A Gala Evening
Photo Gallery
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Zainab highlights the need to invest in and economically empower women.
Hamide Latifi, WfWI Country Director of Kosovo and Seida Saric, WfWI Country Director of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Magician David Jarre lends his support and adds a little magic to the evening’s events.
Performer Amina Annabi.
Artist Annie Morris builds a piece of artwork as pledges for Rwanda flood in.
The Natural History Museum, London
7th May 2009
Women for Women International-UK (WfWI) hosted its second annual Gala Evening on Thursday 7th May at the Natural History Museum, London. Accompanied by generous contributions made by artists Marc Quinn, Grayson Perry, Paula Rego and Annie Morris; performances by Amina Annabi and magician David Jarre and donations by Lorenz Bäumer, Zaha Hadid, John Pawson, Belmacz, Julia Muggenburg and Brown’s, the Gala Evening raised over £500,000 to help establish and sustain new training and economic projects for the women of Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Nigeria and Sudan.
Zainab Salbi, Founder and CEO of WfWI, launched the Gala Evening by highlighting the ongoing need for “investment in women. By helping to support our projects and investing in the future of our work, you will help change the world one woman at a time. And that is an investment that can guarantee amazing returns – if you invest in a woman, you invest in her family, in her community, in her society. Investment in the economy, in policy, in many things always has a 50-50 chance of failing, but I have yet to see any investment in women fail.”
In a specially recorded video message, the Gala Patron Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, stressed, “When you invest in women survivors of war, you spark a multiplier effect. Empowered women are crucial to reconstruction and lasting peace. They’re not asking for charity: they just need a chance to show what they can do. Now is not the time to give up on these women: now is when they need us more than ever.”
Women for Women International would like to thank all our supporters, donors and volunteers for their kind generosity, support and ongoing contributions: thanks to you, all project fundraising targets for the evening were met and the following projects can now be launched:
- Beekeeping and Woodworking vocational training project in Kosovo.
- 4 new ovens for Tile Production facilities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- 10 new greenhouses for Seedling Sales training in Bosnia.
- 5 new Bakeries in Southern Sudan.
- 1 new Goat Breeding centre in Rwanda.
- Launch of a Commercially Integrated Farming Initiative (CIFI) for Afghanistan.
- 2 new Poultry Farming centres in Nigeria.
For more information about the event, please contact Onjali Bodrul: obodrul@womenforwomen.org
