A global Foundation featuring a 107-year-old female model and a teenager living with HIV/Aids is being launched in London this week. The Justina Mutale Foundation which aims to empower and inspire women and girls to become future leaders in the workplace is being launched at the Houses of Lords on Thursday 29 October 2015 from 5 – 7pm.

Speakers at the launch include 107-year-old Irene Sinclair, from Stoke Newington, who is a vintage Billboard Model and Motivational Speaker and 17-year-old student Channan Warmington Lewis-Moore from Lewisham who will talk about her success in journalism and business despite being a teenager living with HIV/Aids.

The Foundation is being launched in London this month by 54-year-old Justina Mutale from Enfield to tackle gender inequality in the UK and around the world as part of her personal commitment to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on increasing women’s empowerment. Justina who was awarded the title African Woman of the Year in 2012 and is now a global ambassador for gender equality said:

“As women of the 21^st century it is important to empower ourselves so that women and girls can become effective and influential players in business, politics, society, and the environment, science, Technology and all other walks of life. To do this, women and girls need to be equipped with the necessary leadership skills that are required to dare the difference and to close the gender gap.

“We also need to seize the opportunities of a borderless world to create global networks of women movers and shakers that stretch from one end of the world to the other.”

The Foundation will collaborate with international women’s networks including the International Women’s Think Tank headquartered in Atlanta Georgia, whose Founder & President, Brenda Morant will act as Advisor to the Foundation. The International Women’s Think Tank (IWTT) is an “ideas organization” promoting research, critical thinking and innovative solutions on issues related to women and Girls. The International Women’s Center (IWC), which is the program and implementation support arm of IWTT, actively advocates for the personal and professional enrichment of women and girls of the global community through mentorship, intercultural exchange, entrepreneurship, business development, leadership training and the sharing of ideas.

The Justina Mutale Foundation launch which also coincides with the UN’s International Day of the Girl to promote girls’ rights. will focus on addressing challenges facing girls worldwide with a particular focus on developing countries to tackle issues like education; an estimated 31 million girls of primary school age were out of school in 2013. Justina Mutale is also an ambassador for Plan International’s “Because I am a Girl” campaign and a spokesperson for The International World Think Tank (IWTT), which promotes academic research, critical thinking and innovative solutions on issues related to women and girls.

The Foundation will aim to educate, empower, inspire and motivate women and girls to become leaders in areas like business, politics, society, environment, academia, science and technology.

The launch will be hosted by the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. There will also be some empowering personal stories from Boikanyo Trust Mphenyo from Botswana, featured in the book Eleven Miles which outlines her experiences as a child having to walk 11 miles to school every day.

Speakers at the event include:

Irene Sinclair, Vintage Billboard Model, Motivational Speaker & former History Teacher, who is aged 107-years-old.

President Elio D’Anna, Founder & President of the European School of Economics

Geraldine Kilbride, Business Psychologist at the London Business School and Director of the Future Leaders Programme at the Resource Alliance

Her Excellency, Madame Sabine Balve; Founder & President, World Leaders Forum Dubai

Dr Cassandra Martinez-King, Chief Executive, London Petroleum Law & Management School

Robin Marsh, Secretary-General, Universal Peace Federation

Phoebe Ruguru, Student Film Maker and Young Leader.

For more information contact:

Fatoumata Diallo

Email: management@justinamutale.com