Mediathon to Raise $10 Million to Empower Women

The Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, through the Bureau of Women’s Affairs, has organized a Sisters to Sisters mediathon, for Sunday, April 13, at the studios of the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC) in Kingston.
This event, which is also in collaboration with women in the Jamaican Entertainment Fraternity, is a seven-hour (1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) all-female fundraising concert to raise $10 million towards the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation, and to build shelters for battered women.
Labelled with the tagline, ‘Her Hand in Mine’, the package will include a showcase of music, dance, poetry and more, and will be broadcast live on several local television, cable and radio stations and through the internet to Jamaican Diaspora.
The mediathon, which was launched at the headquarters of the Women’s Centre Foundation of Jamaica in Kingston on Thursday, March 7, aims to assist in empowering females and to raise awareness of significant issues affecting women.
At the launch, Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Olivia Grange, said that even though women had come a far way, many still faced domestic and sexual abuse daily.
She said that the government’s contribution alone was not enough, and that adequate human and financial resources would have to be secured in order to effectively implement programmes and initiatives that would help to empower women and girls.
The Minister stressed that more had to be done to promote gender equality and highlighted the need for partnerships with other organizations and collaboration among stakeholders to meet gender equality goals.
Committee Chairman for the mediathon, Paula-Anne Porter-Jones, in an interview with JIS News, said that the response from women in the entertainment industry had been tremendous and that there have been more offers than could be accommodated.
“We have been overwhelmed by the offers and we are very grateful for the support. We hope that this will be matched by the public, so that we can reach the $10 million target,” Mrs. Porter-Jones noted.
One organization that is on board to help with this initiative is Food for the Poor, which will assist in the work of the Woman’s Centre Foundation of Jamaica as well as in the furnishing of the shelters for battered women.
The organization helps to assist impoverished people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, by improving the health, economic, social, and spiritual conditions of the citizens.
Executive Director of Food for the Poor, Bradley Finzi-Smith, explained that this initiative was part of a wider ongoing effort, adding that the organization had been working with the Women’s Centre for 20 years, helping to furnish their premises.
For this project, Food for the Poor will provide bedding, furniture, appliances, books as well as computers for the library and provide food on a quarterly basis.
The list of women confirmed to participate in the April 13 mediathon include: Nadine Sutherland, Etana, Queen Ifrica, Marcia Griffiths, Macka Diamond, M’lonie, Cherry Natural, Gem Myers, Pam Hall, Claudette Pious, Cherine Anderson, Dionne Silvera, Lady G, Carol Gonzalez, Tessanne Chin, Cindy Breakspeare, Suzanne Couch, Judy Mowatt, Yashemabeth, L’Acadco Dancers, Jessica Yapp, Diana King, Chevelle Franklin, Althea, Inga Stewart, Lenya Wilks, Denise Hunt, Simone Clarke-Cooper, Dahlia Harris, Elaine Wint, Jennifer ‘Jenny Jenny’ Small, Dr. Kathy Brown, Yendi Phillips, and Alaine, among others.