Gala Ball raises over $1M to unlock potential through the power of education

Saturday May 7th 2022 saw the spectacular return of our annual Black Tie Gala Ball, once again at The Star Event Centre, Sydney. There was a particular buzz in the air, with the Ball free from COVID-19 restrictions for the first time in 3 years.

Over 650 guests dressed to the nines gathered together for another memorable evening raising funds to further our vision of educating poverty out of existence. We were excited to see guests once again mingling and enjoying pre-event drinks in the foyer whilst our resident Gala Ball DJ Marel from Star DJ Hire rocked some tunes.

Paired with this buzz, there was also an air of anticipation as we’d set our most ambitious fundraising goal yet. With a target to raise $1 million, we were committed to reaching our goal which would ensure all our 1,400 students remain engaged in their learning for an entire year and allow us to commence work on our girls’ primary boarding facility.

The event formalities kicked off with a captivating performance by Zimbabwe-born singer Tarisai Vushe and her rendition of ‘The Circle of Life’. As one of the leads from the Lion King musical in 2013, Tarisai truly brought this number to life and captured the attention of the audience.

Our MC for the night was Australian icon and host of Channel 9’s Lego Masters, Hamish Blake, who took to the School for Life stage for the first time. Impressing the audience with his clever quips and infectious humour, he reminded us of this year’s theme - ‘Unlock a child’s potential’.

Hamish invited our Presenting Partner, PAC Capital’s, Chief Investment Officer Clayton Larcombe up to say a few words. Clayton shared with us his connection to School for Life and he and PAC Capital came onboard to support our mission. You can watch a short clip here.

We were further delighted to welcome back SfL Ambassador Georgie Gardner, who spoke with our Director of Community and Welfare, Janepher Nansubuga, and our Director of Education, Julius Barungi. Janepher and Julius, along with our Head of Finance and Operations, Fred Njuguna, each flew from Uganda to be with us in person.

Janepher and Julius both gave us insightful interviews, touching on the struggles Ugandan students have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, best highlighted by the longest school shut down in the world - a staggering 22 months.

Australia’s Got Talent 2013 Winners Uncle Jed then dazzled us with their emotive performance of Matt Corby’s ‘Brother’, alongside a set of other beautiful covers.

Chief Executive Officer Annabelle Chauncy OAM was next to take the stage, delivering a powerful presentation. George Washington Carver said, “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom”, and Annabelle certainly emphasised this in her emotional speech, reminding us all of the impact quality education has, not only on children, but on the whole community.

Hamish Blake and James Chauncy from Pickles led the live pledge which succeeded in raising over $500K!

Next up was the live auction of 8 prize lots, which included a personal portrait with Archibald finalist Luke Cornish, not one but two stays at the luxury hotel brand Soneva, a cocktail party for 30 guests aboard stunning superyacht Quantum and $30K worth of ad space donated by JCDecaux. Always an energetic part of our evening, we are once again thankful to James Chauncy, our Auctioneer, for driving the success of our live auction.

The formalities of the night wrapped up with the drawing of our car raffle. Our winner, announced by Chief Executive Officer of Montgomery Investment Management, David Buckland, would be going home with a brand-new MG ZS Excite, valued at $22,490.

The night concluded with Furnace and the Fundamentals, back by popular demand, who brought the dance floor to life for the first time in 3 years!

After an incredible evening, we are so immensely thrilled to announce that we didn’t just meet our fundraising goal, we smashed it, raising a record-breaking $1.1M in one night!

We would like to thank all our vital sponsors for making this special event possible. Particular mention to our platinum presenting partner PAC Capital, our diamond partners Montgomery Investment Management and Pickles Auctions, our gold partners The Agency and Definitive Systems, as well as our VIP partners the Boleyn Foundation, Couloir Capital and United Resource Management, for their continued support. Also a massive thank you to our cocktail partner, Manly Spirits Co and Invertigro, printing partner, Jeffries Printing, our signage partner, Easysigns and our content production partners Brightworks and Ascend Studios.

To all of our amazing and hard-working volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to run a seamless event and our volunteer Event Committee - without you the success of the Ball would not be possible!

Lastly, we would like to extend our gratitude to our guests, who attended the Ball and donated on the night. Your contributions will go a long way in unlocking the potential of thousands of children, providing them with a quality education that will empower them for life.

If you would like to receive the exclusive save the date announcement for next year’s Ball, please leave us your details below!

Success Stories
Goretti

Sweet and shy Goretti lives with her aunt, uncle and cousins in a small house in the local village. When Goretti was younger, she moved in with her aunt and uncle because her parents could no longer look after her. She was one of our first students at Katuuso Primary, starting in 2011 when she was just 4 years old. Now, Goretti is in Senior One at Mbazzi High School, and is relishing the honour of being a high school student in her community - something that is taken for granted in Australia, but in Uganda, represents freedom and opportunity. Goretti also loves attending School for Life because she hopes to one day become a pilot in Uganda - a dream which she knows can only be reached with the help of a good education.

Violah

Violah has been at School for Life since since she was six years old. Sadly, Violah has experienced hardship no child should ever deal with. Her Dad passed away three years ago, leaving her Mum without the financial means to support her family - so she left Violah and her siblings with their elderly grandmother. Every day, Violah has to wake up at 5am to fetch water, cook meals and make sure that her younger sisters are properly looked after. Then she walks half an hour to get to school. Despite this adversity, Violah has flourished at school and has made many friends. She loves that School for Life is "helping me to build a future". After finishing school, Violah hopes to become a teacher to help other children.

Umar

Umar is one of our best performing students at Mbazzi Riverside High School - but life has not always been easy for Umar. His father abandoned the family in 2015, leaving his mother to struggle to support her five children on her own. School for Life has provided Umar with opportunities that may never else have eventuated for him. Umar begun his journey with School for Life at Katuuso Primary School, where his academic ability was quickly revealed. Now, he is a thriving member of our Senior 1 class and a formidable wing on the football team. With a love for mathematics, Umar is set on studying electronic engineering after finishing his senior studies - a goal which he is the first to admit is now within reach thanks to the skills and resources provided to him by School for Life.

Rose Nambooze

Rose is a 32‐year‐old single mother of one. She started working with SFL in 2013, after taking part in our tailoring training program. Prior to working with us, she was unemployed and living in her father's home helping to care for her father, who had cataracts, and his farm.
Thanks to her full time employment, Rose was able to save enough money to pay for an eye operation and restore her father's sight, allowing him to return to work as a mechanic. Now, Rose has moved into her own home and no longer relies on her father financially. 

Joseph

Joseph is one of our Special Needs teachers at Katuuso. After surviving a severe case of malaria at age four, he was left permanently deaf. He was raised by his single mother and attended a nursery school for the handicapped and later transferred to a school for the Deaf in Kampala. He eventually mastered sign language and pursued a university degree in education. Joseph decided to become a teacher so that he could give the gift of education to others who are hearing impaired.

Teddy Namatovu

Teddy is a participant in the Kumi Tailoring Program and four of her five children attend Katuuso Primary School. She and her husband farm two acres of land, which supplies fluctuating revenue. Participation in the Kumi Tailoring Project has secured income to reliably pay for school fees, nutritious meals and renovations to the family home. Teddy has gained a great deal of self-esteem from her ability to support her family and she takes pride in independently financing the education of all five children. Teddy has also been working on her numeracy and administration skills. She was appointed Treasurer of the tailoring group and will be responsible for keeping records of their savings.

Flaviah Nassaazi

Flaviah Nassaazi started working at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School in 2011. Prior to cooking at the school, she and her husband were subsistence farmers. They worked tirelessly for small yields and minimal income to support their family. Flaviah's cooking job not only enables her to pay school fees for her children, but she has also invested in a local barbershop business. She is now passing her cooking skills onto her eldest son Frank, who has also joined the school's cooking staff. Flaviah and her husband attend the adult literacy classes offered weekly at the school. Her English and reading have improved immensely, as well as her confidence.

Rachel

In 2010, Rachel began as a cleaner at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School. She was working to save money to study to be a teacher at University. Thanks to Barrie and Simone Goldsmith, her dream of studying came true and she is now fully qualified.