An Evening with MGYW
Pictures above: Glimpses of the MGYW function
It was an evening filled with passion, pleasure, compassion, and a resolution to empower the lives of the less-privileged in their homeland – Pakistan. The Pakistani American Forum/Merit Grants for Young Women (MGYW) held its fundraiser at an elegant restaurant in Southern California. The MGYW Board members showcased their significant accomplishments in promoting education for the underprivileged young women of Pakistan to the packed audience.
The 2008 MGYW achievements included participation of over 150 meritorious young girls into the program, partnership with four reputable NGOs, which are providing tremendous educational opportunities to poor girls in far flung areas of Pakistan and have embarked on a novel program to provide economic incentives to the MGYW Partner Co-Operatives in Pakistan.
During the event, the MGYW Board also set up an elegant boutique featuring exquisite Pakistani and international items, and handicrafts from MGYW Partner Co-Operatives in Pakistan. The first part of the program was admirably conducted by Essam ul Haq and Keran Alvi, with Syed Ashraf Ali gracefully handling the entertainment segment. Some of the volunteers of the event included Sadia and Haseeb Khan (Qur’anic recitation), Riaz Khan (video), Carla Fallberg (photography), Samina Haq (boutique), and Osman Mohamed (reception). The main entertainment attractions of the event were a skit by Alvi siblings and Essam ul Haq, melodious flute solo by Dr. Badruddin Kurwa, and, of course, fabulous vocal rendition by famed singer Hanif Noor Mohamed.
The MGYW Board of Directors thanks the community for their generous donations. The directors express their gratitude to CalPoly PSA, especially Aisha Furqan and Pakiza Chatha, who highlighted MGYW in their annual banquet, and to Hamid Malik (former President COPAA) and Adnan Khan (President COPAA) for voluntarily postponing their Swat IDP fundraiser by one day to accommodate the MGYW event.
The MGYW Board Members who made tremendous efforts for holding the successful fundraiser included Dilshad Shah, Farhana Mohamed, Iffat Ali, Nasreen Pervaiz, Sadia Ahmed, Yasmine Shad, and Zille Zaman. Readers are welcome to visit the MGYW website (www.mgyw.org) for obtaining more details about the organization.
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