Wayland, MA – November 14, 2015. Project GEM (Girls’ Education Matters), a volunteer group working with Oxfam America to promote girls’ education in developing countries, held its fifth annual fundraising dinner on Saturday, November 14th, at the Islamic Center of Boston (ICB) in Wayland, Massachusetts.

The sold-out event drew about 200 participants and raised $100,000 to support girls’ schools in Pakistan and Somalia. Since its inception in 2010, Project GEM has raised over $650,000.

Project GEM has helped more than 11,000 girls to get a better education, through substantial transformations at eleven schools in Pakistan, construction of schools from scratch in Somalia, and other smaller projects. The money raised will create or enhance access to education for even more girls.

This year’s keynote was delivered by Senator Elizabeth Warren. She shared her experience growing up in a modest home, with fond memories of her school and teacher Ms Lee. She recalled the days when she lined up dolls to teach, and then the girls in the neighbourhood.

Project GEM’s Mohamad Ali updated the audience on the group’s accomplishments, and laid out the objective for the evening: to build an additional girls’ schools in Somalia, and to enable sixty girls in Pakistan to go on to secondary education and college.

The evening’s speakers also included CEO of Oxfam America Ray Offenheiser, who outlined Oxfam’s long history of promoting girls’ education and gender justice.

Other guests included Project Bread’s CEO Ellen Parker, Boston University’s dean Adil Najam, American Tower director Pam Reeves, Weyerhaeuser director Kim Williams, Bright Horizon’s co-founder Anne Whitman, Temple Shir Tikva’s rabbi Neal Gold, Temple Isaiah’s rabbi Howard Jaffe, and Sonus founder Hassan Ahmed.

The Project GEM team concluded by thanking the attendees for their tremendous generosity to uplift the lives of girls in need, and make the world a better place.