A couple of weeks ago, our team returned from Liberia, where they conducted 10 workshops, teaching participants how to make reusable menstrual pads. 435 people attended the workshops, including school girls and boys, entrepreneurs, and members of other women-related non-profits. Our goal was to help school-age girls stay in school so they could complete their education. An educated girl is less likely to become a pregnant teenager who has to drop out of school, and more likely to become a wage-earning adult who can make choices about her life.
Additionally, several business people attended with the goal of being able to make and sell these reusable personal hygiene products. While someone purchasing a pad is having to spend money, they are not having to do so every month. Many boys in our classes said they were going to teach their moms or sisters how to make the pads. The impact on these 435 lives is huge!
It would have been very difficult to hold these classes without the tireless help of Matthew Walters and Jackson Carter.
Jackson drove for the team, picking up people and materials. In addition to being an excellent driver, he is a highly skilled mechanic. When there was a problem with one of the vehicles, he repaired it, even giving up his own truck’s battery to replace the one in ours!
Matthew reserved rooms at the guesthouse in Kakata in advance of the team’s arrival. He shared pictures and videos with me on a daily basis, which I was then able to post to Dignity:Liberia’s Facebook page.
The women conducting the workshops got well-deserved credit, but Jackson and Matthew’s contributions were vital. They are unsung heroes, as are all of you who donated supplies and helped assemble material.
To learn how to donate time, material or cash, go to https://www.dignityliberia.org/