KGSA students, staff, and supporters gathered together outdoors

Celebrating Twenty Years

KGSA Foundation20th Anniversary Gala

Name: KGSA Foundation 20th Anniversary Gala
Start: 2026-10-24T17:30:00-07:00
End: 2026-10-24T22:00:00-07:00
Location: El Corazon

An evening of celebration and fundraising in support of the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy and twenty years of educating young women in Kenya.

Date: October 24, 2026, Saturday
Time: 5:30 PM - Doors Open
Venue: El Corazon · Oceanside, CA
Attire: Cocktail Attire

Learn About KGSA

The Evening

Twenty years of girls in school, celebrated in one night.

KGSA is marking its 20th anniversary, and this gala brings together the supporters, families, and friends who made two decades of education possible. Proceeds support KGSA's continued work in Kenya.

Guests can expect a seated dinner, live entertainment, storytelling from the KGSA community, a fundraising moment, and time to celebrate together.

Dinner
Entertainment
Storytelling
Fundraising
Community

A large group of KGSA students, staff, and supporters gathered together outdoors — KGSA students, staff, and supporters

Event Details

Everything you need to know

El Corazon venue exterior with white tower entrance and palm trees — El Corazon - Oceanside, CA

Date: October 24, 2026, Saturday
Time: 5:30 PM - Doors OpenEvent concludes by 10:00 PM
Location: El Corazon - Oceanside, CAView on Google Maps
Dress Code: Cocktail Attire
Tickets: $150 per guest

Schedule

The evening, hour by hour

Doors open at 5:30 PM, with the evening concluding at 10:00 PM.

5:30 PM
Doors Open
Guests arrive, check in, and settle in before the evening begins.
6:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Welcome Cocktail Hour & Sunset Views on the Patio
Enjoy cocktails, conversation, and sunset views before transitioning into the main program.
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Transition Inside, Dinner and Program
Guests move indoors for dinner, remarks, stories from the KGSA community, and the evening's featured program.
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Dancing
End the evening with music, dancing, and time to celebrate together.

Why This Matters

The gala exists because the school does.

KGSA is a free, all-girls boarding high school in Kibera, Nairobi, one of Africa's largest informal settlements. We provide a safe, holistic education that transforms lives and molds girls into leaders for their communities and beyond.

Twenty years of history

KGSA's story began in 2002 when Abdul Kassim started a soccer team in Kibera to engage and inspire girls. Over the next few years, that team grew into a school. In 2006, Ryan Banning met Abdul while studying abroad in Kenya and returned to the US to build the Foundation. By 2011, the KGSA Foundation was a registered 501(c)3. What started as 13 students in one rented classroom with mud floors has grown into a full secondary school with 150 girls enrolled, two school buildings, a dormitory, and a professional staff of 30.

Students and community

KGSA currently serves 150 girls Grades 10 through 12. In Kenya, 44% of girls never finish high school. KGSA removes every barrier: tuition is free, boarding is free, and meals are provided daily. Beyond academics, girls access healthcare, a social worker, soccer, rugby, drama, sewing, and higher education scholarships. KGSA is ranked #1 among all-girls schools in Kibera for national KCSE exam results. KGSA's Classes of 2024 and 2025 achieved our strongest academic results ever, with more than half of graduates continuing on to college. 🎓

About the KGSA Foundation About the School in Kibera

KGSA students in school uniform standing with a teacher outside the school

A small classroom building with a corrugated metal roof in Kibera, Nairobi

20Years

KGSA students celebrating with a visiting supporter in the school hall

A mural on the KGSA campus wall reading "The Future is Bright"

A KGSA computer lab with rows of desktop workstations and blue chairs

A clean shared washroom with a long stone sink at the KGSA campus

Photos & Video

Stories from Kibera

Photography from KGSA in Kibera. Additional approved photos and video of the school, the community, and previous events will be supplied by the KGSA team.

KGSA students raising their hands and speaking up in class

Three KGSA students smiling and making peace signs in the schoolyard

KGSA students playing netball on the school field

KGSA students beading together around a table during a business club session

The KGSA girls rugby team in red and white jerseys posing on the pitch

Five KGSA students in navy tracksuits smiling around a large cooking pot

A KGSA student waving while walking to school with her backpack

KGSA students at their desks during a lesson in a bright classroom

Desktop computers set up in the KGSA computer lab

Rows of computer workstations and chairs in a KGSA classroom

The KGSA science lab with new workbenches and sinks

Sewing machines lined up in the KGSA tailoring workshop

The rooftop turf sports pitch at KGSA overlooking Nairobi

Netball hoop and safety netting on the KGSA rooftop court

Bunk beds made up in a KGSA student dormitory

Tiled shower stalls in the KGSA student washrooms

Medicine cabinet and supplies in the KGSA health room

KGSA students at school

Dinner Menu

Join us for an evening of timelessly curated Kenyan cuisine, where the versatility of raw materials meets tradition in constant dialogue with the season. Wine pairings selected to heighten your senses and wake your palate to the decadence of Kenya. Entrust yourself to the flavors that built a nation.

Four Courses · Traditional Favorites from Kenya

On Arrival

Sambusasbeef · potato · lentil: Pastry drawn thin and hand-creased at the seam, lowered into oil until the crust blisters and sets. Within: seasoned beef, potato, and lentil, each given its own moment. Accompanied by a house herb sauce that sharpens the whole.
Signature Cocktailor Kenyan beer: Kenyan passion fruit reduced gently with fresh citrus and composed to order. Bright at the rim, lingering on the finish. For those who prefer the grain: a chilled East African lager, poured simply.

First Course

Kachumbari: Vine-ripened tomato and white onion, sliced clean and macerated briefly in fresh lime. Finished with bruised coriander. No heat applied. The intention is clarity.

The Main Table - Family Style

Beef Stew: Short rib, slow-braised in a Kenyan spice base built from whole aromatics and rendered low. The braising liquid reduces to a near-lacquer, glossy and complex. A long dish, worth every moment.
Chicken Stew: Pasture-raised chicken portioned and braised over measured heat in a reduction of plum tomato and fresh ginger. The broth narrows over time into something deeply savored. The depth is in the patience.
Goat Stewbone-in: The cornerstone of the evening. Bone-in goat braised for several hours in a measured aromatic broth until the meat releases and the collagen surrenders into the sauce. To be eaten without hurry.
Pilau Rice: Long-grain rice toasted gently in rendered ghee with whole cumin, green cardamom, cinnamon bark, and clove. Finished in seasoned beef stock until each grain stands separate and deeply fragrant. The color is the promise.
Sukuma Wiki: Young collard greens brought over high flame with sliced onion, plum tomato, and a measured touch of chili. The leaves hold their character. A dish rooted in Kibera, prepared here with full attention.
Curry Cabbage: Shredded green cabbage braised gently in a base of ground turmeric and coconut. The texture softens; the flavor opens slowly. Golden, quiet, and more considered than its simplicity suggests.
Plantain Stew: Also known as "Matoke". Ripe plantain cooked until yielding in a reduced sauce of onion and plum tomato, seasoned with care. Neither wholly sweet nor wholly savory. The dish that brings the table to stillness.
Handmade Chapati: Unleavened flatbread laminated by hand through repeated folding, then cooked on dry heat until the surface chars faintly at the edges and the interior remains tender. An act of repetition, perfected.

At the Bar

Wine Pairings: A considered selection of red and white, chosen to move through the evening's progression. Available by the glass at the bar.
Beer & Spirits: Kenyan lager served chilled. A curated selection of imported spirits, and still or sparkling water available throughout the evening.

To Close

Mandazi: Lightly leavened East African fritters, fried to order until the exterior sets with a fine crust and the interior remains pillowy. Finished with ground cardamom and toasted coconut. Arrive while warm.
Kenyan Chai: Black tea, whole cardamom, and bruised fresh ginger simmered at low heat with full-cream milk until the flavors are inseparable. Time is the primary ingredient. Served as it has always been.
Kenyan Coffee: Single-origin Arabica from Kenya's central highlands. Naturally processed, with a clean brightness at the opening and a long finish of bittersweet chocolate. Among the finest expressions of the varietal.

Vegetarian option available upon request - coconut rice in place of pilau (pilau contains beef), spiced lentils in place of meat.

Gluten present in sambusas only. Please inform your server of dietary needs.

Silent Auction

Coming Soon

Auction details will be announced closer to the event. Items may include experiences, vacation stays, wine, and other donated items.

This section will later link to the GiveButter auction

With thanks to our supporters

Sponsor logos will be added as commitments are confirmed. Levels below are placeholders and can be renamed or expanded.

Presenting Sponsor

Interested in sponsoring? Email us at info@kgsafoundation.org.

Tickets

Join Us in Celebrating 20 Years of KGSA

$150 per guest · El Corazon, Oceanside, CA · Cocktail Attire

Purchase Tickets

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