Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy has been giving back to his community for years now.
His most recent charitable endeavor has been raising 100 million Jamaican dollars, that is $805,409 US dollars, for the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Jamaica to get better medical supplies and equipment that would better serve the children in need. The international artist presented a check to the hospital Friday, Feb. 2.
According to Jamaican news outlet The Star, Shaggy hosted a charity concert on the lawns of Jamaica House early last month featuring performances from Sting, Wyclef Jean, Aidonia, Shenseea, Ding Dong and Dexta Daps.
“What we are doing is helping a government-operated hospital, that’s all me a say. We are trying to make it easier for the Government and to ease a burden,” he said.
The money will be used to provide more beds for the hospital’s intensive care unit which currently only has five beds.
“The ICU is very small and cannot even hold an extra bed so we have to find a way to move forward. We are still going to need partners, which includes a good and affordable construction company. We also have 150 pieces of medical equipment to turn in but we need to have the building ready first,” Shaggy told media.
Funds from the charity concert came from ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, fundraising initiatives and individual donations. Wyclef Jean personally gave $25,000 US (J$3.1 million) to the cause.
Shaggy’s Make A Difference Foundation has raised some $1.4 million for the hospital from 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014. Over those years, the foundation has been responsible for purchasing more than 450 pieces of life-saving equipment for the hospital, greatly increasing its capacity to provide quality healthcare for the children of Jamaica and the Caribbean.
