New Venue for Fashion Fund-raiser for Malaria
The third annual Defal Sa Walle fashion fund-raiser, scheduled for Aug. 11, has a new venue.
The fashion show and charity event, held to raise money to fight malaria in Africa, has been moved from downtown Los Angeles to Beverly Hills.
The evening event, organized by Los Angeles–based designer M’Backe Seye, will include an M’Backe fashion show, reception, children’s ballet, auction, raffle prizes and performance by South African singer Lorraine Klaasen.
This is the third fund-raiser organized by the Senegalese-born, Paris-trained designer, who has been raising money to buy mosquito nets and medication to help children in Africa battle malaria. According to Seye, 1.3 million people die every year in Africa from malaria, a mosquito-borne disease for which there is no cure. Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable, according to Seye, who said mosquito nets for beds cost about $9 per bed and medications cost between $60 and $120.
“Defal Sa Walle” means “Do Your Part” in Wolof, a Senegalese language.
The event will run from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Aqualounge, located at 424 N. Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. Tickets are $100 for VIP, $50 for general admission and $25 for children. For more information, visit www.defalsawalle.com, e-mail elianepilorget@yahoo.com or mbackecreation@yahoo.com, or call (213) 622-6690. —Alison A. Nieder
