Help Anella Achieve Her Educational Dreams

Hello, my name is Yvette.

Let me tell you about a young lady who needs your help. Her name is Anella. She’s humble, caring, ambitious, and very talented. Though faced with barriers, she’s done amazing things:

She earned awards at the Waitukubuli Artist Association Whoosh! Art Competition (2018) and at the Sagicor regional Make A Splash Art Competition (2021). Having faced two weather catastrophes, Anella has said, “This reality inspired me to write ‘When Home Is No Longer Home,’ a work that received a first-place prize in the Caribbean Climate Justice Project competition in 2021.” She has also used the climate challenges she’s experienced to inspire her artwork. Of one winning piece she says, “I created ‘Out of The Dust’, a mixed media piece encouraging better practices to halt the effects of climate change.”

Everyone who knows her wants her to succeed. Here she is, in her own words . . .

“My name is Anella Shillingford. I’m a writer, artist, and creative from the Caribbean island of Dominica.

I need your help, but first let me tell you my story.

Although I grew up in a poor fishing village in Dominica, my parents wanted me to have an education. They understood the value of it. Both of my parents were literacy challenged, and I had to work extra hard to overcome learning deficiencies in my formative years. Most people around me did not come from much and I had to witness my parents grapple with financial hardships, but we had an abundance of hope. It is that hope that has carried me through so many challenges. In high school, I received awards for the highest average in English Language, Literature, Caribbean History, and Technical Drawing. Despite growing up with financial constraints, I was able to attend my country’s state college, where I majored in both History and Literature. I worked for a little while, then enrolled in the teacher’s training program at the state college. Upon completion, I received my third Associate’s degree. My journey has not been easy. Along the way, I considered my family situation and that of most of my neighbors and decided that I must make strides to uplift myself from the limitations of a so-called third-world country, while encouraging others to do the same.

In recent years, my region has witnessed a surge in natural disasters, particularly the intensified and supercharged storms. These natural events have shaken us to our core. Not only have our homes been ravaged, our livelihoods disrupted, and our food security imperiled, but there's also the profound collective trauma inflicted by these supercharged storms. In 2015 and 2017 my country was ravaged by a supercharged storm and hurricane destroying almost 90% of our vegetation. As a farming community, my family and so many others were greatly affected by this. Anxiety and depression have become prevalent issues within my community. What do we do? Small Island Developing States, such as my home country of Dominica, have limited means to shield themselves from increasingly intense natural disasters and their devastating results. But encountering such disaster has fueled my passion for the environment and sustainability. I want to help my community, and that’s where additional education comes in.

I have dreamed of pursuing an undergraduate degree, however the means of affording it has always eluded me. I’ve gone as far as I could scholastically in my homeland, so I sought an opportunity for higher learning elsewhere.

I want to continue what I started and do good in the world. I’ve used my learning to push others to help themselves -- I spent several years shaping the minds of young people, teaching both literature and history. I also managed to self-publish two volumes of poetry – both available online – and in summer 2023 I was invited to represent my country on the Commonwealth Poetry Podcast, which features achievements of individuals in British Commonwealth countries. It was thrilling and an honor to able to tell my story as one of the youngest poets to be featured. The interview can be heard at the following link:

I will finally be able to continue my education goals, but I need your help.

I received an offer to attend the University of Saskatchewan (see offer letter). I’m making plans to attend in the Spring (2025) as an international transfer student, where I will be studying Regional and Urban Planning, as well as Creative Writing. I hope to make a valuable contribution to Dominica and the world as we combat climate change, food insecurity, and clean drinking water shortages.

The reality is that my family is financially challenged. They have very limited resources with which to help me. So, I desperately need your help with raising $10,858 USD ($16,060 CAD) for housing, books/supplies, and other miscellaneous fees. Your donations will go a long way in helping me to fund the next leg of my educational journey as I seek to become the first university graduate in my family and leave my mark in the world.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and consider my request for help. I would be so appreciative of your gift. No donation is too small. I truly believe that kindness is like a boomerang — it comes back to you.

(Some of this narrative comes from a personal statement submitted in my college application.)”

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See? She’s a trailblazer and deserves to achieve her goals. She’s the daughter of a cousin, so believe me when I say there’s so much more she could have said about her life. She faces survival challenges. Please help Anella finish college in a place where water, electricity, and internet are not luxuries, but guaranteed daily.

Please also share this fundraiser with your network(s). Thank you so much.