Vancouver-based non-profit to host gala in support of women's education
A Vancouver-based non-profit is hosting its annual fundraising gala next week in support of women’s education, and guests can look forward to an exciting and thought-provoking evening.
One Girl Can, an organization that provides girls in Kenya the opportunity to reach their dreams through education, is holding the eighth annual IWANTtoBE on Tuesday, April 19 at the Commodore Ballroom. There is also an option to take part in the event virtually.
The hybrid fundraiser helps to provide 140 university scholarships for promising young girls in Kenya. Keynote speakers at IWANTtoBE 2022 are two of the One Girl Can scholarship recipents, Millicent Mutheu Muthui, a 25-year-old journalist, and Royashley Nyambura Mbuthi, a 19-year-old medical student.
View this post on Instagram
One Girl Can works to break the cycle of poverty and impact gender equality through education, training, and mentorship. In Kenya, education is government-funded up until primary school, and then it is an individual family’s responsibility to pay.
According to Muthui, she was constantly sent home from school because her family couldn’t afford to pay her fees. And she wasn’t the only family member who struggled with financial barriers.
“As a kid, I remember hearing my mother tell her friends that she wanted to be a journalist, but it wasn’t possible because her parents chose to send her brothers to school,” said Muthui in a release. “I never imagined I would have the opportunity to achieve my dream – and the dream my mother once had – of studying journalism, and I’m just so grateful to One Girl Can for their support.”
Millicent Mutheu Muthui (left) and Royashley Nyambura Mbuthi (One Girl Can/Submitted)
For Mbuthi, financial struggles impacted many parts of her life growing up.
“We would only eat supper, and I would hide some of it under my bed so that I would have something to eat for breakfast,” said Mbuthi in a statement. “After my father abandoned my family, my mother worked very hard as a hairdresser to support us but couldn’t afford to send me to school.
“Despite these struggles, I continued to work hard throughout primary school and never gave up hope. The scholarship from One Girl Can has changed my life and I’m so excited to see what my future holds.”
@onegirlcansociety/Instagram
One Girl Can was founded by AG Hair founder Lotte Davis in 2008, and since its inception has built 130 school buildings, provided over 1,000 scholarships to girls in high school and university, and mentors 10,000 girls every year.
As well as the keynote speeches by Muthui and Mbuthy, IWANTtoBE will also feature a cocktail hour, canapés, and silent and live auctions.
A number of amazing staycation and exotic vacations is up for auction, including a Pyramids and Pharaohs Egpyt trip, a Harrison Hot Springs getaway, an eleven-day Ultimate Kenyan Safari, and a seven-day safari in Zimbabwe, and more.
General admission tickets for IWANTtoBE are $150 and include an AG gift bag valued at $100 value. VIP tickets are $250, which includes VIP table seating, special guest meet and greet, and an AG gift bag. Virtual tickets are $25 and provide access to the event live stream and silent and live auctions.
For more information, visit the One Girl Can website.
One Girl Can – IWANTtoBE gala fundraiser 2022
When: April 19, 2022
Time: 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Where: Commodore Ballroom – 868 Granville Street, Vancouver
Cost: Various, purchase online
With files from Rumneek Johal
Community Partnership Content
Follow Channels and Categories