Spouses of the heads of mission sing for a cause

Ritta Laakso of Finland, president of the Spouses of the Heads of Mission (SHOM), shared her thoughts on the recent  SHOM affair.

Almost exactly a year ago this idea of diplomats in concert was born and although I am highly aware of the many — and surprising — talents of ambassadors, we could never have imagined what was heard on that night. Kudos to Gisela Zincone and Ambassador Peter Kell who put their clever heads together and planned and executed the musical menu. Thank you to all performing ambassadorial talents for the time, energy and money they have invested in this with such enthusiasm.

Nicole Weismann, EU Ambassador Luc Veron.

SHOM stands for Spouses of Heads of Mission and besides supporting our spouses in their work, we are curious to learn, happy to help and capable of putting together a night like this, with Jun Sy from Pardon my French giving us the space and the band for tonight, and Consul General of Monaco Fortune Ledesma for helping with the sponsorship. Our beneficiaries are Guanella Home for medical care for disabled children, Ballet Philippines for scholarships to disadvantaged talented children, Casa Bantu for teaching life skills to teenagers in slum areas, and Kapwa Ko Mahal for medication for children with leukemia.

Maria Elena Bocalandro, Aliki Pediotis, Colombia Ambassador Marcela Ordonez