Young women in the Volta region of Ghana received packages of reusable period products and other hygiene items thanks to 凯萨•李•库巴拉Keisha约翰逊 from 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校, who visited the nation with students as part of an English course. She initiated a feminine hygiene products drive after learning that taxes often preclude women and girls from purchasing the supplies.
阿宾顿,爸爸. ——当 凯萨•李•库巴拉Keisha约翰逊 在加纳旅行了10天 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 教师支持学生注册的一个 嵌入式课程, part of her motivation was to explore a nation that served as an exit point for millions of enslaved people who were shipped to America. But what 约翰逊 didn't know was that she would be helping young women and girls who live 5,离她费城的家有1000英里远.
While the 阿宾顿 group explored and engaged with citizens of the West African country, 约翰逊, the director of Residence Life and 社区 Standards at 阿宾顿, learned that young women often couldn’t afford to purchase period products.
“避孕套是免费的，但对女性产品征税. In terms of the struggle we face as women in the world, it really resonated with me. 如果一个年轻女孩没有她需要的产品, 她不能去上学了, 这会产生多米诺骨牌效应,”她说。.
“我被加纳的一切所感动, 热, 历史上, 环境的变化, 以及我和那里的人的互动. But there were other things that stuck with me like these girls who could benefit from our help in a real and meaningful way,约翰逊接着说.
她带着这种意识坐了一会儿, 约翰逊绕回了ADANU, the organization that hosted the 阿宾顿 students in Ghana. 她问理查德·英卡, ADANU的执行董事, 捐赠古代品是否可行, 他很快就支持了这个项目.
“The feminine hygiene drive is more than just providing essential products, 这是为了确保尊严, 健康和自信. 我们可以打破障碍, 消除禁忌, and create a world where every woman and girl can pursue their dreams unapologetically,茵卡说.
Once she received the go-ahead from ADANU, 约翰逊 created a flyer and an online wish list. 家庭, 的同事们, 朋友, and 朋友 of 朋友 responded to the call with products and monetary donations.
“反应超出了我的预期. 我的男性朋友们给了我很大的帮助. 它还开启了对话，扩展了他人. 人们想知道更多，对此我很感激. 我想让对话继续下去，”她说.
约翰逊和英卡解决了后勤问题, which were sometimes daunting due to shipping costs and import taxes, but they were able to send the mountain of products that 约翰逊 stored in her living room.
She also learned about an organization in Ghana called Queens Royal Care that makes reusable period products, 然后把她收集的200美元寄给了他们. 皇后公司生产了60套可重复使用的卫生巾, 肥皂, sanitary cleaning products and panty liners that were distributed at four schools in the Volta region of the country.
Ultimately, more than 60 students received packages of sanitary products. The team from Adanu conducted sessions on feminine hygiene to equip the young women with the knowledge and confidence to manage their menstrual health effectively.
“The feminine hygiene product drive made a significant impact on the lives of young girls in the Volta region by improving access to menstrual hygiene products, 通过教育和意识赋予他们力量, and encouraging of local economic development through the purchase of reusable pads locally,英卡说.
“The ripple effect of this endeavor will undoubtedly extend far beyond the immediate beneficiaries,他说.
约翰逊 said she is considering ways to continue the drive, even if it’s just once a year.
“This drive may seem small, but it is meaningful to these young women. It gives girls options and helps them to not feel like they must catch up or hang back. It will hopefully make them understand the importance of education. We are saying education is important, and now here is a way we are removing a barrier,”她说。.
“When we can make a difference in the world, we should," she added. "My life has had its challenges, but you should never lose sight of being blessed. 你需要成为一种祝福."
凯萨•李•库巴拉Keisha约翰逊, director of Residence Life and 社区 Standards at 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校.
加纳嵌入式课程:2025年春季
约翰逊加入 克里斯蒂娜Riehman-Murphy，助理图书管理员，和 阿丽莎挤沃尔特斯, 19世纪英国文学副教授, and 阿宾顿 students enrolled in a course with required short-term international travel, 也被称为嵌入式课程.
This reimagined English course offered firsthand knowledge of the beautiful and sometimes traumatic cultural contexts that surround the creation of the literature and cultural documents that the students studied.
This embedded course to Ghana is scheduled for to repeat in the spring 2025 semester, 但有兴趣的学生可以联系 全球项目办公室 尽快多学点东西.
关于宾大阿宾顿
腾讯分分彩平台官网分校提供了一个负担得起的, accessible and high-impact education resulting in the success of a diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. 有3个以上,100名学生, 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 is a residential campus that offers baccalaureate degrees in 25 majors, 速成硕士学位, 本科研究, 施赖尔荣誉学院, NCAA三级田径和更多.
