Beenie Man assists Sickle Cell Unit

Grammy Award-winning artiste Moses 'Beenie Man' Davis, through his foundation, has committed $300,000 to the Sickle Cell Unit (SCU) based at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in St Andrew.

This will aid with a summer camp for teens living with the sickle cell disease.

Beenie Man told THE STAR that the issue "hits close to home" which makes this an important cause to support.

"My son (Moses Davis Jr) has sickle cell disease and is hospitalised at least three times a year for treatment. The University Hospital is like his second home, so you can see why I chose to work with this team, they are basically family. (They are) A family that serves my family, so I have to serve them however I can," he said.

He adds that the donation is not only for the camp, but also to raise awareness of the disease.

Dr Lesley King, head of clinical services at the Caribbean Institute for Health Research, which oversees the operations of the SCU, expressed her appreciation for this contribution.

"We welcome the partnership to support sickle cell advocacy, research and treatment. I also would like to say thanks to Mr Davis for his commitment to the SCU Teen Camp, not only with this welcomed monetary contribution, but also the foundation's personal interaction with our teens. We recognise that our children are disadvantaged not only due to the consequences of their disease, but also due to socio-economic problems for many. "

She added: "Our teen camp provides a forum for teen engagement through various activities focused on disease education and personal development to help our teens transition through these challenging years."

The Beenie Man Foundation was officially launched in July with Beenie Man's daughter, Ikyra Davis, and his son Moses Davis Jr, among the board of directors and Beenie Man as chairman.

The foundation will focus on sickle cell health advocacy, education and youth entrepreneurship.