Lotus Circle funds are fuel funds to benefit women and children in Asia. When the pandemic hit, Lotus Circle funds provided immediate help to the urgent needs of women and girls at the frontlines of COVID-19. Just $625 funded construction of a hand washing station in Timor-Leste for women essential workers at a domestic violence shelter and $2500 funded 500 Pakistani children with educational kits for home learning. In Mongolia, Vietnam and Cambodia. As a Trustee, I personally witnessed women entrepreneurs starting their businesses and girls getting scholarships to get an education instead of being forced into the sex trade to support their families. We are in Afghanistan and Myanmar, where women and girls especially have been marginalized. Your donation to The Asia Foundation's Women's Empowerment Program , in whatever amount, will help us to address critical issues across the continent, and support women for years to come. You can also sign up for a complimentary invitation to the 2021 Virtual Lotus Leadership Awards celebration on April 28th airing at 6 pm Eastern, 3 pm Pacific. Please join me to celebrate outstanding individuals and organizations that have made major contributions to women's empowerment and gender equality in Asia.