Years of being a Girl Scout showed Nyla Mpofu how to serve others.
So, she decided to apply for the yearly Girl Scout Gold Award, the group’s highest and most valued prize. She would get it, she decided, by helping girls thousands of kilometers away in Africa.
The idea behind Nyla’s project was to give girls in Zimbabwe personal health products. She hoped it would help them learn about health and cleanliness.
With the help of a group of her school friends, Nyla gave boxes to her neighbors in Sterling, Virginia. The 16-year-old high school student asked them to donate personal health products.
“After that, I started receiving donations and mostly getting the word out with my friends. Then, they told their parents,” she says.
Months of donations resulted in lots of daily cleanliness products such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, towels, underwear and bras.
A trip to Zimbabwe
Nyla was not alone. Her friends helped her put the products into small packages. She also received support from Help for Others, a local non-profit run by her mother.
“I supported her in helping with the flyers, just helping her get the word out and connecting her with individuals in Zimbabwe,” Gloria Mpofu says.
Nyla traveled to Zimbabwe and met with girls and young women in several areas. She gave out the donated items and explained the importance of daily cleanliness.
Her mother traveled along with her. She says the idea was to help girls make healthy choices in their daily lives. These choices could prevent disease and improve their quality of life.
“She talked about how it’s important simple things like washing your hands, brushing teeth…can help girls and women in the community just have a healthier life,” Mpofu added.
Nyla also gave out information to the people she met with.
“They can take the information and teach (others) to have knowledge about…the menstrual cycle,” she said.
A project that began as a way to help girls in Zimbabwe ended up showing Nyla how much she can bring about change in people’s lives.
“I, maybe, realized that I can do so much and not to think lower about any situation I’m in because of taking the lead,” Nyla adds. “So, it was a great impact.”
The winners of the Girl Scout Gold Award will be announced in August. The award is given to fewer than 6 percent of Girl Scouts each year and about one million girls have received it since 1916, the Girls Scouts said.
I’m Susan Shand.
VOA’s Faiza Elmasry reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor.
Zimbabwe sports minister Kirsty Coventry on Friday denied that the government had been interfering in the running of the country’s cricket. Coventry, a former Olympic swimming champion, said in a tweet she was “devastated” by the effect on players of a decision by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to suspend Zimbabwe Cricket because of alleged political interference. Thursday’s ICC action followed the suspension by Zimbabwe’s Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) of the Zimbabwe Cricket board elected in June. The SRC appointed an interim committee. The ICC demanded that the elected board be reinstated within three months. Coventry said in her tweet that although the SRC was appointed by the sports minister, “SRC is not government – they are a public body.” She said in another tweet: “There is need for good governance at ZC for the international success we all want to see.” Coventry added that she would meet the country’s men’s and women’s captains on Friday. The ICC suspension means that Zimbabwean teams will be unable to play scheduled international matches in ICC events. Former Zimbabwe player Henry Olonga, the first black cricketer to represent the country in 1995, tweeted support for Coventry and the disbanding of the previous board. “Sorry Kirsty but they ain’t listening. The rest of us see it for what it is,” tweeted Olonga, who left the country after he and former captain Andy Flower protested against former president Robert Mugabe’s government during the 2003 World Cup. “A bunch of incompetent people were running a sport into the ground. This incompetence was known by them for five years. Why didn’t the ICC take strong action then? Curious.” Corrupt and incompetent Former sports minister David Coltart said the ICC had ignored the wishes of Zimbabwean players. “Whilst I understand ICC’s desire to keep political interference out of cricket the irony of this decision is that they have reinstated the politicians responsible for destroying the game in Zimbabwe,” he tweeted. “They should have ordered and organised fresh elections for a new board. “There will be no introspection from the corrupt and incompetent board that the ICC wants reinstated. We need a fresh start with no political interference. Let those who love and know the game run it.” Tony Irish, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (Fica), said in Cape Town that the plight of Zimbabwe’s cricketers was a matter of concern for players around the world. “Zimbabwe does not have a players’ association but we care quite deeply about the players,” said Irish in a preliminary comment ahead of a statement which he said Fica would issue later on Friday. All-rounder Sikandar Raza, who was on the recently concluded tour of Netherlands and Ireland in which Zimbabwe won just one out of 11 matches, expressed dismay at the UCC decision. “How one decision has made so many people unemployed… how one decision has ended so many careers. Certainly not how I wanted to say goodbye to international cricket.” Zimbabwe were made full members of the ICC and granted Test status in 1992. They failed to qualify for the 2019 World Cup.
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