The Ubuntu Charity Gala Dinner

The Ubuntu Education Fund Gala Dinner

5th May 2010

40,000 Children

Reached Over 11 Years of Progress

1 Night to Celebrate Their Future!

The Boiler House, Battersea Power Station

An Evening with Hugh Masekela was a tremendous success and raised over £650,000! This was an impressive mile stone in Ubuntu Education Fund's 11 years of groundbreaking work assisting orphaned and vulnerable children in the townships of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

I have spent the past week wearing a huge grin on my face! Planning and preparing for this event with the host committee team has been hugely exciting and inspirational. There is something magical about watching teamwork and passion transmute into actions and delivery. The combined force of our efforts has been incredible to watch. It is heart warming to see a group of people collaborate so effortlessly, propelling a massive project like this forward, in so doing, inspiring many other people to show their support. All of us enthusiastically shared the Ubuntu spirit with our friends and colleagues resulting in an impressive turnout and a generous show of support. It was no mean feet to gather over 350 guests in one room. A huge thank you goes out to all of the hands that helped make this possible.

Hugh Masekela Supports Ubuntu Education Fund and the Children of South Africa

South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela was joined by Aaron Mokoena, South African national football team captain and FA Cup Finalist with Portsmouth, Olympic Gold Medallist Dr. Edwin, Dragons' Den Entrepreneur James Caan, South African High Commissioner H. E. Dr. Zola Skweyiya and over 350 guests at London's iconic landmark, Battersea Power Station.

Edwin Moses Supports Ubuntu Education Fund at Battersea Power Station

Other guests included, AaronMokoena and Ubuntu Education Fund included Arsenal Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis, VivianImerman and Lady Caroline Conran.

Founder, Jacob Lief, gives thanks with Phumela Cleopatra Mpongoshe

Ubuntu's third annual gala featured a live performance from Hugh Masekela and personal accounts from two Ubuntu Scholars, Siyasanga Mwanda, a second year student of Social Work at Nelson Mandela Metropole University, and Phumela Cleopatra Mpongoshe, a 16 year-old student in Ubuntu’s After-School Programme both gave powerfully moving speeches of a lifetime to gala guests, explaining the transformative impact that Ubuntu has had on their lives. I have to confess to being a real softy and crying throughout the speeches.

South African High Commissioner Dr. Zola Skweyiya and Ubuntu Education Fund's Founder and Scholars Support the Children of South Africa at Battersea Power Station

Ubuntu’s Live Auction was run by on-screen expert from the BBC’s ‘Flog It’ Charlie Ross, whose wit and energy provided great entertainment for guests and ensured the auction was a tremendous success. Top prizes included a private lunch with Archbishop Desmond Tutu which raised an impressive £35,000, all-inclusive passes to Sundance Film Festival and tickets to the FIFA World Cup Final in South Africa.

Auction Highlights

1. Lunch with the Archbishop: An exclusive private lunch with the Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

2. Sundance 2011: Two 10-day passes for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. To include opening and closing ceremony, entrance to all films PLUS accommodation throughout.

3. Lights, Camera, Fashion!: Two tickets to the 2010 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York. To include an exciting weekend getaway.

4. Inside the Dragons’ Den: Lunch with James Caan from the hit television show, Dragons’ Den.

5. South African Adventure: A 10-day trip through South Africa including a 5* safari, indulgence in Cape Town’s finest hotels and a visit to Ubuntu’s headquarters in Port Elizabeth.

6. 007 - Licence to Chill: One-week luxurious retreat at the exclusive Ian Fleming Villa of the Goldeneye Resort in Jamaica, where he wrote the James Bond novels.

The Ubuntu Gala Dinner has been a shining light, a goal, a mile stone and a beacon to which I have measured my life over the past 8 months. Everything either falls into pre or post gala evening. Now that the event is over the only solution is to create and look forward to many more beacons of light, many more fund raisers, gala dinners and educational projects lie ahead of us.

The next exciting step on the journey will be the opening of The Ubuntu Centre in Port Elizabeth in September 2010. The centre will be home to a fully equipped learning facility, pharmacy, clinic, theatre, library and vegetable garden; all providing essential resources for the community. The future is bright. Through our chain reaction of giving we are fundamentally changing people's lives for the positive. "I am because you are" is a says it perfectly.

Ubuntu Scholar, Phumela Cleopatra Mpongoshe Explains Why Ubuntu Education Fund is So Important to the Children of South Africa

Channel 4 News was present on the evening and filmed some exciting footage focussing on Hugh Masekela, South African Jazz and the World Cup:

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/arts_entertainment/masekela+rails+against+music+and+the+world+cup/3638492

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid62612474001?bctid=83388539001

Host Committee

· Farah and Hassan Alaghband

· Fabiola and Andrew Rolfe

· Bonnie and R Derek Bandeen

· Karen and David Brush

· Linda Grosse

· Donna Karan

· Gareth Knight

· Bertrand Lipworth

· Sir Sidney Lipworth

· Alexandra and William Roedy

· Stephen Schaffer

· Katherine Scott

· Kathleen and Scott Simpson

· Tony Tabatznik

· Tracy and Jacques Tredoux

Jami and Bill Voge