KINGSTON, Jamaica — Ten women are set to benefit from $4 million in scholarships being offered by the Rita Marley Foundation for the 2022/23 academic year.

The scholarships are being awarded to mark the 76th birthday of founder and reggae icon, Dr Alferita ‘Rita’ Marley.

The gesture is aimed at helping women overcome obstacles to pursuing higher education and achieving their dreams.

“The long term development of a nation depends on how enabled all its citizens are to pursue the best quality of life possible. Educational advancement is one of the fundamental ways to achieve this life and Dr Rita Marley and her Foundation are thankful to have the ability to help make higher education more accessible to women living on the lower socio-economic end of the spectrum,” said the Foundation in a statement.

Daughter, Cedella Marley said: “Through the Rita Marley Scholarships, we can continue to motivate and uplift the financially challenged youth — especially women”.

Cedella added that her mother indicated that she was pleased to help women achieve their full potential, especially with the uncertainties that prevail, despite the face-to-face resumption of classes following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the ten awardees, one will be a woman pursuing a career in nursing and another, a single mother who experienced teenage pregnancy. The single mother will be selected from applicants currently enrolled at the Women’s Centre of Jamaica or similar institutions that enrol pregnant women.

The Foundation noted that Rita Marley, who is beloved globally as an entertainer and humanitarian, was herself training to be a nurse before meeting (and later marrying) Bob Marley.

“Their joint passions for music, spiritual self-actualization, and the upliftment of disenfranchised people became the basis for a vision that fueled the careers of Bob Marley & the Wailers, I-Three, and Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers. This vision also inspired the various enterprises that comprise the Marley Group of companies, including the Rita Marley Foundation,” the statement added.

Interested individuals must apply online at: ritamarleyfoundation.org. The deadline to apply is Sunday, July 31. For enquiries, persons may also contact: alicia@ritamarleyfoundation.org