The
UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Wednesday, July 29, 2020. —
August
is Global Giving month at The University of the West Indies (The
UWI).

The
regional University is calling on its community of alumni, partners
and friends regionally and internationally to support students whose
finances, and that of their parents, have been negatively affected by
the COVID-19 pandemic.

Launching
on August 1, the crowdfunding campaign, UWI
Global Giving, encourages
persons to give small contributions to the University—as little as
US$10 online via www.uwi.edu/giving.
The collective proceeds will fund scholarships and bursaries for the
students in need as The UWI’s new academic year and classes are set
to resume at the end of the month.

As
part of the University’s commitment to quality, its leadership is
taking due diligence in ensuring that no student is left behind at a
time when education matters.

According
to Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, “This
is the time to embrace university education. It is not the time to
retreat. One step back is to place their future, and that of their
family, community and nation on the back burner. We cannot allow that
to happen. We are seeking to ensure that every Caribbean student has
the opportunity to boldly step forward into academic year 2020-2021
to access the quality education they deserve.”

August
1, is in many Caribbean territories the observance of Emancipation
Day, marking the freedom of enslaved Africans who were victims of the
transatlantic slave trade. While The UWI honours and pays tribute to
that past, it recognises that education is one of the most critical
means to freedom and propelling regional development, so UWI Global
Giving is themed “Emancipate,
Educate, Donate.”

Minna
Israel, Special Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor on Resource
Development at The UWI and the Chair of the Global Giving Campaign
Committee, stated, “While we understand that this is a trying time
for many, we are calling on the spirit of kindness of our Caribbean
people in the region and in the diaspora, to come together in this
time of crisis, to give whatever they can to assist our students.”

It
is estimated that at least 10,000 of The UWI’s current 50,000
students have been functioning in difficult social circumstances
because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, the University’s senior
executive leadership committed to allocating a percentage of their
salaries for three months towards a student hardship fund called UWI
Cares. While traditionally, UWI Global Giving offers donors a range
of options for assigning gifts and contributions to infrastructure
and various special projects, the 2020 campaign is focused
specifically on supporting the UWI Cares fund for the students.

Throughout
the month of August, follow, like and share the 2020 UWI Global
Giving campaign on social media at the hashtags #GivetoUWI
#UWIGlobalGiving and #UWIGG2020. Persons seeking more information or
those who wish to make an alternative contribution to UWI Global
Giving can contact the Institutional Advancement Division in the
Office of the Vice-Chancellor at 876-977-0052 or email
giving@alumni.uwi.edu, or
visit www.uwi.edu/giving.