United by Compassion: Progress and Protection
This fundraising dinner powerfully unites two impactful missions, illustrating the universal human drive for health, safety, and progress.

The event celebrates the 10th Anniversary of Pull for Progress, an organization that began with an unlikely meeting in 2012 between a medical student in Texas and a physician in Burkina Faso. Bonded by the shared vision that health and nutrition are essential human rights, their work started as a grassroots movement to implement Community Health Clubs in Burkina Faso. This initiative matured into Pull for Progress, growing in impact until those Health Clubs became national policy with over ten thousand members across Burkina Faso and neighboring Ghana. Examples of programming include health education through radio and TV, health caravans for communicable disease screenings including education on hepatitis, and free seminars for soap creation and proper use. Today, Pull for Progress has expanded its projects to include food security, education, and disaster response, but its community-led foundation remains the same: 100% of all donations go directly to on-the-ground programming for refugees and displaced people.

This spirit of collective action is mirrored in the critical work of Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate. Founded by chefs Tim Ma and Kevin Tien, Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate (CSAH) originating in the spring of 2021 as a way to raise awareness and funds for victims of anti-Asian violence in the United States, CSAH has since raised more than $500,000 for various like-minded organizations and in support of AAPI small business owners through take-out meals, dinners, night markets, and fundraisers. Born from the urgent need to combat a wave of hate-fueled vandalism and violence, the organization established its Storefront Emergency Fund. This fund's aim is to provide nationwide financial assistance to restaurants and small businesses and their employees as they face violence and discrimination. The funds cover costs like repairing damages, wage loss, medical bills, and funeral expenses. Reflecting the evolution of community needs, proceeds from this event will specifically be directed toward the fund's expansion to provide immigration bond assistance for restaurant workers in need, offering a lifeline of support and safety for our local heroes.

By attending this event, you are supporting both the global fight for fundamental human rights in Burkina Faso and Ghana, and the local imperative to protect and uplift DC area restaurant workers and our immigrant community here at home.

Plates, Pours, and Progress: An Afro-Asian Culinary Benefit

From DC to Burkina Faso: Mixing Talent, Moving Progress, Supporting Our Communities

Team Members