Young Professionals for Acumen Fund and Nuru Project Host Benefit in New York City

August 10, 2009

The Young Professionals for Acumen Fund (YP Acumen), in conjunction with the Nuru Project, last week hosted Dignity, a photography auction event benefiting Acumen Fund, a nonprofit which exists to help end poverty by changing how the world addresses it.

The sold out photography auction and benefit brought together over 250 socially responsible young professionals in New York City and featured an exhibition of 30 prints sourced from regions where Acumen Fund invests in, including India, Pakistan and East Africa. The collection was donated by a variety of renowned photographers, such as Robert Capa Gold Medal winners Susan Meiselas and Steve McCurry, recent Dorothea Lange-Taylor Award winner Teru Kuwayama, and more.

“It’s truly inspiring to see so many young professionals who believe in Acumen Fund and who want to get involved to help make a difference,” said Yasmina Zaidman, Director of Knowledge and Communications, Acumen Fund.

The Nuru Project leverages photography as an agent for social change in the developing world, raising charitable funds and public awareness by auctioning donated photographs at gallery exhibitions. “Beyond the funds raised, which will directly enact positive change for the communities represented in the prints, we hope the audience took away the ability to see the human face and dignity behind the dramatic images of the developing world often featured in the press,” said JB Reed, co-founder, Nuru Project.

Check out photos from the event above, and a selection of the images that were on display for auction at the event can be viewed at http://nuruproject.org.

Photos by Steven Lau