The Caribbean is an incredibly important region when it comes to the global maritime industry. It makes up around 40% of the worldwide cruise market, and around 70% of global cargo vessels pass through the Caribbean Sea each year. The Caribbean's proximity to both the equator and the Panama Canal makes it a vital gateway between North and South and East and West.
Despite this strategic and economic importance, the Caribbean remains a collection of small developing states, with the region's poverty rate at around 30%, according to the United Nations. The region's development challenges are worsened by the lack of access to higher education among the region's youth. In order to help alleviate poverty in the Caribbean while harnessing its potential as a global maritime hub, Dr. Geneive Brown Metzger founded the American Caribbean Maritime Foundation (ACMF) in 2015. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, the ACMF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to sponsoring academic scholarships and grants to aspiring Caribbean maritime professionals and seafarers.
