The Sandals Foundation Island Run - Antigua 2023 is aiming to raise money for the SickKids Caribbean Initiative (SCI) and the Paediatric Unit of Mount St. John's Medical Centre to help improve children's health across the across the Caribbean.

A lack of access to the right medical equipment and resources can significantly affect a country's ability to provide the proper medical attention to its children. That's why this years event, The Sandals Foundation Island Run - Antigua 2023, will benefit the SickKids Caribbean Initiative (SCI) and the Paediatric Unit of Mount St. John's Medical Centre, both long-time Sandals Foundation beneficiaries.

Since 2013, the SickKids Caribbean Initiative has been on a mission to improve the lives of children diagnosed with paediatric cancer and blood disorders. By connecting Caribbean doctors and nurses to each other and the world, together we are helping them make an even bigger difference for those who need it the most. The collaboration with SCI, the Sandals Foundation, and its partners was critical in establishing the Eastern Caribbean's only oncology unit, as well as the development of seven telemedicine facilities in six countries, the training of five Caribbean paediatricians and 41 nurses in haematology and oncology, and the provision of fellowship for the Eastern Caribbean's second Paediatric Oncologist, as well as ongoing screening and data collection of children with sickle cell disease and cancer. Funds raised from the Antigua run will be donated to SCI endowment fund, ensuring continued sustainability of the initiative, benefitting many for years to come.

The Paediatric Unit at Mount St. John's Medical Centre in Antigua is the only acute care facility on the island that offers 24-hour emergency care, giving babies in need of critical care or those born prematurely a better fighting chance. With over 1,500 admissions since 2015, the Sandals Foundations donation of two Comprehensive Infant Care Centres and other medical equipment has aided the success of the neonatal department's service. The proceeds from the Sandals Foundation Island Run Antigua 2023 will also be used to purchase much-needed medical equipment, giving new-borns a better chance of survival.