“Hosting fundraisers is a great way to educate and fundraise simultaneously!” –Yasmin Rajwani, School Team Captain, Vancouver, BC

“World Partnership Walk is a cause that is personally very close to me. From a young age, I learned how one individual can truly make an impact, no matter how many miles, cultures, or barriers there are between them. I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of this amazing movement.” —Yasmin Rajwani, Schools Team Captain, Vancouver, BC.

Yasmin has been fundraising at her school for the Walk since she was six years old. With over a decade of fundraising experience, Yasmin now has hosting fundraisers down to a fine art with plenty of fun ideas for getting her fellow students involved.

“Two years ago, I introduced samosa sales, and was pleasantly surprised at what a big hit it was at our school. There’s nothing like fried Indian food to get teenagers to pull out their wallets.”

This year Yasmin came up with a creative way to both raise funds and awareness for global poverty: a henna design fundraiser. “While our henna artists applied beautiful designs for students, they informed them about some of the interesting sustainable initiatives that their money would be going to. I thought it was a fantastic way to educate our donors and supporters about how much of an impact they could really make.”

Yasmin also had the smart idea for 2017 to expand her team across six schools in Burnaby. This not only helped her recruit new team members – it also helped her team more than double their fundraising goal. They raised an impressive $12,000.

Yasmin feels that it is key that young people like herself support the work of organizations like Aga Khan Foundation Canada. “We are fortunate enough to have access to our basic needs and the resources to succeed in our future. When I think about others who are not quite so fortunate, especially those in other parts of the world, I would like to assist, even in the slightest, to provide them with the same opportunities as we have here.”

Hosting fundraisers at her school has also helped Yasmin gain valuable skills and experience. She has improved her project management and marketing skills, and has lots of experience liaising with a variety of different stakeholders both at her school and within her local community.

When asked what advice Yasmin would give someone considering hosting a fundraiser for World Partnership Walk, she says “I would strongly advise them to go for it! Try new things, engage new participants, and don’t be afraid to take risks. There’s also nothing wrong with starting small, such as jelly bean guessing contest, which I initiated in my first few years. You will be amazed at how your fundraisers expand with experience and time!”

Join Canada’s largest movement to end global poverty!

There still time to support World Partnership Walk 2017 by hosting your own fundraiser.

Check-out our Fundraise My Way Toolkit for everything you need to get started!

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