Charity
Thursday, 29 October 2009 06:10
Written by Urbanatomy
This year’s Eat so they Can fundraising dinner, hosted at the Grand Mercure Hotel in Hongqiao on Saturday the 24th of October, saw the attendance of over 70 guests. Eat So They Can is an international fundraiser that invites citizens of the world to participate in what is collectively one huge dinner party; where something as simple as sharing a meal with friends can help stop child poverty. The event is co-initiative of the Global Volunteer Network (GVN), the GVN Foundation and GVNF Australia. This year, there were 1260 hosts, holding dinner parties across the globe, all for 1 cause: eradicating child poverty.
The China event was ushered in by a performance from one of Shanghai’s finest entertainers, Carlton J. Smith, who set the mood for a fabulous evening. Singer and pianist Brendan McGibbon provided melodious music throughout the rest of the evening, while the guests enjoyed a lovely meal, and learnt more about the Eat so they can campaign and the challenges faced in Africa. However, a highlight of the evening was certainly the performance of the traditional South African Gumboot Dance, given by students from the Kliptown Youth Progam, straight out of Johannesburg, South Africa, via Skype video. KYP is a youth center, which offers Educational, Sport and Performance Art programs to underprivileged children living in the Kliptown community. The dance was exhilarating and the organizers of the program were inspiring. The spirit and energy brought through from the dance, and the performers, provided a positive finish to an evening with a serious cause, reminding everyone that there is a lot to celebrate in Africa, which is why we need to take action to support it. There were also raffles, a lucky draw, and a silent auction, with prizes being supplied by the South African Fine Wines company, and with 100% of the money raised going to the campaign. The evening proved to be a success. The food, the hotel and the entertainment received excellent reviews, but most importantly, the event raised RMB 12 800 for the Eat so they Can campaign and RMB 3 200 for the Kliptown Youth Program.
The purpose of this event was not only to raise money but also to raise awareness, in order to ensure the continued action of individuals in the efforts to help stop child poverty in Africa. To find out more about the campaign, or to make a contribution, please visit: www.eatsotheycan.org.
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