Champagne and Gold

THE University of the West Indies (UWI), through its Development and Endowment Fund (UWIDEF), which has been in existence for 27 years, has been able to distribute over 3,262 bursaries, including 27 UWI star bursaries from 2016, worth over $16 million.

This has been possible through the annual UWI fete. It is hoped that from its 2019 fete it will be able to distribute even more bursaries.

UWI Fete 2019 was launched on November 8 at the Office of the Principal, UWI, St Augustine. The fete, with its theme of Champagne and Gold, is now being managed and produced by events company Southex and will take place on February 3.

At the launch, students Affisha Clarke of the Faculty of Humanities and Education and Nivaed Sahadeo of the Faculty of Science and Technology spoke of the impact that receiving the bursary had on their education.

Clarke said, “The endowment fund is one of the reasons why I am a current student at the university.”

After she used her funds saved for university to have “emergency, life-saving surgery” last year, Clarke was awarded one of the bursaries, allowing her to continue with her degree.

Sahadeo also said the fund helped him continue his studies. “I am a proud recipient of the UWI Development and Endowment Fund as a third-year student pursuing a double major in biochemistry and biology. This award has gone a long way in allowing me to be here today,” he said.

Southex, whose CEO is George Singh, also manages and produces the Chutney Soca Monarch contest. Singh, along with UWIDEF’s chairman Nigel Romano and Christine Sahadeo, chairman of the fete committee, launched the event.

Tickets cost $1,100 with an early-bird price of $1,000. Kes the Band, Patrice Roberts, Nailah Blackman, reigning soca monarch Voice, Dil-E-Nadan featuring Raymond Ramnarine and Ravi B are some of the acts scheduled for the fete.

In keeping with its theme, Singh said women attending next year’s fete are asked to “add a touch of gold, while men are dressed in white.”

The UWI fete-goers, Singh added, can look forward to “an evening of fun and relaxation, complete with the Carnival vibe and the best entertainment from the 2019 Carnival circuit.”