TURNING SUFFERING INTO SMILES

TURNING SUFFERING INTO SMILES

HOW THE HALO FOUNDATION SPREADS ITS ‘WINGS OF CHARITY’ TO HELP THE LESS FORTUNATE IN ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

With our easygoing lifestyle, amiable people and idyllic landscapes, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s perfect in paradise. In fact, around one in five people across the Caribbean lives below the poverty line of US$5.50 a day – and the pandemic has exacerbated that further with a sharp rise in unemployment.

One organisation working assiduously to turn things around in Antigua and Barbuda is the Halo Foundation. The non-profit body was founded in December 2014 by Governor General

Sir Rodney Williams and Lady Williams to bring greater attention to the social welfare needs of less fortunate citizens.

Its mission is to “turn suffering into smiles, pain into perseverance and hunger into health”

Today, it supports 37 local charities, acting as an umbrella entity to those dedicated to helping young people, the environment, the arts, and civic and community initiatives, among others.

Its mission is to “turn suffering into smiles, pain into perseverance and hunger into health”, and to assist its work the Halo Foundation hosts two major fundraisers each year.

Last June, more than 400 people turned out for the fifth edition of the Wings of Charity event held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. Under the banner ‘a global call for caring’, wellwishers from Antigua, Europe and the USA travelled especially to London to lend their support.

Among the guests of honour was

Governor General Sir Rodney Williams and Lady Williams

Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, while His Royal Highness Prince Charles –now King Charles – delivered a message for the printed programme.

Lady Williams, the Halo Foundation’s president, said it had been an honour to welcome representatives from several charities under the organisation’s patronage.

The event featured a vibrant showcase of art and literature from Antigua and Barbuda. A painting entitled ‘Woman of the Soil’, created by Antigua State College art lecturer Mark Brown – the winning entry in an art competition organised by the foundation – was put up for auction.

Entertainment was provided by 70s American R&B group the O’Jays, behind 1973 hit ‘Love Train’. There were also appearances by Antiguan and Barbudan singers including Daina Barnes, and Jamie Lou Stenzel, aka Au/Ra, who is currently taking the international music scene by storm with a series of collaborations with big names including CamelPhat and Jax Jones.

Au/Ra performed an acoustic version of her 2018 smash hit ‘Panic Room’. The 20-year-old was also one of two internationally recognised musicians to be presented with Halo Hero Humanitarian Awards on the night. She, along with violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason, have been heavily involved in giving back through sharing their talents with fellow young people.

Music is something close to Sir Rodney and Lady Williams’ hearts; the Halo Foundation’s other principal fundraiser is its Music for a Cause concert staged annually in Antigua.

W hile in London, Sir Rodney and Lady Williams also joined other heads of state from the Caribbean and Commonwealth for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which would become all the more poignant three months later with her passing.

The sixth edition of Wings of Charity will take place on June 16 2023 in London. n

To get involved with the work of the Halo Foundation – which also has an active youth arm, Generation Y –visit www.foundationhalo.org

Dignitaries in attendance included Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.