Written by Lorraine Silvetz, MSW
Edited by Austin G.-S. Tang
Founder of The Farzana Foundation, Farzana Niemmann and 3 Time Emmy Award Winning Anchor and 2 Time NYTimes Best Selling Author, Rita Cosby
The Farzana Foundation held its Inaugural Gala at the Apostle’s Ballroom on November 29 th, 2022. It was a huge success with attendees including well known entrepreneurs, anchors, actresses, artists, models, socialites and
fashion designers including, emcee C-King, 3 Time Emmy Award Winning Anchor and 2 Time New York Times Best Seller, Rita Cosby, Designer/Supermodel, Avadora Mimouni, Designer, Elie Balleh, Singer, Model and Reality Show Stars, Jamila and Celina Niemann, Humanitarian, Eve Brookville, Model, Artist, and Actress Olga Gretchen Schwartz, Model and Makeup Artist Sabine Wonderwoman, Award Winning Actress, Julianne Michelle, Artist and Philanthropist, Vill E. Wright, Ukrainian-American, Artist and Philanthropist Tatyana Horoshko and Ukrainian- American Opera Singer,
Oleksandra Hrabova, Socialite, Juan Castelo Branco among many other notables. Fashion shows were featured including Diana Mahrach designs with models’ hair and makeup coordinated by Donna Sousa of Makeover Artistry. Food was catered by La Mila Catering Camp; Events and drinks by Empire Rockefeller Vodka and Peramo Wine, and entertainment by DJ Sulel.
All photos in this article by Jeff Smith
Jose Castelo Branco, Tomaczek Bednarek, Rita Cosby, Farzana Niemann, Avadora Mimouni, Alex Quint, Lorraine Silvetz and Julianne Michelle
Farzana Niemann and Artist, Vill E Wright and his portrait of Farzana.
Eve Brookville, Farzana Niemann, Avadora Mimouni and Lorraine Silvetz
Fashion show took place during the event including Designer, Diana Mahrach with Hair and Makeup coordinated by Donna Sousa. Food was catered by La Mila Catering & Events and drinks by Empire Rockefeller Vodka and Peramo Wine, and entertainment by DJ Sulel. One hundred percent of the funds raised went to funding water wells in the region of Herat, Afghanistan.
Emcee C-King
Farzana Niemann and Rita Cosby
Celina and Jamila Niemann
Farzana Niemann, Rita Cosby, Diane Sare and Lorraine Silvetz
Since 2017, Farzana’s family has provided funding for more than 61 freshwater wells in the area surrounding her birth city of Herat which is located in the Northwestern parts of the country near the border with Iran. This has enabled families, living in this area. to enjoy this basic necessity. While each of these wells provides water to literally hundreds of families, there is a great need to construct more to satisfy the people’s substantially greater requirements.
Tatyana Horoshko, Alex Gegera and Jenise Ariane
Gretchen Olga Schwartz, Farzana Niemann, Jose Castelo Branco, Eve Brookville
Tatyana Horoshko, Flora Pllumaj, Robert Baxter, Lorraine Silvetz and Rebecca Ricks
Those that do not have a freshwater well in their village must frequently travel great distances on foot and physically carry extremely heavy containers of water for their families. As a mother of three, Farzana recognizes the difficulties and stress one experiences as a parent, under normal conditions, let alone an untenable environment where one has little supply of basic necessities.
Farzana Niemann, Designer, Diana Mahrach and Eve Brookville
Singer, Oleksandra Hrabova
Farzana Niemann, Singers, Mother and Daughter, Oleksandra and Anna Hrabova
Farzana is a passionate and accomplished veteran in the healthcare 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. Farzana came to the UN from Hamburg in 2011 where she shifted her focus from medicine to becoming a full-time skincare specialist (NY licensed aesthetician) and celebrity makeup artist.
Designer, Elie Balleh and his lovely wife
Rita Cosby
Center of photo-Diana Mahrach, Farzana Niemann, Donna Sousa and models
Being a survivor of domestic violence Farzana has become an advocate for Women’s Empowerment that reinforced her sensitivity to the plight of women in Afghanistan. She has been an outspoken public speaker on this topic with the goal of providing women with a greater sense of unification and cohesiveness. This has included presentations to the Miss Immigrant Contest Unlabelled Award and The United Nation’s an organization dedicated to the promotion of Women’s Empowerment.
Lorraine Silvetz, Gretchen Olga Schwartz and Flora Pllumaj
Artist, Tatyana Horoshko and Farzana Niemann
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 a terrifying environment of war over a two-year period where members of her nuclear family were murdered by the invading forces. Many of her surviving family were forced to flee the country or face certain death, although some remained to face the aftermath. Due to being exposed to this horrific environment, she became determined to create more palatable circumstances for those that remain in Afghanistan. As an advocate for women’s rights, she is deeply troubled by the subordination and general abuse experienced by women under the current regime and is determined to support and encourage a greater climate of justice in the area.
Farzana and Celina Niemann, Lorraine Silvetz and Rita Cosby
Lorraine Silvetz, Dr. Adal Hussain and Avadora Mimouni
The immediate goal of the Farzana Foundation is to provide funding for the construction of more freshwater wells. The benefit to families in this region cannot be overestimated. Farzana is determined to ensure that the the proud people of Afghanistan receive the proper treatment and basic necessities to which all of humanity should be entitled. I could not imagine a more noble goal.
Alex Quint, Lorraine Silvetz, Alex Gegera, Farzana Niemann, Artist, Tatyana Horoshko, and Emcee, C-King
For more information go to www.thefarzanafoundation.com
IG @thefarzanafoundation
Journalist, Lorraine Silvetz, MSW is a psychotherapist and Executive Director of Global Stress Initiative. She is a graduate of New York University’s School of Social Work.
Instagram @lorrainesilvetzofficial
Twitter @lorrainesilvetz
Photo Credit: Alvin Toro
