When we were in Liberia in 2018, the staff and residents of the Phebe Rehab Center demonstrated how to tie dye cloth in various, colorful patterns. Each piece of cloth is two yards in length – a lapa. In addition to being beautiful and used to make traditional garments, a lapa is versatile, practical, and serves a variety of purposes.
Many Liberian women wrap lapas around their waists for their skirts. There’s a technique to wrapping them. Our friends Maude and Alice showed three of our team members how to adjust them so they would be securely tied, but not too restricted for walking.
In addition to wearing a lapa-skirt, women use lapas to carry babies on their backs. On my last trip to Liberia, I learned that a lapa can provide privacy to a woman who needs to take care of her business when there are no facilities nearby!
A lapa can also be used in making reusable sanitary napkins. Our March 2019 team taught a number of ladies how to make hygiene kits. This is a BIG DEAL. Feminine hygiene products are expensive. If a school-age girl can’t afford to buy sanitary napkins during her menstrual cycle, she most likely doesn’t attend school on those days, disrupting her studies. A teenage girl, who drops out of school, may become pregnant at a young age, leading to complicated labor and fistula. A lapa can go toward the construction of 18 to 24 hygiene kits!
Many Liberian women wrap lapas around their waists for their skirts. There’s a technique to wrapping them. Our friends Maude and Alice showed three of our team members how to adjust them so they would be securely tied, but not too restricted for walking.
In addition to wearing a lapa-skirt, women use lapas to carry babies on their backs. On my last trip to Liberia, I learned that a lapa can provide privacy to a woman who needs to take care of her business when there are no facilities nearby!
A lapa can also be used in making reusable sanitary napkins. Our March 2019 team taught a number of ladies how to make hygiene kits. This is a BIG DEAL. Feminine hygiene products are expensive. If a school-age girl can’t afford to buy sanitary napkins during her menstrual cycle, she most likely doesn’t attend school on those days, disrupting her studies. A teenage girl, who drops out of school, may become pregnant at a young age, leading to complicated labor and fistula. A lapa can go toward the construction of 18 to 24 hygiene kits!
 | Kathy Beth Stavinoha Kathy Beth lives and works in Austin, TX. She graduated from high school in Monrovia, Liberia in 1977. |
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