confidence, strong character, and personal discipline. He also encouraged schools to expand participation in extracurricular activities such as volunteer work, student leadership programs, club participation, and sports, and to formally recognize these contributions during school graduation and awards ceremonies, a practice that he said is often overlooked even as schools encourage students to take part.

    Looking ahead to the 2026-2027 academic year, Dr. Blaize announced that the Ministry of Education will place an increased focus on expanding and deepening stakeholder participation across all levels of the education system, adding that the ministry welcomes constructive feedback from all partners, including the media.

  • Omari Caesar secures athletics scholarship to Jamaican track and field powerhouse

    Omari Caesar secures athletics scholarship to Jamaican track and field powerhouse

    Rising young distance running talent Omari Caesar from Dominica has achieved a major milestone in his early athletic career, earning a full track and field scholarship to Edwin Allen High School in Jamaica, one of the Caribbean’s most respected breeding grounds for elite international track and field competitors.

    A dedicated member of Dominica’s Aspirers Athletics Club, Caesar’s latest achievement is far more than a personal honor—it marks a critical stepping stone for the teen athlete, whose promising career has been built on years of relentless training and unwavering commitment to his craft. Unlike many junior athletes who gain opportunities through connections alone, Caesar worked his way to this opportunity through a string of standout performances that have already made him a household name in Dominican junior athletics.

    Caesar’s list of junior-level achievements reads like a summary of dominance in regional distance running. He earned the title of Most Outstanding Male Athlete at the Sports Division’s annual Independence Athletics Championship, and has broken standing records across three key disciplines: the Primary Schools Boys 1200 meters, national primary schools cross country, and the Dominican national 3000 meters. To add to this record of success, he claimed back-to-back wins at the Primary Schools Cross Country Championship, and made history as the first ever primary school student from Dominica to qualify for the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Games, one of the region’s most competitive annual youth athletic tournaments.

    Most recently, Caesar extended his winning streak at the 2026 Trupial Classic hosted in Curaçao, where he took home three gold medals in his respective events, cementing his reputation as one of the Caribbean’s most exciting young distance running prospects.

    The Dominica Athletics Association Inc. (DAA Inc.) has publicly celebrated Caesar’s scholarship win, framing the achievement as a direct reflection of the young athlete’s natural ability, relentless determination, and consistent willingness to put in the grueling work required to reach elite levels of sport. The association specifically highlighted Caesar’s years of early-morning training sessions and high-intensity workouts at Portsmouth’s Benjamin’s Park, habits that have formed the foundation of his rapid athletic development.

    Along with extending formal congratulations to the rising star, DAA Inc. expressed hope that Caesar’s trailblazing success will serve as motivation for other young aspiring athletes across Dominica to chase their own athletic goals and commit to pursuing excellence in their chosen disciplines.

  • Government to hand over 215 resilient homes across nine Dominica communities

    Government to hand over 215 resilient homes across nine Dominica communities

    The Commonwealth of Dominica’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is gearing up for a major milestone in its national affordable housing strategy, with the upcoming distribution of keys to 215 newly completed residential units, the nation’s Housing Minister Melissa Poponne-Skerrit has officially confirmed. Designed to expand public access to secure, disaster-resistant housing across the country, the handover process will kick off this Friday with the first in a series of community-focused “Welcome Home” ceremonies to mark the occasion for new residents.

    The newly constructed housing stock, which includes both single-family homes and multi-occupancy apartment units, is spread across nine communities across Dominica: Canefield East, Trafalgar, Vieille Case, Paix Bouche, Pointe Michel, Grand Bay, Penville, Wesley and Woodford Hill. This geographic spread ensures that families across multiple regions of the island can benefit from the government’s investment in resilient housing.

    The project is integrated into the Dominica government’s overarching national housing programme, which carries the core mission of delivering durable, long-lasting housing that is engineered to withstand the extreme weather events that small island developing states like Dominica face regularly, including tropical storms and hurricanes. Branded under the unifying slogan “Building Homes, Strengthening Communities and Transforming Lives,” this housing initiative is a central component of Dominica’s broader national target to construct 5,000 climate-resilient homes across the country. The project directly supports the island nation’s long-term goals for post-disaster recovery and enhanced national climate adaptation and resilience, aligning housing policy with broader climate action priorities for the Caribbean region.

  • Government reaffirms commitment to supporting Dominica’s senior citizens

    Government reaffirms commitment to supporting Dominica’s senior citizens

    As the Caribbean island nation of Dominica kicks off its annual Month of the Elderly observances, the government has publicly restated its ongoing dedication to elevating the quality of life for the country’s senior population. Speaking to journalists at the official launch event hosted by the Dominica Council on Ageing on Tuesday, Dr. Cassandra Williams, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Social Services, outlined the full suite of targeted government programs designed to expand social support for older citizens across the country.

    Williams emphasized that these ongoing initiatives have long been anchored as core components of the administration’s national social protection strategy, with all programs formally retained in the 2023/24 national budget as key support mechanisms for Dominica’s vulnerable population groups. The major ongoing efforts include the widely accessed Yes We Care Programme, general public assistance grants, the Non-Contributory Pension for adults aged 65 and older, the Centenarian Programme, and targeted funding for non-governmental and community institutions that deliver frontline care services to seniors.

    Of these interventions, the Yes We Care Programme has emerged as a critical community-focused resource, delivering in-home support to elderly and vulnerable residents who struggle to complete daily tasks independently. Program services range from support with personal hygiene and meal preparation to help with routine household chores, addressing both practical needs and the widespread issue of social isolation among seniors by providing regular companionship for participants. According to earlier government data, 161 seniors currently receive ongoing assistance through the program, which receives an annual operational allocation of approximately $1 million.

    Another cornerstone of the country’s elderly social safety net is the Non-Contributory Pension, which the government expanded in recent years by lowering the minimum qualifying age from 70 to 65, opening up access to thousands of additional older adults who require financial support.

    Beyond outlining existing government policies, Williams used the launch event to issue a public appeal to all Dominican citizens, both on the island and in the large diaspora community overseas. She stressed that government assistance programs should not be seen as the sole source of support for the country’s older population, urging families, friends and local communities to take an active role in caring for older relatives, neighbors and peers. Williams encouraged people across the country to carve out consistent time to engage with seniors, offer practical help where it is needed, and honor the decades of experience and foundational contributions that older generations have made to Dominica’s social and economic development.

    This year’s Month of the Elderly, which centers the theme “Empowering Elder Voices for an Inclusive Future,” frames the government’s appeal for collective action around seniors’ rights and inclusion as a core part of its national agenda for the event.

  • Barbados to host third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations

    Barbados to host third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations

    A pivotal moment in the global movement for reparatory justice for the transatlantic trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans is approaching this September, as Barbados prepares to welcome hundreds of regional and international stakeholders for the third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations. Scheduled to run from September 17 to 19 at the Wyndham Grand Sam Lord’s Castle in Saint Philip, the three-day gathering is the product of a collaborative partnership between the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC), the Government of Barbados, and the CARICOM Secretariat, and it will unfold under the provocative, purpose-driven theme: “Reparatory Justice as the Coming Enlightenment.”

    This year’s conference arrives on the heels of a landmark global milestone: the United Nations’ adoption of Resolution A/RES/80/250 in March 2026, a historic document that formally recognized the transatlantic trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as “the gravest crime against humanity.” This global endorsement has created new momentum for the Caribbean reparations movement, which has spent more than a decade pushing for accountability and redress from former colonial powers.
    Conference organizers have laid out a clear, action-focused agenda for the gathering. A core priority will be advancing the practical implementation of the revised CARICOM Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice, a framework that outlines concrete demands including formal apologies, financial compensation, educational reforms, and repatriation of cultural artifacts stolen from African and Caribbean communities during the colonial era. Attendees will also explore emerging perspectives on reparations from African and Caribbean political leadership, assess the state of global progress on reparative action, and mark a series of key global milestones: the 25th anniversary of the landmark Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the conclusion of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent, and the launch of the African Union Decade for Reparatory Justice.
    Beyond policy discussions, the conference is designed to deepen coordination across the global movement for reparatory justice. Official statements from CARICOM note that the gathering is expected to strengthen collaborative ties between CARICOM, the African Union, grassroots civil society organizations, and the global African diaspora, while encouraging expanded participation from political, diplomatic, and community groups across the world.
    One of the most anticipated outcomes of the conference is the adoption of a 2027–2031 multi-year Action Plan for Reparatory Justice, which will establish clear, measurable targets for collective action across the global African community. This roadmap is expected to provide a unified framework for advocacy and implementation over the coming five years.
    The opening session of the conference will feature addresses from three of the movement’s most prominent leaders: Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett, and CRC Chair Sir Hilary Beckles. In addition to these opening remarks, the gathering will draw a diverse range of participants, including CARICOM Heads of Government, members of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Reparations, official representatives from the African Union, United Nations delegates, national reparations commission members, activists from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Latin America, leading academic scholars, civil society leaders, cultural icons, and youth delegates representing the next generation of the reparations movement.
    This third regional conference marks a 13-year continuation of a formal movement launched at the inaugural CARICOM reparations conference. The first gathering was held in St Vincent and the Grenadines in September 2013, where the CARICOM Reparations Commission was officially established to coordinate regional advocacy. The second conference followed just one year later in September 2014, hosted by Antigua and Barbuda. Since its founding, the CRC has organized a range of focused conferences and symposia to explore specific dimensions of reparatory justice, including examinations of the role of global banking in colonial exploitation, the legacy of Barbadian economist Sir William Arthur Lewis, and the intersections between reparations and global cultural heritage (including the return of stolen royal and cultural artifacts).
    For organizations and individuals interested in attending the 2026 conference, registration and additional logistical information are available through the official conference website.

  • Six Caribbean groups receive grants to advance climate justice advocacy

    Six Caribbean groups receive grants to advance climate justice advocacy

    Against a backdrop of accelerating climate impacts that disproportionately harm small island developing states in the Caribbean, six local civil society organizations are set to advance community-centered climate justice work thanks to new small grants from a regional climate initiative.

    The funding is delivered through the 2026–2027 Climate Action Facility of the Caribbean Sea Innovation Fund, a collaborative effort between the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and the Caribbean Climate Justice Alliance. Backed by core support from the Open Society Foundations, the initiative allocates awards ranging from $1,500 to $8,000 to frontline groups working to lift marginalized community voices in environmental decision-making.

    The six grant recipients span multiple Caribbean nations and represent a diverse cross-section of local climate action. They include the Alliance for Rural Communities (ARC) of Trinidad and Tobago, Equals Inc., Island City Lab, Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), The Crystal Clear Initiative for Trinidad and Tobago, and a partnership between the University of the West Indies Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (UWI-CERMES) and its Voices from the Shore Theatre Collective. ARC, one of the awardees, recently hosted the Festival of Collectives in Trinidad to build cross-community collaboration on local climate and environmental justice, featuring interactive activities like a Climate Maze alongside panel discussions and skill-sharing sessions.

    Each funded project targets a unique gap in regional climate justice action. Some initiatives will advance climate litigation to hold major emitters accountable, while another centers on elevating the critical, often underrecognized contributions of women working in Caribbean agriculture and fisheries. One project will document the long-lasting social and environmental damage left by Hurricanes Beryl and Melissa, and others will push for more equitable, community-informed approaches to building local climate resilience.

    A key focus of several grants is improving accessibility for marginalized groups in climate response. One initiative will develop practical, user-centered tools to adapt emergency climate shelters to better serve people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ community members, groups that are often overlooked in disaster planning. Across all projects, organizers also aim to build public understanding of climate-related human rights and expand opportunities for ordinary Caribbean citizens to shape environmental policies and governance that directly impact their lives.

    The funded work will feed into the broader mission of the Caribbean Climate Justice Alliance, a regional network that now unites more than 80 non-state actors, including civil society organizations, grassroots activists, academic researchers, creative practitioners, and media professionals across the Caribbean. Co-chaired and convened by CANARI, the alliance centers its work on amplifying the perspectives of frontline communities that face the worst effects of the climate crisis, while working to increase their influence over regional and national climate policy and practice. All of the alliance’s activities are aligned with the *Caribbean Climate Justice and Resilience Agenda 2023–2030*, a community-led framework that outlines clear priority actions to advance equitable climate justice and strengthen local resilience across the region.

    Moving forward, CANARI will share regular progress updates on all funded projects and their regional impact via its social media channels, keeping the public and broader climate community informed of ongoing work and outcomes.