Head of the Red Thread organisation, Karen De Souza has copped the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Award for Excellence for Public and Civic Contribution, the Trinidad Guardian has reported.
De Souza, a women’s and children’s rights activist is the co-founder of Red Thread, an advocacy organisation which provides support, education, and advocacy for victims of rape and domestic and other forms of violence and for the lowest-waged sectors of women. De Souza and Red Thread also do research and have contributed to the drafting of laws and training for judicial officers to support protection of women and children and victims of human trafficking. They also participate in national, international and regional agency programmes on areas of interest, as well as take education directly to the people.
In addition to De Souza, the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence (ANSCAFE) has announced in the category of Arts and Letters, Professor Liam Teague is the winner and for Science and Technology, Dr Richard Robertson of St Vincent and the Grenadines. Chairman of the Eminent Person’s Panel Michael Mansoor announced the names of the winners during a ceremony at ANSA McAL’s head office, Tatil Building, Maraval Road, Port of Spain.
ANSCAFE is the English-speaking Caribbean’s leading recognition programme in arts, sciences, and public and civic work. The ANSA McAL Foundation launched this programme in October 2005. Up to 2010, the awards were made biennially but in 2011, ANSCAFE became an annual event. Since 2006, when the first laureates were named, several sets of laureates have been presented with prizes: in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011 and annually thereafter in ceremonies in the Trinidadian capital.
Its goal is to recognise significant Caribbean achievement, and to encourage and support the pursuit of excellence by Caribbean people, for the benefit of the region. The ANSA McAL Foundation is convinced that talent needs to be sought out, brought to light, and encouraged. It is in this context that these awards were conceived.
This is the first such recognition programme of its kind. It is privately funded, free of political and other influence, and offers tangible, significant benefit to the laureates. It is the most noteworthy philanthropic initiative by a Caribbean organisation in recent times. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)
