By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 16, 2024 – First Lady Ann Marie Davis today posted a collection of photos on Facebook and I absolutely had to share some of them with readers of my online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
Under the heading PROUD RECIPIENT OF CERTIFICATE OF PARTICIPATION FROM COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AND THE FIRST LADIES ALLIANCE, the First Lady shared the photos with the following narrative:
“Taking my role seriously with – Continuing Professional Education at the First Ladies Academy with a mission on empowering First Ladies worldwide to drive positive changes. To empower communities through strategic and impactful leadership and committed to improving public health outcomes. Together, we are shaping a brighter future for all. A real FANTASTIC experience – 3 days of intense learning and development. Thinking outside the box etc.
Happy my Personal Assistant, Alicia Gibson was part of this experience (in part) that will definitely enhance her role.
First Ladies were united for a greater impact, solutions, health equity and community wellbeing and much more learnt.
First Ladies also need support, advice and training like other leaders especially with the uptick in conflicts, increasing temperatures, continued disruptions to global supply chains and food systems, etc.
This is such a fantastic idea.
More participants are already signing up to start next year.
Happy I did. Very intense but worthwhile.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Held from July 10-12 in New York, This second convening of the Global First Ladies Academy was hosted by the Global First Ladies Alliance (GFLA) and the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, in partnership with the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), the Alliance of Spouses of Heads of State and Representatives of Latin America (ALMA), the Spouses of CARICOM Leaders Action Network (SCLAN), and the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.
Sponsoring partners for the 2024 Academy include the Ford Foundation, Prosper Africa, GE HealthCare Foundation, Merck & Co., PepsiCo Foundation, and Neuehouse, with the Rockefeller Foundation participating as a presenter.
In addition to The Bahamas, countries participating in the Academy included First Ladies from Angola, Bermuda, Belize, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Suriname, as well as delegations from Iraq, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.
At the conclusion of the program, each of the First Ladies recveived an educational certificate from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
