HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - July 11, 2018 -Over US$750,000 was raised at the Asian University for Women (AUW) Hong KongSupport Foundation's second annual fundraising benefit "In Honour ofDaughters," providing 50 one-year scholarships for women from the mostmarginalized communities in Asia -- including Rohingya migrants and factoryworkers -- to study at the liberal arts university based in Chittagong,Bangladesh.

More than 350 guests attended the benefit presented by titlesponsor Lancôme and main event sponsor Marriott International at the JWMarriott Ballroom in Hong Kong. Guests were inspired by a lively paneldiscussion focused on the need for urgent action to accelerate progress in theregion, titled "The Time is Right. Now." The esteemed panel featured AUW ChancellorCherie Blair; AUW Patron & Former Chief Secretary Anson Chan; and writer,activist & AUW Trustee Marina Mahathir. Emcee Sean Lee-Davies, a respectedenvironmental activist and filmmaker, moderated the panel and enlightened theaudience with poignant commentary.  Corporatesponsors included Advantage Partners, Mayer Brown, Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters,Point72, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, FleishmanHillard, L'OREAL, Citi and manymore.

Storytelling on the evening also featured a fireside chatwith outstanding AUW graduates Kimsru Duth from Cambodia (AUW '13) and ShekebaAhmadi from Afghanistan (AUW '18), led by Mallika Kapur of Bloomberg Asia Live.The women shared their ambitions for the future and their plans to lead changein their home countries. "One day, I hope to be the CEO of AmnestyInternational," proclaimed Ahmadi. Kimsru Duth, from the first graduating classof AUW is now working in her hometown of Siem Reap for an NGO dedicated toeducating and empowering youth in Cambodia.

Exclusive, culturally enriching experiences from around theworld were on live auction presided by Christie's Chairman of Asian artJonathan Stone, including once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that included aprivate tour of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, and a privatelunch and tour of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur with Marina Mahathir,daughter of newly re-elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed. Hong Kong Tatler covered the evening, sharing photoson their society page and publishing a comprehensive featurein celebration of AUW's 10^th anniversary.   

The event was the second annual gala dinner organized by theAUW Hong Kong Support Foundation, and the funds raised will provide 50 one-yearscholarships, allowing the most promising young women from marginalizedcommunities around Asia and the Middle East to receive a high-quality tertiaryeducation, changing their lives and communities forever.

"In Hong Kong, we tend to take gender equality and access toeducation for granted, but sadly it's not the case in most of Asia," said LynneAnne Davis, Board Chair, AUW Hong Kong Support Foundation & AUW Trustee."The warm response and incredible generosity that these women and theirmissions received at our benefit shows the Hong Kong community is making a meaningfuldifference -- not only for the women of AUW, but for the region and the world asthese students go on to transform their communities for the better."

Sponsors &Partners

AUW wishes to thank the sponsors who made the benefitpossible: Advantage Partners, AIA, Asia Alternatives, Awethentic Studio,Bloomberg, Brooks Brothers, Christie's, Citi, Crystal Elegance IndustrialLimited, Davis Polk, Debevoise & Plimpton, DFS, FleishmanHillard, FREvents, HCV Partners, Hong Kong Tatler, IREKA, Jack Morton, J.P. Morgan, Lancôme,Li & Fung, L'Oreal, Marriott International, Mayer Brown JSM, MediaOutreach, MetLife, Morgan Stanley, Moving Concept, Point72, Shangri-La Hotels& Resorts, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Small Luxury Hotels of the World,Thomson Reuters, Western Asset Management, VF Corporation.

About AsianUniversity for Women

Founded in 2008 and located in Chittagong, Bangladesh, AsianUniversity for Women is the first of its kind:  a regional institutiondedicated to women's education and leadership development -- international inoutlook, but rooted in the contexts and aspirations of the people ofAsia.  Students from 15 countries attend AUW.  This Universityexists solely to support a rising network of women leaders, entrepreneurs andchange makers from across the region. It seeks out women who have significantacademic potential and demonstrate courage and a sense of outrage at injusticeand are empathic to the woes of other people.  A majority of AUW'sstudents are first in their family to enter university; and nearly all are onfull or near-full scholarship funded by private donors from around theworld.  A majority of AUW graduates find employment in the private sectorin their home countries while about 25% go on to pursue graduate studies. AUWgraduates or former students have been admitted to Stanford, Oxford, Columbia,Brandeis, Surrey and a host of other leading universities in the world.

About AUW SupportFoundation

The Asian University for Women seeks to graduate women who will beskilled and innovative professionals, service-oriented leaders, and promotersof intercultural understanding and sustainable human and economic developmentin Asia and throughout the world. The AUW Support Foundation, a501(c)(3)-registered nonprofit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts,is the principal source of funding mobilization for the Asian University forWomen in Chittagong, Bangladesh.