On Saturday May 7th, 2016, A More Balanced World (AMBW) hosted their 4th annual spring fundraising event. Over 180 guests attended and enjoyed a delicious dinner of Persian and Indian food, music, multi-cultural dance performances, a live concert by the talented singer, Dr. Farimah Shahraz, dancing, and a craft bazaar.
The formal portion of the program included three guest speakers, starting with the keynote speaker, Dr. Niaz Kasravi, a human rights advocate and criminal justice expert, who stressed the importance of collaborating and encouraged attendees to “pay back” the opportunities they have enjoyed by helping those who are less fortunate. Kara Lozier, a mentor for international students and education advocate, highlighted the stories of three scholarship recipients she works with, demonstrating the powerful effect it has on the students and the communities they serve. Ali Shahidy, a university student and women’s rights activist from Afghanistan formerly supported by AMBW, shared his emotional journey and the life-changing impact made by the financial support he has received for his education.
AMBW provides modest support to 150 students in twelve different countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Cambodia, India and Ethiopia. Mandy Fazeli, AMBW’s founder and director, was the final speaker and spoke humbly about the progress made and partnerships formed in AMBW’s six-year journey. She proudly noted that 35% of their students are studying at colleges and universities, four have completed their post graduate studies and one will begin a PhD program in the fall. In closing, Mandy said, “On behalf of AMBW and the children we serve, I’d like to express my heartfelt appreciation to our donors, sponsors, contributors, and volunteers. Your support and generosity make our important work possible. Let’s put a youth through college.”
As A More Balanced World (AMBW) shifts its strategic focus to developing more partnerships with nonprofits who have a local presence in the countries we serve, we are very pleased to announce our newest partnership with The Pearl Community Empowerment Foundation (PCE Foundation) in Uganda.
PCE Foundation was founded in 2011 by Beatrice Achieng Nas, a driven and talented young woman who was able to complete her higher education with the financial support of American sponsors. Among many other community-based initiatives, PCE Foundation focuses on the education of rural girls to provide opportunities other than early marriage. Poverty, HIV-AIDS, domestic violence, lack of family planning and other problems plague the rural areas where PCE works. Raising awareness in the villages to combat these problems and providing opportunities for young people to pursue higher education has been an effective way for PCE Foundation to address these problems.
In keeping with AMBW’s desire to support post-high school studies for deserving young people, Christine is our first Ugandan student to receive an scholarship. Christine is a student at Kyambogo University studying to be a secondary school teacher. She said, “My spirit was strong enough to resist the pressure to get married. I could not stop learning because I knew where I was going even though I am from a poor family and my parents could not afford my schooling.”
You can learn more about PCE Foundation here: http://pce-foundation.org
As we enter our fifth year of operation, ‘A More Balanced World’ can look back at our brief history with a sense of tremendous pride at what we have been able to build and accomplish. We are extremely proud of our efforts to increase the number of lives we have been able to positively impact, globally.
Moving forward, in addition to continuing with our agenda of successful activities, we will pursue several initiatives to ensure our long-term sustainability. This will include
1) placing a focus on college level education for our students, and 2) expanding our reach through development of more organization to organization relationships and collaborating with other local non-profits. We feel these enhancements will offer significant benefits to all involved.
‘A More Balanced World’ is supported by the hundreds of individuals who contribute as sponsors, donors, and attendees at our numerous fundraising events. On behalf of the children and youth we serve, we thank you for your continued support. Your generosity makes our important work, possible.
‘A More Balanced World’ is pleased to announce the formation of a committee to oversee the organization’s activities, as they relate to our sponsored students in Iran.
Responsible for all aspects of the operation, from students services to fundraising and public relation, this team enjoys the membership of such committed humanitarians as Suzanne Safarzadeh, Manijeh Teymouri, Negar Estakhr, Khotan Baniamam, and Mandana Akbary.
As this committee begins its work of promoting the cause of the organization with a focus on supporting our Iranian students, we hope to be able to count on your support and involvement. Use the “Contact” tab to let us know whether you are interested in helping.
