Fostering growth

About 250 guests gathered at The Ballroom at Bayou Place for the second annual Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) Houston Banquet, raising $170,000 for the nonprofit. AKF works to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable populations by contributing to economic growth and financial inclusion, reaching some of the most remote parts of Africa and Asia. In 2018, AKF reached 285,000 people with programs. The theme of this year’s gala was “Economic Inclusion: Collaborating to Foster Growth, Prosperity and Social Justice.” Ham Serunjogi, a graduate of one of Aga Khan’s schools – Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, gave the keynote address. After graduating from Aga Khan Academy, Ham went on to Grinnell College in Iowa and then founded Chipper Cash, a venture capital-backed financial tech company that offers free cross-border mobile payments. They have raised $2.4 million in venture capital funding in the last year. The event was emceed by broadcast journalist Isiah Carey, and a live auction was led by auctioneer “Shorty.” Pictured are (from left) Moazzam Khoja and AKF-Southwest chair Faiza Khoja, Nancy Olson, Congressman Pete Olson, vice chair of AKF-Southwest Aly Valiani and AKF-Southwest volunteer Salim Lalan.

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