The Sandals Foundation’s 2025 Island Challenge has already exceeded its fundraising target by raising over £100,000 (EC$363,000) for life-saving neonatal equipment at Saint Lucia’s Millennium Heights Medical Complex – and the team is now aiming higher.
Thirty UK residents, joined by six Saint Lucian athletes, are taking on a multi-day endurance challenge from October 17-20 to support the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU). Their efforts will help purchase critical equipment, including a neonatal ventilator, nesting system, infant warmer, incubator, infusion pump, jaundice meter and specialised blankets.
Sandals Foundation Operations Director Karen Zacca confirmed the milestone: “The donors that are here with us have raised £100,000. We have met our target and we are trying to go beyond the target,” she said, describing the event as “extremely successful”.
The challenge includes a half-marathon, a 12km rainforest trek, a 10km sea kayak, and a climb up Gros Piton, all designed to raise awareness and funds for Saint Lucia’s most vulnerable patients.
Zacca emphasised that the initiative supports more than just the newborns.
“We will also support their caregivers, the doctors, the nurses, who have so much passion, who are just in need of more equipment… we’re here to also support the parents, the families of these young babies who deserve to survive,” she said.
Head of the Paediatric Department at Millennium Heights Medical Complex, Dr Lashorn Christian, expressed her gratitude for the initiative. She said through this initiative, the complex will receive equipment that “will help to ensure that our babies get the fighting chance of survival”.
Dr Christian explained that the new equipment will be crucial in treating premature and critically ill babies. “One of the most important things for us is a neonatal ventilator. Premature babies are often born with breathing conditions… We will also be getting an incubator. Some babies are unable to maintain their temperature, especially our premature warriors,” she said.
She added that the specialised blankets to treat jaundice will help mothers continue to bond with their infants even during treatment.
The Sandals Foundation credited strong partnerships for the event’s success, including support from British Airways, TripAdvisor, Nico Tours, CPJ and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.
Describing the initiative as a testament to “the strength of the tourism network to bring the power of hope to life”, the Foundation reaffirmed its commitment to going beyond the goal, ensuring every newborn in Saint Lucia has the best possible start.
