Two executive members of the Dominica Health and Wellness Association, Natalie “Sister Nats” Charles and Jodie Dublin-Dangleben, were honoured with a special recognition awards at the inaugural Caribbean Women Innovators and Inventors Network (CaribbWIIN) conference and award ceremony held at the John St Luce Center in Antigua from 17th to 19th May 2022.
“I count it an honour to have been selected as a recipient of this prestigious award.” said Natalie Charles (Sister Nats), the current Vice President of the Association.
Sister Nats has for several decades stood out both nationally and regionally in the field of Food Development, Food Security, Natural Therapy and Natural Nutrition. Her life’s work mirrors a prolific career in her multiple roles as visionary, pioneer, researcher, product developer, writer, educator, wellness practitioner, culinary expert, green entrepreneur, community leader and development activist.
The bold initiatives marketing her pioneering endeavors attracted popular attention, earning her the top place in the region for the research and development of over 500 product formulas and culinary recipes derived from local agricultural produce and medicinal plants. At the local level, the achievement also earned her the all popular household name “Sister Nats”.
Sister Nats combines over 30 years of independent study and laboratory experiments and has served for more than a decade on the Dominica Food and Nutrition Council and as Managing Director of the Healthy Islander Enterprise. The definitive holder of a plethora of intellectual material in food and nutrition development, she is actively looking forward to playing a more dynamic role in this new era of global, biological and climate-related threats and challenges.
Mrs Jodie Dublin-Dangleben, owner and CEO of Jaydees Naturals and the current Public Relations Officer of the Association, was also awarded for her innovation in the field of agro-processing and manufacturing. In her company she incorporates local and Caribbean indigenous herbal remedies to formulate all natural, eco-friendly hair and skin products. Fruit, leaf and flower extracts, dried herbs, glycerites and essential oils are all used in her products that are widely sought locally with increasing demand regionally and on the international market. She has been recognized for her passion for environmental preservation and sustainability and advocates borrowing sustainably from the environment to create effective, high-quality organic hair and skin products.
Founder and CEO of GlobalWIIN, Dr Bola Olabisi said, “the reach of social media to transform Caribbean businesses and expand their global reach cannot be overlooked. Jodie has used social media in an exemplary way to demonstrate how someone from the Region can have global impact. We were very impressed by her work ethic towards, not only her business and her ability to develop and manufacture these innovative products, but her ability to consistently connect with her audience base through social media. It is truly impressive.”
GlobalWIIN’s inaugural CaribbWIIN conference was held under the theme “Advancing creativity and innovation for resilience in global markets.” The event saw the participation of Regional women honoured for their innovation in several fields to include Entrepreneurship, Agri-business, Healthcare, Energy, Technology, Fashion, and the Arts. The event was supported by Directorate of Gender Affairs under the Ministry of Social Transformation and Human Resource Development, Antigua and saw presentations from the Governor General Sir Rodney Williams; Minister for Social Transformation and the Blue Economy, Honourable Dean Jonas and Ricki Camacho, Registrar at the Antigua and Barbuda Intellectual Property Office.
The event follows the success of GlobalWIIN in shining the spotlight on the creativity of hundreds of women in Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and North America.
