August 2018


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If I asked you to motivate people to become more like Nelson Mandela, how would you do it? The Norman Girvan Library (NGL) of the Institute of International Relations (IIR) figured out just that with their Dollar a Day Donation Drive – an appeal to UWI staff to donate 100 dollars in 100 days (from April 9 to July 18) in honour of Nelson Mandela’s centenary birthday and Nelson Mandela Day. The Nelson Mandela Foundation celebrates Nelson Mandela Day under the theme, Take Action. Inspire Change. Make Every Day a Mandela Day.

Being change agents is nothing new to the NGL staff. They answered the call to ‘Take Action’ before in 2013 and 2017 by hosting campus-wide Book Drives with Project for Educational Excellence (PEDEX) – a foundation which assists in equipping primary schools and its pupils with school supplies. Together, they hosted book donation drive; the proceeds of which were donated to primary school students and libraries respectively.

This year’s initiative, according to Library Assistant, Carrill Melville, came about by coincidence. After seeing internal promotions for the Division of Student Services and Development’s (DSSD) Adopt-a-Student Fund (a fund where staff give monthly donations to students in need of financial assistance through salary deductions), Carrill reached out to Chandar Supersad, Manager at Financial Advisory Services to see if people could make one-time donations instead of monthly, thus the $100 in 100 days drive was born. A proposal was presented to and approved by the NGL Librarian (Mrs. Cherill Farrell), the IIR Director (Prof. Jessica Byron), and the Campus Registrar (Mr. Richard Saunders). NGL staff members, Malika Charles, Carrill Melville, Premma Ramsawak, and Gina Ravello then went full steam ahead with the coordination process.

For the next 100 days, 41 departments participated in the drive including my Marketing and Communications Office, who were the drive’s highest donors raising approximately $2,111.11. Overall, $8,161.95 was raised during the drive and on July 18, the Norman Girvan Library hosted a Dollar Plus Sale with local goodies for purchase as well as games, movies as well as a reading of “Long Walk to Freedom: Children's Edition”.

Children were invited from around the community as part of educational outreach including 111 campers from various camps including from The UWI After-School Care (14), Curepe Anglican (47), Jump Start Child Care Services Camp (27), and Art- in-Action Camp (23); and a total of 18 counsellors.

The sale generated $1,213 in additional funds, and with a final donation of a thousand dollars, the total was $10,374.95. As chief fundraiser of the highest contributing department, I think my coworker, Publications Manager Nicole Huggins-Boucaud expressed it best: “Thanks Jeanette for the weeks of pestering, cajoling, badgering, and mild shaming – just what is sometimes needed to get stuff DONE!” Indeed, we must do whatever it takes to make every day a Mandela day!

Jeanette G. Awai is a freelance writer, part-time idealist and full-time Marketing and Communications Assistant at the UWI Marketing and Communications Office