More than 100 people squeezed into the Edgecombe Builders office in downtown Kelowna Wednesday night, for an annual event that supports the local charity Her International.
Her International is a grassroots charity, created in Kelowna 12 years ago by a woman named Michelle Bonneau, that aims to empower women and girls in Nepal through education.
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The annual scarf sale lures everyone from construction industry workers to city councillors to support a good cause and purchase scarfs and jewelery made in Nepal for Christmas gifts.
Executive Director of Her International Tamara McLennan said the charity hopes to generate more than $4,000 in scarf and jewelry sales to support 20 girls and their mothers in Nepal.
“When you think that $4,000 is almost one year’s tuition for university here for one student, but in Nepal it supports 10 girls and then automatically grants their moms access to a micro-credit in a life skills groups that gives them the education they need,” she said.
President of Her International Kevin Edgecombe just returned from Nepal where he and a group of volunteers built four classrooms at Janata Secondary School in Ghotawa, Dang District.
“The friends I have and the people who are there are so easy to do work for. They have nothing, but they give you everything. They have a way about them that is incredibly gracious and the gratitude they share and show we need to figure out in North America,” said Edgecombe.
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New Coun. Loyal Wooldridge was in attendance at the annual event to make a special announcement for the charity.
“Unfortunately we lost my mom two years ago, unexpectedly, at the age of 56,” said Wooldridge. “So, my sister and I decided to create a legacy foundation in her name and each year we give back to the community and this year we are giving back to the global community. I was so inspired by Kevin and Her International, and with my sister being a registered nurse in Victoria we decided this was the perfect fit to donated $2,100 to the nursing program.”
Her International started a scholarship program to send young women to nursing school, after the death of a girl in Nepal which could have been avoided had there been proper medical facilities in place. The money donated by Wooldridge will go to this program.
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jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca
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