On Tuesday, November 4th, we will host our 9th annual conference to raise funds and awareness for girls’ education in developing countries.
All funds raised will go directly to the projects we support as we are a completely volunteer run organization. This year, the Foundation is helping a secondary school for girls in Kenya, as a follow up to our support for a primary school in the region in 2007. We are also working to fund the creation of a safe learning environment for girls in Afghanistan.
Please feel free to visit our website for more details about both projects.
Our conferences are always fun as well as interesting. Starting with a wine and cheese reception, attendees are welcome to browse through the many items on offer for our silent auction (and perhaps place a bid, or two)! This year, the items on offer will include hockey and concert tickets as well as gift certificates to spas, restaurants and other things to do around Montreal.
We are also pleased to welcome Bev Carrick, co-founder of CAUSE Canada, as the keynote speaker. She has accumulated a wealth of knowledge on international development through her on the ground experience in sub-Saharan Africa and Central America.
Bev began working as a famine relief nurse in Ethiopia in 1974. She founded CAUSE Canada with her husband, Paul Carrick, in 1984 and has worked as its Executive Director for the past 10 years. She has sought to empower communities and individuals in disadvantaged regions to overcome poverty and improve their quality of life.
60 million girls partnered with CAUSE Canada in Sierra Leone in 2011. More recently, we have had the unique opportunity to work hand in hand with the organization on a pilot project, entitled “self-directed computer-based learning in a rural environment”. Using technology to reach children who live in remote rural areas will be an important tool to get all children in school and to give them the resources they need to learn.
Last but not least, Sheena Bell from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), will join Bev on the podium. This arm of UNESCO is based in Montreal and is the primary source for internationally comparable statistics on education, science and technology, as well as culture and communication.
Statistics are crucial. They enable us to target our investments in girls’ education and look at projections for the future to determine where we can best deploy our efforts in line with our R&D team’s mandate to look at innovation in education in the developing world.
We hope that you can join us on November 4th.
Tickets are $100 (tax receipt for $75) and $25 for students.
The conference will take place at l’Ermitage on the Collège de Montréal campus, 3510 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Montreal.
Please visit www.60milliongirls.org for more details and to purchase tickets.