Posted on Nov 30, 2013 in
FEATURES
Sugar Land Council Member Harish Jajoo, Ashraf Ramji, University of Houston Downtown President William Flores, Dr. Suleman Lalani, Sugar Land Council Member Amy Mitchell, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, First Lady Kathy Hubbard, Marty McVey and Channel 13’s Sharron Melton kicked off the Partnership Walk.
By Zeenat Kassam Mitha-
Fort Bend residents made up a large part of the 7,000 participants that demonstrated their commitment to end global poverty in the annual Partnership Walk on Saturday, November 2nd. This year, the Partnership Walk was held at Sam Houston Park, and Sugar Land Councilwoman Amy Mitchell partnered with Channel 13’s Sharron Melton to emcee the event.
The Partnership Walk is an initiative of Aga Khan Foundation USA (AKF USA) to raise awareness and funds that reduce poverty, hunger, illiteracy and poor health in Africa and Asia.
The November event raised over $1.4 million for AKF USA programs worldwide. One of the most admirable qualities of the Walk is that 100% of the funds raised go directly to projects supported by the Foundation, and not a cent is spent on administration.
Special guests and keynote speakers included the Honorable Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston; First Lady Kathy Hubbard; the Honorable Marty McVey, Member of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Board for International Food and Agricultural Development and President of McVey & Co. Investments, LLC; Sujiro Seam, Consul General of France; Dr. William Flores, President, University of Houston-Downtown; Dr. Noel Bezette-Flores, Co-Chair, Citizenship Month Houston; Claudia Ortega Hogue, Co-Chair, Citizenship Month Houston; Terence O’Neill, Mayor’s Office of International Communities and Sugar Land Councilman Harish Jajoo.
The Partnership Walk was an all-day event of fun for the entire family including fun runs, lively entertainment, dances and cuisine all celebrating a rich diversity of cultures. One of the most inspiring features of the Partnership Walk was the Village in Action, where attendees enjoyed interactive exhibits spotlighting the Foundation’s practical solutions for alleviating poverty in various countries. The festivities began with The National Anthem, sung by Sugar Land’s Chloe Choudhury.
Partnership Walk events were held in 10 major U.S. cities this year. Since 1995, Partnerships In Action activities, including the annual Partnership Walk and golf events, have attracted over 410,000 participants and raised $54 million for poverty alleviation projects supported by AKF USA. Participants help communities in some of the poorest areas of Africa and Asia to create long-term, self-help solutions to lift themselves out of poverty. These contributions make a tremendous impact in creating opportunities for farmers in Mali to feed their families, mothers in India to lead healthy lives, and girls in many countries in Africa and Asia to go to school.
AKF USA, established in 1981, is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (www.akdn.org), a private, non-denominational, not-for-profit international, development organization committed to alleviating poverty, hunger, illiteracy and poor health. AKF USA works to address the root causes of poverty by supporting and sharing innovative solutions in the areas of health, education, rural development, civil society and the environment. The Network’s agencies work for the common good of all citizens, regardless of their gender, origin or religion, and its underlying impulse is the ethic of compassion for the vulnerable in society.
