7th Annual Harambee Chicago Announced
illi News/10011835

CHICAGO - March 26, 2019 - illiNews -- On Friday, May 3, 2019 Harambee Chicago will host 150+ guests at R5 Chicago in the West Loop neighborhood from 6 to 9 pm CST. Harambee Chicago is COME UNITY's largest fundraising event, bringing together global partners to fund holistic programs that tackle the systemic issues of chronic poverty in East African communities. Harambee is Swahili for "all pull together." In Kenya, communities harambee regularly, pulling together limited resources to help each other in times of need. This year, the theme is 'Face-to-Face,' where through a customized virtual reality experience guests will come face-to-face with members of the partner communities, showing daily life in East Africa.

This year's virtual reality experience offers the most honest and clear view of daily life for people living in our partner communities of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Kajiado, Kenya and Pokot, Kenya.  Meet our scholarship recipients attending school, our families who finally have access to clean water and see the beautiful, but challenging African landscape. Kristin Naylor, COME UNITY's Executive Director and Founder stated "Harambee Chicago is an important event for us in showcasing the significance of COME UNITY's impact in East Africa, and now with virtual reality, our guests will be transported into the partner communities for the clearest vision yet of our work." The experience will also feature interactive installations for learning more about basic needs, education and sustainability, the three pillars of COME UNITY.

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Harambee Chicago is a cocktail-style event with signature drinks and heavy hors d'oeuvres.   Additional fundraising activities include:

  Partner Shop – Attendees can select from three projects to specifically donate to

  Wine Toss - Pay $20 for three rings and toss the ring onto a bottle of wine to take home

  Water Walk – Attendees pay to get someone's name on the list and/or pay to get their name off the list.  At time of water walk those names listed must walk the runway with a Jerry Can

COME UNITY has set an ambitious goal of raising $50,000, which will go towards three projects, one for each pillar of the committed organization:

·       BASIC NEEDS: Clean water for Oloomunyi community. ($26,000-$40,000 needed)

The Oloomunyi community currently walks ten miles each way to collect dirty water from a dried riverbed where they have to dig until water percolates in. Access to clean water promotes community health, provides a necessary resource for construction, agriculture and livestock initiatives and gives women and children their time back to invest in income generating activities and education.

·       EDUCATION: Three-Day Girls Empowerment Conference ($5,000 needed)

The Girls Empowerment Conference equips, empowers and encourages the girls in COME UNITY's Kenyan Education Sponsorship program. The conference is held during the extended school break in November when the girls are most at risk of being married off or forced to undergo female genital mutilation by their families, interrupting or terminating their educatior.

·       SUSTAINABILITY: Greenhouses for Inkuseron Community ($15,000 needed)

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For many historically nomad tribes like the Maasai tribe, food security is a major concern, especially as extended drought continues to plague East Africa. By providing two large greenhouses to the Inksueron community we will bring sustainable agricultural practices, increase food security and create 30+ jobs for women in the community.

Harambee Chicago is an impactful fundraiser made possible by its generous sponsors: sgsco, (http://www.sgsco.com/) Above All Else at Aspen Ridge, Force Partners, Raffin Construction, Icon Modern, Do It All Entertainment, Paolo Apuli, Artists of the Industry,  US Smoke and Fire, Shore Capital Partners, Herman Miller, Thomas Interiors, Tito's Vodka, Middle Brow Bungalow and Office Revolution.

To become a corporate sponsor, go to http://bit.ly/CUHarambee and to purchase tickets go to https://harambeechicago.eventbrite.com. Tickets are now available for pre-sale

About COME UNITY: COME UNITY is a registered 501(c)3 organization [EIN number: 27-5361551] that partners East African communities to develop long-term, sustainable solutions to chronic poverty. Our three-part approach addresses access to basic needs, education and sustainability. The three pillars create opportunities for these East African communities to live self-sufficient lives. Working alongside local leaders, COME UNITY aims to empower from within by utilizing local resources and skill sets to bring community-generated ideas from dream to reality. This community-based approach fosters a sense of ownership and restores dignity by allowing our partner communities to be their own agents of change. The three pillars (basic needs, education and sustainability) create opportunities for these East African communities to live self-sufficient lives