On Saturday 13 May 2023, educational charity Developments in Literacy (DIL) Trust UK held its 10th Annual Fundraiser Gala at The Dorchester Hotel, London. The charity gala was attended by nearly 300 guests – high net worth individuals, dignitaries and influential professionals in various fields of finance, art and business.
Through its dedicated DIL Trust UK schools, located in Pakistan’s underserved areas, with its teacher training service and its Ed Tech programmes the charity delivers high quality education to more than 343,378 students –73% of which are girls with a dropout rate of 5.4%. In 2022, the teacher training service partnership has strengthened 84 Government Schools, in Balochistan, we have Educated 11,000 out-of-school girls. Post Covid we have Recovered Lost Learning in 1,400 Non-DIL schools.
Education activist and youngest Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai spoke at the Gala about her mission for girls’ education and support for charities like DIL Trust UK.
“We know there are many challenges from quality of education to access to safety for girls and young women,” said Yousafzai. “In order to address these challenges, we have to come together and collaborate with teachers, local leaders, and local organisations like DIL Trust UK who are working to make this dream possible.”
DIL alumni Afreen Mushtaq joined guests from Karachi, Pakistan via video call and movingly spoke about the impact that DIL had on her life. Afreen shared her incredible journey from growing up in Asia’s second largest slum to working at a multinational organisation and advocating for education now herself – the result of an impactful and life changing education at a DIL school.
With the highest amount of the night being generously pledged by Malala, the gala fundraiser raised a record amount of £430,000.
DIL Trust UK TEAM: We were delighted to welcome our wonderful supporters, sponsors and friends to our Disco Deewane Gala. What a spectacular evening it was – our guests dug deep and donated generously towards our cause. A very special thank you to Malala for her moving and empowering speech and her generosity for which we are grateful. We are extremely grateful to everyone for opening their hearts and for being with us that evening. It was a very special night that raised an historic amount for the charity which will now be used to get more girls back into schools and leverage its Technology Enabled Academic Learning (TEAL) and teacher training services.
The Gala Fundraiser received coordination support from volunteers across London who worked tirelessly to ensure that the fundraiser was a success, including young professionals and high school students from the American School in London. The volunteer engagement set the tone and atmosphere for a special community driven event.
The theme of the DIL UK Gala Fundraiser – “Disco Deewane” is a celebration of Pakistan in the 1980s where the country’s pop music scene, now globally admired, was starting to emerge and the spirit of art and culture thrived.
About DIL Trust UK
Developments in Literacy Trust UK’s mission is to educate and empower under-privileged students, especially girls, across Pakistan. DIL Trust UK believes that no child in Pakistan, no matter how poor or underprivileged should be denied access to quality education. Over 85% of DIL UK students have access to technology, which includes dedicated IT labs and digital libraries. Today our alumni work in fields as diverse as medicine, engineering and public service, charting the future of Pakistan.
