October 2021 brought some inspiring visitors from the African continent to District 6040! Hearing about some of the terrific projects of Group Study Exchange members are engaged in within District 9210, the #smallbutmighty North Kansas City and the Lilongwe Lingadzi, Malawi Club presidents developed a joint project to address the feminine needs and drop out rates of school girls in the region, based on the issue they do not have the appropriate health care items they need each month.
The Lilongwe Lingadzi Club works with a co-op of ladies who are taught vocational sewing skills while recovering from Fistula surgery.  After their training is complete and they join the co-op, they sew feminine hygiene products for school-aged girls.  The Lilongwe Lingadzi club purchases the products, packaged in bright pink pails for every girl, which are delivered to a school the club supports. 
 
For $12 US a YEAR, there are enough products to enable a girl to stay in school the entire year, verses having to stay home one week a month for her menstruation cycle.  Consistently missing school leads to the girls falling behind which lends to a high rate of drop out.  The future for many of these girls may include to being sold to human traffickers or becoming child brides. 
The project creation was a spontaneous site of awesome during the Smithville Club GSE presentation!  Members of the GSE team, the Smithville Rotary Club, the NKC Rotary club president and two RYLA students unfolded in real time the brainstorming project creation of Operation Pink Pail.
 
Through a simple social media campaign designed by a former RYLArian and some short marketing videos, the project raised $3,164 in just a couple weeks.  Community members from around the country donated to the cause, including a troop of Girl Scouts from Higginsville.
The collaborative effort among the Rotary Clubs and districts was fantastic.  Districts 9210 (Malawi), 5440 (Wyoming), 6760 (Tennessee) and District 6040.  Clubs include Lander WY, Clarksville TN, Smithville MO, KC Plaza MO, Lilongwe Lingadzi MALAWI, Higginsville, MO, and North Kansas City, MO who worked together to promote and collect funds.
 
News recently came in that not only is the entire school of each girl funded for a complete school year, but there are enough funds left over from the monies collected to open a second vocational sewing lab!
#peopleofaction #serviceaboveself #gsecollaboration