On Thursday 15th September 2011, Half the Sky Foundation UK held its first fundraising event at London's Mandarin Oriental. The event was supported His Excellency Mr Qin Gang, Deputy Head of Mission, The People's Republic of China and by a Board of Patrons, chaired by Mr Michael Naylor.

Half the Sky Founder and CEO Jenny Bowen, performer, Mary-Jess and his Excellency Mr Qin Gang, Deputy Head of Embassy, the People's Republic of China

The evening featured fabulous entertainment from The National Youth Theatre and a stunning performance by Mary-Jess, winner of the Chinese equivalent of the X Factor, who has just released her debut album 'Shine'.

Live performance by Mary-Jess

Supporters generously donated wonderful action items, including a portrait sitting with Nick Bashall, private tour and meet and greet with Arsenal players, and a beautiful 19th century inkstone donated by Mr Giuseppe Eskenazi.

Thanks to the generosity of guests, patrons, supporters, donors and sponsors, the evening proved to be a wonderfully successful (and enjoyable!) means of supporting Half the Sky programmes in Chinese orphanages. Our sincere thanks to all our guests, patrons, supporters, donors and sponsors.

Half the Sky Foundation (HTS) was created in 1998 in order to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects for orphaned children in China. We establish and operate infant nurture and preschool programmes, provide personalised learning for older children, and offer loving permanent family care, medical care and guidance for children with disabilities. It is our goal to ensure that every orphaned child has a caring adult in her life and a chance at a bright future.

In 13 years, a handful of supporters, mostly adoptive parents of Chinese babies, has grown to include 30,000 supporters world-wide, as well as a growing number of caring corporate citizens and private foundations.

In 13 years Half the Sky has trained thousands of caregivers to nurture the children enrolled in its innovative programs. In 2008, Half the Sky was deeply honoured to receive the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, presented in Oxford, to Jenny Bowen by former US President Jimmy Carter.