The Grace Hamilton Women Empowerment Foundation is the newest venture for dancehall artiste Spice. The Indicator boss took to Instagram this week to tell fans what inspired the institution.

“Ok, so I’ve been wanting to start a foundation for a while now, however it was not until last week when I made a post on my page about being sad on that particular day, and not having someone to talk to and with the amount of women who reached out to me about what they are going through, it birthed the idea for me to start this foundation,” she said.

“I believe a lot of us women are going through a lot and we put on a ‘MASK’ and smile every day and no one really knows what we going through. I heard some horror stories and I think I can provide opportunities or even a platform that can help a lot of young women in today’s society,” the post continued.

The foundation is set to launch on May 27 at Eden Gardens in St Andrew.

Spice said the foundation’s aim is to uplift young women and groom them towards success.

This year, reggae singjay Bugle launched his foundation, An9ted Humanitarian Foundation, which has fed homeless people across the Corporate Area.

Spice, whose given name is Grace Hamilton, has defined success in her own right as a leading voice in dancehall music. While her history as a performing artiste dates to the year 2000, she received her first hit with Romping Shop in 2008. The single is a collaboration with incarcerated deejay Vybz Kartel.

Since then, Spice has built a solid catalogue which includes Jim Screechy, So Mi Like It, Needle Eye, Back Bend, Sheet and Bend Ova.

In January, she became the first Jamaican female to hit one million followers on Instagram. She is also a cast member of VH1’s Love and Hip Hop Atlanta.

— Sade Gardner