Inaugural Lotus Leadership Awards Dinner in San Francisco Honors Japan’s Akie Abe and Myanmar’s Colorful Girls

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The Asia Foundation honored Mrs. Akie Abe for her commitment to advancing women’s empowerment in Japan and Asia, notably in Myanmar at the inaugural Lotus Leadership Awards Dinner in San Francisco on February 21. Colorful Girls also received a Lotus Leadership Award for empowering adolescent girls in Myanmar.

Business leaders, philanthropists, and the diplomatic community attended the dinner with Sydnie Kohara, award-winning broadcast journalist and Lotus Circle Advisor as emcee. The dinner was the venue of the Bay Area launch of the Lotus Circle, a vibrant community of philanthropists in support of The Asia Foundation’s innovative programs for women and girls across Asia and the Pacific.

The Asia Foundation is grateful to Presenting Sponsor MUFG Union Bank. Boeing International and Connell Brothers are Benefactor Sponsors. AIG, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Burma Inc., Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., and Squire Patton Boggs are Friend Sponsors. Special thanks to Tiffany & Co. Photo credit: Whitney Legge/The Asia Foundation unless stated.

Watch our film “Empowering Women to Transform Their Lives,” about our work on the ground in Myanmar, Laos, and across Asia.