It is my great honor to welcome you most warmly to this year’s Africa Fashion Week Seattle. This event was designed to not only highlight the beauty of African fashion and culture but also promote child education in African communities, where many school-going children remain underprivileged and marginalized. Every day, millions of children across Africa, especially in South Senegal and in Tanzania, struggle to learn because of poor learning conditions. Personally, I have been immensely touched by images of young students sitting on the floor or the ground due to the lack of desks. Like most of you here today, I was lucky to have access to schools where I had every tool to facilitate my learning. The desperation of these children ought to be the turning point for us; we must do something. For starters, we can give them a desk, where they can write and learn. This will be the first step toward keeping these bright young minds in school.

It cost $65 for a school desk in Senegal, and 40 desks complete a classroom. By joining Africa Fashion Week Seattle, you will make a difference by giving a Senegalese or a Tanzanian child a chance to advance their education and achieve their dreams.

Since April 2021, we have been able to provide up to 101 desks enough for two classrooms, and our goal is to provide 500 chairs by next year. To achieve this goal, we will need all the help we can get. I believe that together we can promote access to education and elevate the quality of learning in Africa, starting in Senegal and in Tanzania.

I would like each one of you to take a moment to ask yourself this – Do you believe in education? Do you believe that education is fundamental to breaking the cycle of poverty? Do you believe that education is the key to unlocking the golden door of freedom for children in Africa? To get the answers to these questions, we don’t have to look far.

From where I am, everyone reading this message is a real-life embodiment of the unlimited power of education. To these children, education means everything, in that it is the one path that offers them a definite chance at socio-economic freedom for themselves and their future generations. By supporting this project, you will make a real difference in the world, becoming part of something that transcends our own communities. With your donation, you will help secure the future of an African child whose light would otherwise never get a chance to shine. In my book, and I’m sure you’ll all agree with me, there’s no cause more noble, worthy, and spiritually rewarding than that.

Thank You!

Zeynab K-Traverso_Founder & CEO