SBWC and acclaimed Kuwaiti designer make charity fashionable by dedicating 10% of fashion show revenue to Tawasul

Aseel Al Rowaished and SBWC transform the fashion runway into a gateway for orphans' donations

UAE, Sharjah, 20 July 2013: In yet another imaginative fundraising concept inspired by Tawasul Orphans Education Fund, the Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) has hosted a glamorous private fashion show to benefit the charity's orphans. The private viewing was one of the quarterly events organized for the SBWC's Yakah members, and starred highly renowned Kuwaiti designer Aseel Al Rowaished who unveiled her latest collection and generously donated 10% of the show's revenue to Tawasul's noble cause.

Aseel Al Rowaished is the daughter of famous Kuwaiti singer Abdalla Al Rowaished, and has emerged as one of the most exciting talents among the region's fashionistas. The fashion show coincides with the ongoing Tawasul Online Charity Auction, which blended art with charity to give orphans a new lease of life.

Tawasul is a Sharjah-based Fund initiated by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry in partnership with the Sharjah Business Women Council, that strives to use education as a stimulus to give orphans full control of their future, under the generous patronage of HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and Patron of Sharjah Business Women Council.

Jasmin Ruehling, Program Executive Trainee at the Sharjah Business Women Council, elaborated: “The words ‘orphans' and ‘glamorous' are normally never used in the same conversation, let alone the same sentence - but we are changing mindsets by making it fashionable to be charitable. By blending charity with art, fashion and other creative modes of expression, we will make our fundraising events as fresh and vibrant as the children themselves. We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Sharjah Business Women Council and Aseel Al Rowaished for showing their true colors and wearing their hearts on their sleeves. This event proves that although fashion collections may evolve with the seasons of the year, charity is always in season.”

Ms Ruehling added: “It is no coincidence that this event was generously supported by businesswomen - because in business, social responsibility is becoming a necessity and not a luxury. Entrepreneurs now appreciate that when the community thrives, their businesses thrive as well. Through education, the orphans that entrepreneurs are uplifting could one day be their future clients, investors, partners, employees or even employers.”

Aseel Al Rowaished commented: “I feel truly honored to use my God-given talents as a platform that can help to transform the lives of these young rising stars. This is my first time to do a collaboration of this nature in the UAE, and the fact that I am Kuwaiti shows that Tawasul and its partners are broadening their horizons beyond their Sharjah roots and spreading their wings to a wider regional and global audience.”

Meanwhile bids are being welcomed at Tawasul's ongoing online charity auction on www.tawasulfund.ae/home