MONTEGO BAY, St James — Olivia Shaw-Lovell, founding executive director of non-profit organisation Women of Destiny Ja, could not hide her gratitude after receiving a $658,000 donation from promoters of the Montego Bay-based social event, Twist.

According to Shaw-Lovell the donation will aid in furthering the work that her organisation has been doing with women who are survivors of gender-based violence.

“When we received the call…that they’re considering our organisation to facilitate an event to donate to us, we were overwhelmed with joy. It wasn’t until the actual event that we realised how everything was focused on the organisation and giving back to us,” Shaw-Lovell told the Jamaica Observer.

Shaw-Lovell recounted that the private event, which was held in July, saw major stakeholders from the western region pooling their resources in a joint initiative with her organisation.

“Everyone that attended knew that the purchase of the tickets was a donation to Women of Destiny. This [was] the first event that someone hosted for us, or even what we would have done for ourselves as a charitable event to raise funds,” she told the Sunday Observer.

“We were so overwhelmed! Honestly, it was far beyond what we expected; it was an absolutely top-tier event. And just to receive the call that they are donating more than half a million dollars, that’s the most money anybody has given to us and so we’re very grateful that they have recognised the importance of the work that we’re doing in supporting survivors of gender-based violence — primarily those who are affected with domestic violence,” the executive director added.

While showing appreciation to the promoters of the event — businessmen Jason Russell and Dwight Crawford — Shaw-Lovell told the Sunday Observer she is happy the men saw a need to assist abused women.

“We know that [domestic abuse] is a growing problem and [that] it has been plaguing our nation. We have been working for the past eight years to eliminate violence against women and girls so for them to see us and recognise the work that we’re doing — as young men who want to lead by example and say that they are standing with a cause to eliminate violence against women — we are grateful,” said Shaw-Lovell.

Women of Destiny has been playing an incremental role in Shaw-Lovell’s home community of Mount Salem and she intends to continue doing so with a portion of the donation, she told the Sunday Observer.

“We will be giving back to the community of Mount Salem. We have made a pledge to the Mount Salem Primary and Junior High School to donate to their top female student. We have done it over the years but this year we want to do [something greater]. We are also going to continue to facilitate training sessions for survivors,” said the executive director.

Shaw-Lovell, along with her team, has previously conducted cosmetology training sessions with funding from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. She told the Sunday Observer they were looking to recruit another set of cohorts with the added resource, which will cushion the needs of the women who are a part of the organisation.

“Also, we will have funds set aside for the women of our organisation who are still in need and can access support. So, they will call sometimes and they will need groceries or a few women’s items; we will be able to put some funds aside to be able to tap into that to provide those resources that they may need in their time of need,” said Shaw-Lovell.

Speaking on behalf of his business partner and sponsors, Crawford told the Sunday Observer that the motivation behind the event came naturally after hearing stories about domestic violence across the country. He said that Women of Destiny was the perfect fit for the first charitable staging of Twist, “as it is home-grown and provides for a great need that many are unaware of”.

“Twist has been staging successful events for almost 20 years and so we concluded that when one has been blessed, giving back and sharing with others is the best way to give honour to God for blessings here on earth,” Crawford said.

The businessman continued, “We felt compelled to support this charity as we’ve found that there is a misery factor lingering over us like a dark cloud since COVID where we found that men, being unable to express themselves, have resorted to becoming more verbally and physically abusive towards our women. As a result of this, organisations such as Women of Destiny, which serve as a rescue to them, need greater support.”

“I, personally, even after recognising this charity to aid, never became fully aware of how bad things were up until I started to give a better listening ear to the women that operate in and around my space — and believe me, some of these stories should make any man feel ashamed,” Crawford told the Sunday Observer.