This week we are hearing from our GRSP and Rotary Youth Exchange students, Emilio and LaNeige, about their year.  I thought it would be good to update you on last year’s GRSP student, Panashe Sivindani, and the Grace Period project we undertook with her. 

Panashe is from Zimbabwe where she was studying electrical engineering.  After her GRSP year, she spent the last year at Kennesaw State University, completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and graduates this Thursday.  She is going to continue to stay in the US post-graduation and begin working as a systems engineer at a process control company called RoviSys Building Technology in Peachtree City this summer. 

Last year, Panashe shared with us about the difficulty girls in Zimbabwe have staying in school regularly each month due to lack of feminine products and ideas she had to address the situation.  Our club worked with her, the Belmont Rotary Club in Zimbabwe, and the organization Days for Girls to provide washable sanitary kits to 140 girls at the Mbuyazwe Primary and High Schools last summer as a pilot project. 

The reports we have received indicate mixed success.  The girls reported that these kits really assisted them because disposable products are too expensive.  Attendance was up and overall the girls are very grateful for the donation.  The downside is the lack of water sources both at the school and at the girls’ homes for washing the pads.  Even the purchase of soap can be an issue for some.  Our contact with the Belmont Rotary Club expressed the wish that the water and sanitation woes could be sorted out, which if so, would really bring joy to the girls and the community at large.