American India Foundation’s 2024 Bay Area Gala Raises Over $2.65 Million for the Empowerment of Girls and Women in IndiaÂ
San Francisco, CA, June 4, 2024 – The American India Foundation’s (AIF) West Coast Chapter hosted its annual Bay Area gala to a crowd of 360 guests at San Francisco’s City Hall on Saturday, June 1, 2024. The evening spotlighted AIF’s vibrant Indian-diaspora-led community, as well as its multidimensional programming in India to empower women and girls with health, education, and livelihood opportunities. Whether helping women secure jobs, attain financial literacy, stay healthy through pregnancy and motherhood, or embark on careers in STEM, AIF partners with the government at the central, state, and local levels to implement programs that support women and girls at every point in their journey.Â
Honoring the professional and philanthropic achievements of Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex, and Aparna Bawa, COO of Zoom, and including a delightful musical performance from Stanford Raagapella and entertainment from the brilliant and hilarious Zarna Garg, the night brought together leaders, innovators, founders, and trailblazers across industries to celebrate AIF’s 23 years of impact, raising over $2.65 million to support AIF’s transformative work.Â
“AIF is so proud to have Flex and Zoom as our honorees this year–Revathi and Aparna are true exemplars of inspirational, passionate leaders who are shaping the future of technology at their respective companies. We are grateful to them for our new partnership and grateful for the generosity of all our supporters, corporate and government partners, donors, and friends, thanks to whom, AIF has reached 18.88 million lives across 35 states and union territories of India,” said CEO Nishant Pandey.Â
Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex, highlighted the importance of advancing women’s leadership in her speech, focusing on the concepts of being “ready enough” and the “glass cliff,” and emphasizing that women are frequently considered unprepared and are often assigned to high-risk roles. According to Advaithi, by giving women more top-level roles and diversifying corporate boards, we can significantly improve gender representation and support future women leaders, ensuring equitable opportunities for our daughters and the next generations to come.
“AIF’s mission to improve the lives of India’s underprivileged—with an emphasis on educational initiatives for women and girls, is near and dear to my heart, which is why I wholeheartedly support them not only at this gala, but all year long. I’m honored to be recognized by AIF, and am committed to continue evangelizing the foundation’s cause because every single young girl deserves a great education and limitless opportunity no matter her circumstances,” said Aparna Bawa, Chief Operating Officer at Zoom.
Through powerful videos and stirring speeches, attendees saw how AIF enables women and girls to lead healthy, dignified, and fulfilled lives. They met Ravina from Rewari, Haryana, who, despite daily strugglesÂ
with Thalassemia, was able to secure a remote job as a Customer Support Executive thanks to AIF’s livelihoods skills training and job placement support. They saw how Sweety, a government school student in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, gained a newfound confidence and love for robotics through AIF’s Digital Equalizer STEM programming. As the only girl with a group of 9 boys competing in a government-led Hackathon–which they won–she’s inspiring young girls in her community to follow in her footsteps.Â
The 2024 Bay Area Gala was the highest grossing gala in the Bay Area’s history, raising over $2.65 million thanks to the generosity of its donors, including presenting sponsor Sumir Chadha, and Gala Benefactors Flex Foundation and WestBridge Capital.Â
Learn more about the American India Foundation.Â
For any queries in the US, please contact Kalpana Kanthan, Chief Development Officer, at Kalpana.Kanthan@aif.org.
