U.E. (Unidad Educativa) 25 de Diciembre

After my first workshop in Trinidad yesterday teaching Los Lideres, I prepared for my workshop today for primary students at U.E. (Unidad Educativa) 25 de Diciembre.

I was expecting to teach about 10 young girls but at least 25 girls showed up. One of the girls from Los Lideres joined me as my assistant and was very helpful in teaching girls how to sew. I only showed her how to make the washable sanitary pads yesterday and she is already so capable and skilled. It is great to see how - only just starting these workshops - there are so many individuals willing to take the initiative and help expand this communal effort.

The principal of the primary school introduced me and I explained to the girls the importance of finishing their education and how washable sanitary pads will aid them in this personal commitment.

Throughout the workshop, there was girls tracing and cutting the fabric as well as girls learning how to sew and completing their own pad.

Towards the end, I was instructing a group of girls how to store and wash the washable pads when - unexpectedly - one of the girls begins to braid my long hair. I think these casual and sister-like mannerisms sum up the entire experience. I don't have a sister and I had not meet these girls until this morning and yet we are already connected; through this experience we feel comfortable enough to be ourselves.

"Ya siento cómo estamos conectadas y es un sentimiento maravilloso, este sentido de hermandad".

- Sarah Mercado

Comments

La Universidad Autónoma del Beni "José Ballivián" (U.A.B.) – Carrera de Pedagogía

After driving back from Comunidad Villa Cruz – which is a rural village that is an hour away from the closest city: Trinidad – I held this workshop for university students. They are studying Pedagogy – the method and practice of teaching – and using my project to write their graduating thesis. Several boys and girls from Los Lideres (The Leaders) came to this workshop as well; they are students from Liceo "Mario Saielli" High School . Getting off the van after the workshop at Communidad Villa Cruz and immediately heading to SEDUCA for the next workshop with university students.

My Service Experience

From the corner of my eye, I notice a baby rattle and a pile of small rubber toy animals that invoke in me a sense of helplessness; I don’t quite know how I’m supposed to feel. What do you do when you are in a room with homeless young girls that are current and expectant mothers as a result of abuse? Girls that are younger than you, that deserve so much more and should be able to act like the eleven-to-sixteen-year-olds that they are. With such heavy thoughts in the back of my mind, I welcome the girls and prepare to give my regular speech, thoughtfully written words that I had just hours before said to distant communities in rural Bolivia. I feel it gnawing at me and find that those same words don’t fit. I set my cue cards down and look the girls in the eyes. Looking back at me is a sea of eager eyes, some with a hint of hesitation but willingness to hear what I have to say. I explain how I came to Bolivia to teach girls how to make washable menstrual pads to stay in school. Throug

Teaching Girls in Bolivia How to Make Washable Pads to Stay in School

My name is Sarah and I am a Girl Scout working on my Gold Award Project: Teaching Girls in Bolivia How to Make Washable Pads to Stay in School . The Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. After my Silver Award project, “Dresses for Little Girls & Washable Pads for Teens, period”, I felt motivated to continue and expand my previous project. I have a deep-rooted interest in improving the education and lives of girls around the world. I firmly believe in helping girls in my local and global community to make a positive impact in their lives. Young girls in developing countries skip up to 20% of school a year because of the lack and high cost of sanitary menstrual pads; many dropping out of school altogether. The use of unsanitary resources in place of sanitary pads leads to infections that aggravate their situation. I am going to Trinidad, Bolivia in July 2017 and bringing sewing machines to personally teach young girls and their mot

The Butterfly Effect

Search This Blog