Let’s be frank: New York City knows how to throw a party.
Last Tuesday, at the gorgeous David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, some of New York’s finest eventgoers attended a fundraiser for Maloto, an organization founded by Anna Msowoya Keys. Upon attending her sister’s funeral in 2003, Ms. Keys discovered that local children had accompanied the mourners at the ceremony. Like her sister, the parents of many of these children had passed away from HIV/AIDS, and were left to care for themselves. One way they accomplished this was by asking for food at funerals.
This occurence, coupled with the death of her sister, compelled Ms. Keys to take action in her home country, by helping women and children handicapped by the scourge of HIV/AIDS to feed themselves and eventually to earn money. Thus, Maloto was born.
The organization focuses on three branches of work: feeding vulnerable children and educating them (Maloto helped to build one school, the Mzuzu Academy), and empowering women through income generation and value-added agriculture.
Through the work of Meredith Brokaw (the wife of NBC anchor Tom Brokaw) and a committed group of volunteers, Maloto held its first annual fundraiser last week, drawing over 300 guests and raising over $400,000 through ticket sales, donations, and a silent auction that included a trip to Montana and a locker-room tour of Yankee Stadium. Al Roker (right), a Today Show host, served as the master of ceremonies, and a special keynote from Ms. Keys, as well as a performance by Motherland Rhythm and Dance, drew the crowd to its feet.
As a media sponsor of Maloto, Africa.com congratulates the group on its success on the event and in its future endeavors!
(Photos by Marc Santos)
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