WASHINGTON, DC – The parking lot of the Organisation of American States was festooned on Sunday with the colours of flags from across the hemisphere, as The Bahamas and about 20 other embassies raised money for charity at the annual Food Festival of The Americas.

The event is the major fundraiser for the Organisation of Women of The Americas (OWA). The OWA is a non-profit, charitable organisation comprised of lady ambassadors who are permanent members of the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the wives of Ambassadors, Permanent Observers and Alternate Representatives (permanent Members and Observers) to the OAS; the wife of the Secretary General and of the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, and associate members.

The OWA aims to sensitize the DC Metro community to the needs and problems of women and children from the different countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, and to unite the diplomatic community and citizens of the Americas who live in the DC Metro area to help address the needs of charities and programmes that provide support to women and children in this region of the world.

Since it was founded, the OWA has made contributions to numerous organisations, including the Oncology Section of the Children’s National Medical Centre in Washington, DC; the Caribbean American Intercultural Organisation; the OAS programme to help landmine victims in Central America; the “Casa Rosada” home for children with AIDS in the Dominican Republic; Programmes of the Mother Theresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity in Washington, D.C.; the San José de Malambo Orphanage in Panama; the Spanish Catholic Centre of Washington D.C.; the Arc en Ciel Orphanage in Haiti; the “Mundo Mejor” Foundation in Colombia; and the Sisters of Mother Theresa in Peru.

The Food Festival featured a variety of food, music and dance from different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Bahamas offered conch fritters – a perennial favourite – along with fried fish, Bahamian style macaroni, rum punch and the ever-popular gin and coconut water concoction called “Sky Juice” or “Gully Wash,” depending on which part of The Bahamas one is from.

Embassy personnel and volunteers from The Bahamian community came together to offer a truly Bahamian experience, which was well received by the hundreds of people who attended the event, many of whom came back to The Bahamas’ booth repeatedly for conch fritters or “Sky Juice.”