Marceline Powell
1 min
In honour of the 75th birthday of cultural icon Rita Marley, founder of her eponymous Rita Marley Foundation shared some news recently.
A statement from the foundation revealed that it will be funding the inaugural annual Rita Marley Scholarship.
The statement also revealed that the Rita Marley Scholarship is geared towards the empowerment of women from the lower socio-economic stratum of Jamaica’s society.
Three women will be awarded a scholarship: two women pursuing careers in nursing, and a single mother who experienced teenage pregnancy.
This single mother will be selected from applicants who are currently enrolled at the Women's Centre of Jamaica (or similar institutions) who desire to pursue further education.
Mrs Marley, beloved globally as an entertainer and humanitarian, was herself once a nurse.
Upon meeting (and later marrying) Bob Marley, their joint passions for music, spiritual self-actualisation, and the upliftment of disenfranchised people became the basis for a vision that fueled several careers.
That of Bob Marley & the Wailers, the I-Threes, and Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers are among those careers.
This vision also inspired the various enterprises that comprise the Marley Group of companies, under which the Rita Marley Foundation is placed.
The Rita Marley Scholarship is one of several activations in honour of the reggae icon.
Performers and participants featured during the week of festivities include Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt, Queen Ifrica, Tessanne Chin, Tanya Stephens, Nadine Sutherland, Ernie Smith, DJ Sunshine, Mitzie Williams, Odessa Chambers, Carolyn Cooper, Tova Hamilton, Coleen Douglas, and the Jamaica Youth Chorale.
Source: Loop News