with Julianne Michelle FARZANA FOUNDATION

The Farzana Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 private foundation, whose mission is to provide funding for the construction of fresh water wells within the many small Afghan villages, which do not enjoy this basic necessity of everyday life.

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On November 29th, 2022, the Farzana Foundation held its Inaugural Gala in Manhattan at the Apostle's Ballroom, which was well-attended by notable entrepreneurs, anchors, actresses, artists, models, and fashion designers, including emcee C-King, three-time Emmy awardwinning anchor and two-time New York Times best-selling author Rita Cosby, fashion designer/supermodel Avadora Mimouni, and fashion designer Elie Balleh.

The evening included a buffet dinner, fashion show featuring looks by designer Diana Mahrach and makeup and hair artist Donna Sousa, and a silent auction featuring exquisite artworks by artist Tatyana Horoshko, Gretchen Olga Schwartz and Vill E. Wright. Sponsors included Empire Rockefeller vodka, Quint Capital, and La Mila Catering & Events. 100% of funds raised went to the funding water wells in the region of Herat, Afghanistan.

Since 2017, Farzana’s family has provided funding for more than 61 freshwater wells in the area surrounding Farzana’s birth city, Herat, located in the Northwestern parts of the country near the border with Iran, where Farzana spent the first nine years of her life. This has enabled families living in this area to enjoy this basic necessity most readily. While each of these wells provides waters to hundreds of families, there is a great need to construct many more. Those who do not have a freshwater well in their village must frequently travel great distances on foot and physically carry back heavy containers of water for their families. As a mother of three, Farzana recognizes the difficulties one experiences as a parent under normal conditions let alone an untenable environment where one has little supply of basic necessities, such as water.

Farzana feels particularly passionate about this project since her own life experiences closely parallel challenges that unfolded in Afghanistan. After the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, she was subjected to terrifying war and bloodshed over a two-year period, during which members of her nuclear family were murdered by the invading forces. Many of her surviving family were forced to flee the country or face death, although some remained to face the aftermath. Farzana’s harrowing experience inspired her determination to create a more palatable situation for those who remain in Afghanistan. As an advocate for women's rights and as a survivor of domestic violence, Farzana is deeply troubled by the subordination and general abuse experienced by women under the current regime and tirelessly supports justice in the area.

Farzana is a passionate and accomplished veteran of the healthcare service industry, who, for the first fifteen years of her career, worked as a senior registered nurse at some of the most prestigious hospitals in the city of Hamburg, Germany, where her family finally settled after fleeing the ravages of war in her birth country of Afghanistan. In 2011, Farzana moved to the US, where she shifted her focus from medicine to becoming a full-time skincare specialist (NY licensed aesthetician) and celebrity makeup-artist.

For more information go to www.thefarzanafoundation.com IG: @thefarzanafoundation