Female artiste contributes to the Women’s Centre

Twenty year-old artiste, Keisha Belvet – stagename Velvett recently donated $15,000 to the Women’s Centre to assist in its services to Jamaica’s teenaged mothers.

“The reason I made this donation is because I see it necessary to encourage these young ladies to hold up their heads and further their education,” said Velvett, who has just finished her maiden release, Be my shoulder.

‘Don’t limit yourself to what the society thinks of you because you find yourself in this situation. Reach for the stars,” she encouraged some of the teen mothers at the Women’s Centre’s headquarters at 42 Trafalgar Road, Kingston recently.

She also performed three of the songs that will be on her debut album sheduled for release on Valentine’s Day, 2004.

Her presentation was well received by the young ladies as well as the CEO of the Women’s Centre, Beryl Weir.

“It is heartwarming to see a young lady just beginning her career and thinking of other young ladies who are in circumstances of need,” said Weir.

“What Velvett is saying by her donation is let us make it together.”

Velvett’s gesture was even more commendable, Weir said, because the young singer was not a past student of the institution established in 1978 to allow teenage mothers under 17 years old an opportunity to continue their education.

With seven centres, the WCJF’s reach extends to Kingston, Mandeville, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, St Ann’s Bay, Savanna-La-Mar, and Spanish Town. This year, the WCJF has assisted 30,000 teenage mothers since its inception, and 2,500 “baby fathers” since 2000 by focusing on education, training and counselling.

Studies have shown that where these mothers are exposed to the centre’s programmes, they generally delay future pregnancies by 5 years while furthering their education.

However, while acknowledging these achievements, there are many challenges to overcome, Weir told All Woman, as the centre is estimated to be reaching only a third of the teenage mothers annually.

Weir, who has been at the institution for the past 16 years, said that they have received 500 girls since September, 200 of whom are newcomers. On average, she said, with 104 staff members, the centre accommodates over 1500 students per year, including other programmes such as Young Men at Risk

“This donation is going into our fund for the students’ welfare, which is a bottomless pit”, the executive director said.

Lincoln Price, head of U Records, the company dedicated to the development of new talents and Velvett’s manager, said that he was particularly proud of her because all the money contributed was her own.

“It (the $15,000) came from out of her pocket. Currently, U Records is just two years old and has not yet started to make an income from its record sales,” explained Price.

According to Velvett, the move was prompted by the empathy that she felt to the girls at the centre.

“I’m not watching the money, I wanted to do this because I feel a connection with these young people, being an expectant mother myself” said Velvett, who is a receptionist at the University Hospital. She hopes to begin studying radiography next year.