Yogmata Keiko Aikawa Joins the We Raise Hope Gala at the Metropolitan Club

At a Glance

• We Raise Hope held its gala at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
• Yogmata Keiko Aikawa, the Japanese-born meditation master and author, attended as special guest.
• The evening supported the nonprofit's programs in rural Nepal, including Bodgaun Primary Hospital in the Sindhupalchowk District.
• Guests attended a reception and open bar, followed by a gala dinner and entertainment.

We Raise Hope, the New York nonprofit co-founded by Italian jewelry designer Alberto Luzzi, hosted its gala at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The special guest was Yogmata Keiko Aikawa, the Japanese-born meditation master and author who trained in the Himalayas. The evening raised awareness and support for the organization's programs in rural Nepal, where it funds medical care, schooling, clean water and community infrastructure in areas with limited access to basic services.

Both the guest and the host turned their attention to Nepal after the 2015 earthquake.

Born in Yamanashi, Japan, in 1945, Yogmata Keiko Aikawa has practiced yoga and meditation since her teenage years. As a yoga instructor she held classes at culture centers and taught asana yoga to thousands of students. At 39 she met Pilot Babaji, a yoga and meditation master who was visiting Japan for a television program, and he invited her to train in the Himalayas. She went. Her biography states that the training led her to Samadhi, which it describes as the supreme state of yoga and meditation.

Since 1991 she has performed Public Samadhi 18 times in India to promote world peace. She now travels internationally to lecture and teach meditation. Her books have sold more than 1,000,000 copies worldwide.

Her teaching centers on compassion and inner peace, and on carrying both into action that benefits other people.

Yogmata visited Nepal after the 2015 earthquake. She met with the country's president and prime minister and contributed to disaster recovery efforts. Her charitable work in India has included medical facilities and education. It has also extended to social welfare initiatives and a long-running international campaign promoting peace.

In 2016, at the request of the Indian government, she spoke as guest of honor at the International Yoga Day event at United Nations headquarters in New York. She returned in October 2016 and again in May 2017 to give keynote lectures and teach meditation for peace at events held at the United Nations.

We Raise Hope grew out of volunteer relief work after that same earthquake. What began as help for communities in recovery has become a longer commitment to sustainable development, run through locally led programs. The organization is a New York-based 501(c)(3) and was founded entirely by volunteers.

It works with local leaders and partners. Its projects include support for Bodgaun Primary Hospital in Nepal's Sindhupalchowk District, funding for teachers and medical professionals, school education and meals, and digital literacy programs. It also develops local infrastructure, and its programs aim to strengthen the long-term independence of the communities it serves.

Luzzi is the co-founder and CEO of We Raise Hope. He is also a jewelry designer with more than 20 years in the trade. His fine jewelry house, Alberto Luzzi, was founded with business partner Nicolas Canal, and its flagship store is at 102 Thompson Street in SoHo. Collections are designed in New York and crafted in Italy and Bali, from the house's signature silver mesh to 14K and 18K solid gold set with diamonds and emeralds. The house also makes engagement rings and custom pieces.

He brings that business background to the nonprofit. His work there rests on the view that lasting charitable impact requires sustained investment in communities and in the opportunities open to the next generation.

The evening opened with a reception and open bar. A gala dinner followed. Entertainment and stories about the individuals and communities at the center of We Raise Hope's work completed the program.

The gathering connected New York's philanthropic community with the organization's continuing programs in Nepal, and Yogmata's Himalayan experience and humanitarian record gave the evening its international dimension.