TAN – The Afro News

Frederick Girl Power

My name is Frédérique. I am a licensed practical nurse (LPN) and am currently in school to become a registered nurse. I have created a project called Pads for Power. My project includes collecting disposable menstrual products and donating these to homeless shelters in Vancouver. It also includes making homemade reusable pads that will then be sent to women and girls around the world. Many women and girls living in rural settings in developing countries do not have access to any kind of menstrual products. Consequently, they must stay at home and miss up to a week of work or school every single month. These contributions mean that these girls and women, both near and far, will have the freedom to go to school or work every day and, in turn, the power to achieve greater success in life.

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David Schroeder  The Afro International

Jacob Deng Building a School in Duk Padiet, South Sudan

As a seven-year-old boy Jacob Deng fled his village in southern Sudan, Duk Padiet, in the province of Jonglei, narrowly escaping the death and destruction brought by militias from the north. The trek was a harrowing journey first to Ethiopia, and then back through Sudan to a massive refugee camp in Kenya called Kakuma. As one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, he lived in Kakuma for over a decade. Realizing the need for an education, Jacob used his entrepreneurial skills to get to a boarding school in Kenya, and later made arrangements to come to Canada as a refugee. He has lived in Halifax since 2003 with his wife Jenty and their two young boys.

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