Celebrating 30 years of empowerment and investing in Southern Africa, Shared Interest, a leading non-profit guarantee fund dedicated to providing Black women entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises in Southern Africa with access to the financing, markets and skills they need to build wealth, will host its 30th Anniversary Voices of Change Gala on Monday, April 29, 2024 at The Lighthouse Pier 61 in New York City.
During the special Anniversary Gala event, Shared Interest will honor iconic “voice and spirit of The Lion King” Lebohang “Lebo M” Morake, South African singer, performer, producer and composer with the Cultural Innovator Award and Wendy Luhabe, South African Women’s Economic Development Champion and Entrepreneur with the Women’s Economic Leadership Award. Citibank, N.A. will be the corporate honoree and presenting sponsor receiving the Corporate Leadership Award.
Hosted by Celebrity Media Personality Makho Ndlovu, the 30th Anniversary Gala will feature a private VIP reception, general cocktail reception, dinner, entertainment and spotlight cultural messages of inspiration and entrepreneurial ingenuity made possible by our sponsors, honorees, social impact investors and partners. The event is Co-Chaired by Tim Smith and The Bergman Family and sponsoring the gala are The Altschuler Family, Susan Pritzker along with gala partners South Africa Chamber of Commerce, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), Face2Face Africa and Africa.com.
During the gala program, guests will enjoy a high-level panel discussion on Why Africa? Why Now? The discussion will explore opportunities to advance an inclusive development and human rights agenda in Southern Africa, particularly for women and youth. It will also underscore the importance of leveraging the ties between the U.S. and Southern Africa to drive sustainable social impact investments in the SME sector. Renowned South African Journalist, Executive Producer, Broadcaster, and Author, Redi Tlhabi, will moderate the discussion. She will be joined by special guests, Reverend Naomi Tutu, an Episcopal Clergy, Race and Gender Activist, and Daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, along with her daughter, Mungi Ngomane, an Author, Public Speaker, and Human Rights Activist.
“As we celebrate our 30th Anniversary, the enduring vision that drives our work – then and now – is to be a catalytic vehicle of financial inclusion, systems change, economic empowerment and social impact that empowers Black women entrepreneurs and other small and medium-sized enterprises to be engines of sustainable development and growth in Southern Africa.” said Ann McMikel Executive Director of Shared Interest. “We are excited to bring back our first in-person New York City gala since COVID-19 affording an exciting opportunity to dually acknowledge the end of apartheid in South Africa and our strong anti apartheid roots by commemorating 30 years of our work to advance racial, gender and economic justice in Southern Africa for our beneficiaries on the frontlines of food insecurity, climate change, gender inequality, unaffordable housing, and fintech. We will also shine a spotlight on the Voices of Change that are critical to scale the impact of our mission and programs in a region of the world that is considered the most unequal by the World Bank.”
“Through Shared Interest’s Voices of Change Campaign, ICCR is remembering the voices of anti-apartheid leaders that were the foundation of the transition to power leading to the Presidency of Nelson Mandela. ICCR and the faith community played a key role in the decades of pressure against the apartheid regime. And today we are also shining a spotlight on leading voices of change advancing the fight for economic, racial and gender justice.” said Tim Smith Shared Interest Board Chairman and Senior Policy Advisor at the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR). “The faith-based community has also been an important bridge between investors and underserved communities in Southern Africa by providing much needed investment capital. “This year’s gala spotlights 30 years of Shared Interest’s work in Southern Africa. We are proud that so many faith-based investors have put investment dollars to work as Shared Interest partners.”
More than 300 U.S. and African activists, artists, civic and corporate leaders, and development practitioners will gather alongside top diplomats, key U.S. policymakers, and influencers to celebrate an evening that will showcase Shared Interest’s critical role in helping ‘unbanked’ smallholder farmers, emerging business owners, and homeowners access credit for the last 30 years.
Previous galas have honored and engaged an esteemed list of global leaders and businesses including Avon Products, Chrysler, Colgate, Coca-Cola, BET, Johnson & Johnson, The Nielsen Company, Merck, JP Morgan Chase, and PepsiCo, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Graça Machel, Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, Pravin Gordhan, John Kani, Graça Machel, Thuli Madonsela, Barbara Masekela, Hugh Masekela, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Kumi Naidoo, Anant Singh, Albertina Sisulu, Sheila Sisulu, Susan L. Taylor, and India Arie.
Doors open at 6:00 P.M. To purchase tickets to the Voices of Change Gala, please visit www.sharedinterest.org/voicesofchangegala. To stay up to date with Shared Interest and the 30th Anniversary Gala, follow: Instagram, X, LinkedIn and Facebook page.
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About Shared Interest https://www.sharedinterest.org/voicesofchangegala
Shared Interest is a nonprofit investment fund (that grew out of the anti-apartheid movement) to move local banks to lend to low-income Black entrepreneurs, micro-enterprises with a special focus on women in Southern Africa. To date, Shared Interest has provided $34 million in guarantees, that has unlocked $125 million in loans to Black-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in South Africa, Mozambique, Eswatini, Malawi and Zambia, impacting 2.3 million individuals from disenfranchised communities. Our new model is designed to achieve our guiding star by working with at least 10 new Southern African commercial lenders in seven countries — benefiting 100,000 people from disenfranchised communities – 60 percent of them women and youth.
Media Contact: Shukura Shears | shukura@sharedinterest.org | 718-877-5156
