The susu fund
Third Horizon is seeking donations to support The Susu Fund, an emergency relief initiative created to assist Caribbean film and installation artists in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
“A traditional sou-sou is an informal savings club widely known in West Africa and the Caribbean that dates back many generations.”
- disb.dc.gov
Partner / Pawdna in Jamaica • Box hand in Guyana • Sol / Min in Haiti • San in the Dominican Republic •
Partner / Pawdna in Jamaica • Box hand in Guyana • Sol / Min in Haiti • San in the Dominican Republic •
In the catastrophic wake of Hurricane Melissa, this fund aims to provide direct support to those in the region’s film and television community who have been deeply affected. Our goal is to offer financial assistance through individual grants to practicing filmmakers and installation artists working in the Caribbean who are now facing severe economic hardship due to widespread disruption of daily life, halted productions, damaged equipment and housing, and the sharp reduction of professional opportunities caused by the disaster.
Ironically, although the Caribbean is among the world’s lowest-emitting regions of greenhouse gases, it remains one of the most vulnerable to global heating. Rising sea temperatures have increased both the frequency and intensity of major storms, and Hurricane Melissa was the strongest hurricane to strike our region since meteorological record-keeping began.
As a Caribbean film community, we are confronted with the reality that extreme weather events will continue to impact the region with growing frequency for the foreseeable future. In response, we at Third Horizon have committed to establishing a relief fund dedicated to supporting Caribbean artists affected by these natural disasters. This first iteration of the fund is a short-term effort focused on the islands hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa and will likely be administered in partnership with local organizations on the ground. Over time, our intention is to build a permanent fund capable of supporting artists throughout the Caribbean on a rolling basis whenever extreme weather events, or otherwise, occur.
Given the unprecedented devastation caused by the hurricane, we define “dire financial emergencies” as the absence or imminent loss of basic needs such as housing, medicine, childcare, and food. Applicants must demonstrate a critical and immediate need for emergency support to receive funding. All grants will be unrestricted and may be used for any form of emergency relief. Recipients do not need to disclose how the funds are spent.
