RICHMOND, Va. — A fashion show brought together style and community Sunday as Ukay Collection partnered with Girls for a Change to raise funds for a cultural immersion trip to Ghana.
Models walked the runway wearing outfits from the Ukay Collection, with a portion of proceeds going toward sending 18 girls to Ghana this summer for a 2-week trip. The event is organized through the nonprofit’s team, Her Journey Home.
Reba Hollingsworth, longtime “CBS 6 News This Morning” anchor, served as emcee for the event.
Ukay Jackson, owner of Ukay Collection, founded the brand after a 2023 trip to Nigeria, where she witnessed women carrying water in extreme heat — including a pregnant woman with a baby strapped to her back. The image inspired her to build a business that gives back. A portion of its sales funds the construction of clean water wells in impoverished Nigerian villages.
Jackson said clean water means more than just hydration for the communities she serves.
“Better health, dignity and time, especially for these women and children,” Jackson explained.
FULL INTERVIEW: Ukay Jackson on fashion, clean water wells and sending girls to Ghana
FULL INTERVIEW: Ukay Jackson on fashion, clean water wells and sending girls to Ghana
All of the collection’s fabrics are sourced from Nigeria, and its tailors are based there as well — creating what Jackson describes as a global impact rooted in her homeland. Jackson said she left Nigeria at a young age, but the culture has remained a part of her.
Jackson said the Ghana trip will be a transformative experience for the 18 girls making the journey.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity for our young girls to essentially go to a place where I believe they’ll feel a greater sense of belonging and experience that African diaspora,” ” Jackson. said. “I always tell my friends, if you ever have an opportunity to go to a place where you’re a majority — and notwithstanding all that’s going on in the environment — there’s just that feeling of belonging and a sense of community that it just becomes embedded. And I think these girls will come out feeling a lot more confident, fulfilled and dignified.”
Jackson said she is confident the girls will be changed by the experience.
“The girls will spend two weeks, and I assure you, in those two weeks, a lot will happen positively,” she said.
Click here to learn more about Girls for Change or to make a donation.
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