Why did we start Bandy?
The Existential Why
The Pandemic took its toll on our region, repeated full shutdowns and curfews caused a myriad of economic effects and societal issues. Business closures left many Caribbean countries with soaring rates of depression, unemployment and crime. Add that to the fact that many islands have economic, social and environmental characteristics, such as small population, limited resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters, excessive dependence on international trade and vulnerability to global developments.
The Big Picture Why
There is boundless talent in our islands and very little space or platforms to share that wealth of knowledge. Young and older people feeling stagnant or limited not realizing their true potential due to lack of understanding what opportunities or career avenues are available to them. Our region as a whole is a community not just the island or neighborhood that we reside in and this idea was born out of a need for community.
Our mission and Goals
Traditionally we associate giving and donations with money, however there are a vast number of people in our region of the english speaking Caribbean for whom this just is not feasible. We at Bandy believe that given our platform and the opportunity to participate in their communities Caribbean people will bank their time with not only Charities & NGO’s but with their neighbors. Being a Pan Caribbean app Bandy will accelerate this giving potential by broadening the scope of where, how and who users can donate their time too.
We further incentivize people who download the app and bank time using any of their talents by allowing them to redeem the equivalent time they donated to expand their personal and professional skillsets. For many this will mean access to education or vocational opportunities that they would not have otherwise been able to afford monetarily
To help increase social mobility, identify sustainable sources of income, empower people and enhance communities. We believe in uniting the ideals of the past and the technology of the future to create ways to pay it forward daily using your most valuable commodity; time.
Co-Founder
Jehan Chreiki
Jehan Chreiki (nee Jardine) has led a multi-hyphenated career, spanning several industries. Jehan is a hypewoman for Caribbean Talent & Skill Sharing. As a Trinidad native and adopted Saint Lucian Jehan has a love for all things quintessentially Caribbean and believes that the people of the region have boundless talent. Whilst attaining a Bsc. Communications in Public Relations & Advertising at Endicott College in Massachusetts Jehan completed month and semester long internships at a Community Development Program in the South End of Boston. An advertising internship at McCann Erickson and at a Literary PR firm where she worked on the publicizing of Madeline Albright’s autobiography. With those experiences fueling her she moved to London to pursue a successful career in Consultancy where she worked with FTSE 200 listed businesses, Boutique Marketing firms and Environmental Consultancy Start ups. Upon relocating to Saint Lucia to start a family Jehan took the opportunity to take time to figure out how to bring her passion to life and tap back into the career slant that she always intended. Jehan then Co founded Bandy Inc., a pan-Caribbean time banking App that will enhance social mobility, identify sustainable sources of income, empower people and enhance communities.
Co-Founder
Amy Grant Duncan
Amy Grant Duncan is a self-proclaimed global citizen in love with foreign cultures, experiences and the inevitable commonalities that always connect even the most distinct societies. This love of culture stemmed from her childhood in the US and was nurtured through her study abroad experiences to Eastern Europe and the UK in high school and college. Amy channeled her love of culture and history into a successful Marketing Career in the Telecommunications industry. She has specialized in building Marketing Communication programs designed to use cultural and experiential insights as way to keep the likes of Verizon, Digicel and Vodafone connected to their target markets. Currently, Amy has spent the last year in Doha serving as the Brand and Communication Lead for Vodafone Qatar where she has developed its purpose-led brand positioning, designed the brand strategy for Vodafone Qatar’s first wallet and is overseeing its 2022 FIFA World Cup Marketing activations. Amy Grant is an active member of her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and completed a documentary in 2018 entitled “Two Deaths” which document the last months of her mother’s bout with Alzheimer’s. After living in St. Lucia for four years, she fell in love with the Lucian people, spirit and life and considers the south-eastern Caribbean Island her forever home.