Campaign For Female Education Raises $2.2 Million At 25th Anniversary ‘Education Changes Everything’ Gala In NYC
CAMFED honored multiple award-winning singer-songwriter, social activist and philanthropist Annie Lennox at the organization’s first-ever gala
Guests were treated to the world premiere of “Let Us Dance,” a global empowerment anthem by musician/activist Drea Pizziconi featuring Maimouna Youssef
CAMFED announced an ambitious goal of supporting 5 million more girls to go to school in just 5 years
Press Release – New York, NY (May 10, 2019) — The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), an international non-profit focused on girls’ education and women’s leadership, announced today that the organization’s 25th anniversary and first-ever “Education Changes Everything” Gala, held on May 9th at 583 Park Avenue in New York City, raised $2.2 million. The inaugural gala brought together celebrities, business leaders and philanthropists to celebrate a movement of young women transforming Africa and beyond. The money raised will go towards CAMFED’s mission to support girls and women in the poorest rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa where girls face acute disadvantages, and where their education has transformative potential.
The “Education Changes Everything” Gala was hosted by Lori Stokes, co-anchor of FOX 5 Good Day New York, and was attended by more than 550 supporters. CAMFED recognized multiple award-winning singer-songwriter, social activist and philanthropist Annie Lennox, a steadfast advocate for the women’s leadership movement today. Lennox shares CAMFED’s belief that the global fight for equality starts with girls’ education. Her tireless advocacy and exceptional efforts in ensuring that every girl and woman are given the means to unlock their potential has been critical in giving a voice to this powerful movement that ensures every female has the ability to take their rightful and critical place in the world. CAMFED patron, and the 27th Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, introduced Ms. Lennox in a moving tribute that highlighted her global fight for female equality.
Kicking off the evening, Chief Executive Officer of CAMFED International, Lucy Lake, addressed the gala guests on the impact the Campaign for Female Education has had over the last 25 years and why their mission for all girls to receive an education is so important today. Operating under a “R.E.D. Alert,” which stands for returns, equality and disruption,Lake explained the staggering truth that millions of girls are denied their right to education every single day due to the vicious cycle of poverty. As CAMFED’s work over the last quarter century has proven, the returns of investing in girls’ education are game changing and the most effective weapon in the global fight against climate change and other crucial issues affecting our world today. The Campaign for Female Education disrupts the status quo by ensuring that young women are able to step forward and take their rightful place in the world as bold, accomplished and capable leaders.
“This is a movement. This is our moment.” was the resounding theme of the evening as CAMFED announced their goal to support over 5 million girls in sub-Saharan Africa to attend school in the next 5 years. Throughout the evening, gala guests heard inspiring testimonials about the profound impact CAMFED’s programs have had on the lives young women from Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. These women make up a unique and powerful alumni network known as CAMA, a movement of nearly 140,000 young women leaders who have received secondary schooling through CAMFED and have gone on to establish successful careers as teachers, lawyers, health professionals, local government leaders and business women. CAMA members are united by one goal: to ensure that no girl is excluded – that every girl secures her right to go to school.
The evening closed with a powerful, world-premiere performance of “Let Us Dance,” a global empowerment anthem by musician/activist Drea Pizziconi’s featuring Grammy-Nominated artist Maimouna Youssef. All 2019 profits from the track, which officially releases worldwide today, will go back to the Campaign for Female Education.
Other highlights from the evening included a special video message from tennis champion Roger Federer, a longtime supporter of CAMFED, as well as inspirational remarks from graduates in CAMFED’s rapidly growing alumnae network, CAMA. Rosalinda Agana spoke about her first-hand experience with gender inequality in Ghana and how CAMFED has helped her become an advocate for change herself. Angeline Murimirwa, who is now the Executive Director of CAMFED in Africa, also shared how the education CAMFED helped her attain transformed her early life in rural Zimbabwe.
Honorary Event Chairs in attendance included Sandra Bookman, reporter and anchor at WABC-TV in New York City;Simone Boyce, Host of NBC News Signal; Vy Higginsen, theater producer, playwright, TV personality, and Executive Director of the Mama Foundation for the Arts; and Baroness Martha Lane-Fox, digital pioneer and philanthropist. The evening’s corporate co-chairs were Carlos Brito, CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, and Seth Zachary, Chairman of Paul Hastings LLP.
For more information about the “Education Changes Everything” Gala, please visit camfed.org/nycgala/.
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