PAWA Sends Five to Historic Parade

Mara Gardner, Zehan Albakri, Clare Muhiudeen, Phyllis Hatfull and Emily Earl at the
Ironmongers’ Hall, representing PAWA before the Lady Mayor’s Show

Phyllis Hatfull’s account of the brilliant November day

“2025 was a special year for the City of London, with its first-ever Lady Mayor – the third woman to hold the office, and the first to use the title. To mark the significant occasion, Dame Susan Langley celebrated women at the Lady Mayor’s Parade, inviting 697 women to take part in its 697th edition.

PAWA was delighted and honoured to be asked to send five participants. Clare, Zehan, Mara, Emily and I made up the team. We decided to make a splash with bright orange jackets, our orange PAWA caps and PAWA banners.
We were part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ladies’ bus, which was a real buzz with lots of excited chatter and everyone in their colourful national dress.

We started bright and early, meeting for breakfast at the Ironmongers’ Hall together with the Ironmongers who were in the parade. Thanks to the generosity of Julian Verden, who hosted us, we had coffee and sustenance before the parade began.

Slowly, we set off from London Wall and walked along the route from Guildhall and past the guild halls where aldermen were standing outside in their fine livery. All the church bells were ringing for us, and crowds of people were cheering and waving.

Zehan Albakri, Mara Gardner, Clare Muhiudeen, Phyllis Hatfull and Emily Earl with PAWA Honorary Council member
Mei Sim Lai, whom we sincerely thank for giving PAWA the opportunity to participate in the parade

As we passed Mansion House, we greeted the Lady Mayor and other dignitaries. We stopped for lunch by the river, then made our way back past Mansion House where we gave the Lady Mayor three rousing cheers and finished back at London Wall.

I was very glad we’d dressed in PAWA’s colour, bright orange. Walking in a line, side by side, we did catch people’s attention. I was struck by how many people read our banners and gave us a thumbs up. We were also captured on TV. We all stayed the course and walked the entire route.

I felt very proud of our team and of PAWA.”

Phyllis Hatfull, Head of PAWA’s Impact Study Team

Festive wishes from our projects!

The new year has started, and we wanted to share a couple of the lovely cards and thank you messages that we received from our partners at the end of 2025. Rebecca and the team at Learning for Life reached out to say:

“As we come to the end of the year, I wanted to send our thanks, on behalf of everyone at Learning for Life, for your generous support of the Songlap programme aboard the floating schools.

“Your commitment has played a key role in supporting adolescent girls and ensuring continued access to education and life-skills learning in communities that are often hard to reach. We are very grateful for your support and for the strength of our partnership.”

And, we had this card from the girls at Aruna Bhawan, the social services centre in Nepal run by the Nepal Jesuit Society. Visiting the Centre was one of the highlights of the autumn Nepal trek that was featured in Autumn’s Newsletter. Serena Janssens scholar Samikshya created the card for PAWA.

The PAWA Projects team would like to wish all our projects the very
best for 2026 and we look forward to the year ahead together.

“On Sunday, November 2nd, Lazarus Halstead, Head of the Department of Chinese Art at Bonhams Fine Art Auctioneers, graciously led a private tour for an intimate group of PAWA’s patrons, benefactors, and friends.

We were thrilled to offer this special experience as a heartfelt thank you for a wonderful year of support toward our mission: empowering underprivileged girls across Asia through the transformative power of education.

Lazarus guided us through a series of curated exhibitions, from Chinese art in The Marsh Collection: Art for the Literati and Painting the Dao, to exquisite Japanese paintings from an important collection, as featured in Beauties, Beasts, and Blossoms.

As an added delight, our guests had the unique opportunity to meet the celebrated artist Hugh Moss, whose works were on display.

We extend our sincere gratitude to Lazarus for his generosity and for sharing his time with our supporters during the busy art season.

To learn more about our community, or to join us for inspiring events like this, please don’t hesitate to reach out!”

Kristie Lui, Supporters’ Secretary

PAWA’s Annual Meeting

Please save the date for PAWA’s Annual Meeting on 10th March (evening) at the WTW Offices in the City of London.
Please join us to hear about PAWA’s achievements this year and plans for 2026 as well as for hospitality afterwards.

Click here for more details and to reserve your space.

Meet PAWA’s Honorary Secretary, Emily Earl

Emily has a background in intergovernmental trade negotiations and now calls London home after growing up in New Zealand and living in Hong Kong and Switzerland.

Joining as Honorary Secretary a year ago, she supports the work of the Trustees and helps ensure PAWA meets UK Charity requirements.

She says, “I was immediately drawn to PAWA’s mission for educating teenage girls throughout Asia, and have been fascinated to learn about how each programme we support works to overcome different local barriers to educating girls.

“As a PAWA volunteer, I have enjoyed connecting with a diverse and inspiring group of volunteers, and I love that we have such a wide range of ages and experience in the PAWA Community.

“From dragging myself around Battersea Park for the PAWA Run to learning about Thai textiles and getting to know our Volunteer community at the newly launched PAWA Socials, I have thoroughly enjoyed myself this year and am looking forward to continuing to help deliver PAWA’s mission in 2026.”

IWD 2026 Wrap T-shirts
On Sale From February 23rd

In anticipation of International Women’s Day on March 8th, 2026, PAWA and Wrap
are excited to announce a second collaboration.

Following the overwhelming success of last year’s partnership, Wrap – a family-run, London-based womenswear brand with over 18 years of experience – have made a limited-edition jersey t-shirt, with all proceeds going to PAWA once again.

Check out the gorgeous print created by Wrap’s head designer, Ellie. This lovely, breathable tee is a must-have for spring!

(Until its launch, please keep this incredible design under wraps)

The IWD theme for 2026 is Give to Gain (#givetogain). From the 23rd of February, you can Give by encouraging your friends and family to buy, wear and post the t-shirt on social media – in turn ensuring the girls we support Gain new opportunities through education.

We are so grateful to Wrap for their continued support of PAWA.

Serena Janssens Fundraiser Dinner

The Janssens Family hosted a special fundraising dinner in memory of a deeply beloved figure in the PAWA community, Serena Janssens, who tragically passed away five years ago, at the age of 19, just before she was to begin university.

In honour of Serena’s legacy, her vibrant spirit and strong belief in the power of education, the Serena Janssens Memorial Fund (SJMF) was established by her loved ones. The fund provides scholarships for young women of college age and is administered by PAWA. We are currently supporting three PAWA girls in Nepal through the SJMF to continue on to university.

PAWA Trustees, Betty Yao and Zehan Albakri chat to Serena’s mother Minh-Tam Janssens

The Café Mission in Shoreditch provided a beautiful backdrop to the evening. The dinner raised £20,000 and was an uplifting celebration of Serena and the Scholars that are supported through her legacy. We heard from the Scholars, in their own words, what the support of the Serena Janssens Memorial Fund and PAWA means to them for supporting the completion of their university studies.

It was a beautiful evening with a personal touch: the food was cooked by one of Serena’s favourite chefs. PAWA trustees and supporters joined Serena’s family, school friends and former teachers – and heard some lovely stories about Serena’s final trip away with her school to trek in Nepal.

Serena’s Nepal trek was recreated by family, friends and some PAWA supporters earlier this October.

 Nepal Trek Testimonies

Lost Bags, Found Friends: Suna

Suna (in black) alongside PAWA trekkers

“My trekking trip to Nepal was meant to be an exciting adventure – but it quickly became far more dramatic than I could ever have imagined. And it all began before I even set foot in the country…

My flight was caught in a severe storm, and we ended up having to make an emergency landing in New Delhi. The turbulence was terrifying – people were praying, some were screaming, others were vomiting, and the girl beside me passed out. It was quite an experience, to put it lightly!

Arriving in Kathmandu the following day felt like a triumph – until the baggage carousel stopped spinning and my two checked pieces of luggage were nowhere to be seen. I was speechless, but I was still hopeful when I returned to the airport the following evening.

But there was still no sign of my luggage…..

I stood by the empty carousel still wearing the same jeans, shirt, and sandals I’d arrived in on the previous day — because that was all I had. Not exactly ideal attire for trekking in the Himalayas!

By then, the rest of my group had already flown on to our next base, and I was stuck in Kathmandu with nothing. No boots, no trekking gear, no poles —all the essentials for the journey had disappeared.

But life, as always, finds a way – especially when you are surrounded by kind people. Friends, both old and new, came to my rescue, lending me clothes and necessities to keep me going.

View from Teahouse Chhomorong

In Pokhara, the mountaineering gear capital of Nepal, I searched relentlessly for trekking boots. My wide feet made the hunt even more complicated. After hours of trying, I finally found one pair – two sizes too big. That was the only choice – I had to take them. At least I wasn’t trekking in sandals!

At last, I ventured into the mountains. The landscapes were breathtaking: snow-capped peaks that seemed to touch the sky. Gazing at the beautiful natural panoramas that surrounded me, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude, and I cherished the moment. It was as if every challenge – the emergency landing, the lost luggage – had led me to that breathtaking view.

What began as a chaotic and stressful ordeal became one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.

Resilience isn’t just about endurance. It’s about community, adaptability, and spirit. Kindness and humour can carry us much further than we ever imagine!”

Troughs and Peaks: Mara

Kanchha held Mara’s hand for four hours

“With some trepidation, I agreed to join Mandy on the Nepal Trek in support of PAWA. It wasn’t exactly how I’d imagined celebrating a big decade birthday, but Mandy assured me it was designed for people with “bad knees” – we even called it The Comfy Nepal Trek. I trained beforehand – though probably not enough – and while trekking 2,172 metres sounded daunting, I had no idea just how challenging it would become.

Our group of seven women faced unexpected trials from the start: political unrest and torrential rains that triggered landslides and road closures across the country. Thankfully, we explored Nepal’s culture and wildlife for several days first, and things eventually dried up.

Finally, with our intrepid guides, Sudhir and Kanchha, and strong porters, we set out on a nerve-racking jeep ride through landslides to start our first climb to Chhomrong at 2,172 metres – a three-hour climb. I wasn’t the fastest, but I made it – rewarded by stunning views and the comfort of a welcoming teahouse.

The view from the teahouse in Ghandruk, the morning after an 11-hour trek

Little did I know, the next day would be even harder. I did wonder if I should do it at all, but I knew I would regret it if I stopped. The route plunged before rising steeply again – and then some. It is the hardest thing I have ever done.

With Kanchha’s constant support and my teammates’ encouragement, I managed the challenging 11-hour trek, reaching Ghandruk in the dark. Our teahouse, naturally, was perched at the top of the village – a spectacular view awaited the next morning. Exhausted but elated, I felt immense pride in having completed it and gratitude for those who helped me get there.

PAWA trekkers

Equally motivating was the generosity of friends and family who helped us exceed my team’s fundraising goal of £2,172 for PAWA.

On our final day in Kathmandu, we visited a PAWA-supported programme and met the girls whose education our efforts will help sustain. Their determination and optimism were profoundly inspiring, a vivid reminder of what our trek truly achieved beyond the mountains. And it was so much fun dancing with them.

It was, without doubt, the journey of a lifetime – physically demanding, emotionally uplifting, and deeply meaningful. What a thrill. What a joy. What a trip.”

Aruna Bhawan

“Visiting PAWA’s project in Kathmandu, Nepal, was a profoundly moving experience that left a lasting impression on me and everyone present,” says trustee Zehan Albakri.

“The Aruna Bhawan Social Centre, which supports 45 girls, is far more than a social centre: it is a home and sanctuary for girls from troubled backgrounds. As we arrived, the staff welcomed us with warm smiles and a genuine appreciation that we had made the effort to visit them.

We were introduced to the 15 PAWA girls and two of the Serena Janssens scholars – the confident and poised Priyanka and Samikshya. The afternoon quickly became a joyful showcase of spirit and expression. Firstly, there was great excitement as the girls put on the PAWA hats we presented to them.

Then, the girls had prepared songs and dances that reflected their Nepali heritage. Between the songs, the scholars spoke eloquently about their journeys, their studies, and their aspirations. Their words revealed remarkable courage, gratitude, and determination to create better futures – not just for themselves, but for their families and communities as well.

We all said a few words, and Serena’s mother, Minh-Tam, spoke from the heart about Serena and her legacy. The atmosphere in the room was filled with emotion and many were moved to tears.

By chance, it was my birthday, and when the girls found out, they broke into a spontaneous ‘Happy Birthday’ – totally unexpected and so special. Aruna Bhawan is a place where you are encouraged to dream, learn, and grow in safety and solidarity.

As we left, we carried with us a renewed sense of purpose and admiration – for the dedication of those who run the project, and most of all, for the incredible young women whose strength and spirit define it. The visit was a beautiful reminder of the transformative power of education, compassion and community.”

Asmihan Ibrahim

PAWA MCM Volunteer SOCIAL

Volunteers Kristie and Simran with PAWA MCM SOCIAL organiser and Honorary Council member Anna Paik and Trustee Betty Yao

Our PAWA Volunteers are critical to everything we achieve at PAWA. In support of these wonderful people, we launched the new MCM PAWA SOCIALS initiative on September 24th, generously hosted by PAWA founder Sung Joo Kim at the MCM boutique in London.

PAWA SOCIALS are an opportunity for volunteers to connect, support each other, and hear from interesting speakers from a range of professions, in a friendly and informal setting. Prospective volunteers are also warmly welcome.

There was a great turnout for the first event, and it was rewarding to see such a mix of different age groups enjoying each other’s company.

We are grateful to PAWA Honorary Council Member Mei Sim Lai (OBE), who shared her valuable tips on how to enjoy yourself while making the most of networking opportunities, along with some of the interesting career destinations her networking experience has led her to.

PAWA volunteer Chuanzhi (left) with Honorary Council Member Mei Sim Lai (right)

Mei Sim provided an invaluable insight into the London business and social world. We will hold several PAWA SOCIALS a year, and if you would like to contribute with a short informal talk to our volunteers on a subject you are passionate about, then please do reach out to hon.sec@pawa-london.org.

We hope to build a long-lasting PAWA family circle where alumni and present volunteers can support and socialise together.