My name is Olivia, and for the past 10 years I have poured my life into serving women in Jamaica who have survived gender-based violence (GBV). Through my nonprofit Women of Destiny, grassroots advocacy, and community healing, I have dedicated myself to ensuring women’s voices are heard and their dignity restored.

But this work has not been financially rewarding. Consulting and government contracts came here and there, but most of what I have done has been service, sustained only by faith and a calling I could not ignore.

Education has always been a fight for me.

When I was 12 years old, I passed for Westwood High, one of the top girls’ boarding schools in Jamaica. But after the first semester, my parents told me they couldn’t afford to keep me there. I didn’t even know we were “poor” until that moment. Still, I refused to give up. I wrote letters to businesses asking for sponsorship. Most never replied—but my mom’s boss stepped in and covered all five years of high school plus one year at community college. Later, I took student loans to pursue my bachelor’s in medical technology.

That persistence shaped me. And it’s the same spirit that carries me now.

Over the years, I have been honored with the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Outstanding Service, selected as a Canada She Leads Here Advocate, and chosen as a U.S. Department of State Community Solutions Fellow, among other accolades. In 2023, I received the Chevening Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in the UK. While there, I realized there was more in me. I love grassroots work, but I also knew I was called to contribute to academia—to create knowledge and resources that speak directly to women like me: Black Caribbean survivors of GBV navigating mental health and healing.

This laid the foundation for my PhD research question:

How is faith used by Black Caribbean women survivors of gender-based violence in Jamaica for their mental health healing?

By God’s grace, I was accepted into the University of Edinburgh’s School of Divinity. Even more, I was awarded a highly competitive fellowship covering full tuition and living expenses for four years. One shot, one try, all because God did that.

So why am I still in Jamaica today instead of beginning my PhD this September?

Because of one barrier: the upfront immigration and relocation costs that must be paid before I can even step foot in Scotland.

The Final Hurdle

The fellowship I received (through the AHRC/Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities) covers tuition and living expenses. But it does not cover visa, immigration health surcharge, or flights for me to start my studies.

To begin, I need to raise £4,878 (~$6538.84 USD):

Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): £776 per year × 4 years = £3104

UK Student Visa Application Fees: £524

Flights (one-time estimate): £1000

Transition Settling Cost ( Ground Transportation etc...) : £250

I refuse to let money be the thing that stops me. Just as at 12 years old I said no to leaving Westwood High, I am saying no again today.

This PhD is not just for me. It is for the women I have walked with for over a decade. It is for the survivors who need healing tools rooted in their faith, culture, and lived realities. It is for Jamaica, which desperately needs research that will finally be acknowledged and published. And it is for the next girl, so she does not have to face the same barriers I have faced.

I am humbly but boldly asking for your help.

How You Can Support

Book or recommend my consulting services via my LinkedIn

Subscribe to my blog via Substack

Together, we can make this possible.

With faith and gratitude,

Olivia & The Faith Family