Junior Alice Bator is determined to make a global impact. And even Oprah is taking notice.
Bator has worked to create long-lasting solutions to women’s education in Uganda as a part of the Kasiisi Project, a non-profit organization that funds school construction and school-related projects in western Uganda. She’s the director of the Girls Support Program, which functions within the Kasiisi Project to develop sustainable production of eco-friendly sanitary pads and provide health education, latrines, washing facilities and education to girls in Kabarole District, Uganda. Bator said she believes the program could reverse the negative trend regarding women’s education in Uganda.
At the beginning of the month, Oprah Winfrey recognized this potential, giving the Girls Support Program a spot on her “For All Women” registry.
“She (Oprah) has identified my project as one that she supports and recommends people to give to,” said Bator, who also co-founded Kasiisi Vanderbilt to support the organization. “… The premise of my project goes along with her recent initiatives to raise awareness regarding women’s issues and create a sort of portal of call to action.”
The attention marks a milestone for the program, which got its start about 13 years ago with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to Dr. Moses Musaazi. Musaazi used the money to develop sanitary pads, called Makapads, made of papyrus and waste paper that allow girls who normally miss school during their menstruation cycle to attend class.
The production of these pads uses local resources and employs women in impoverished areas and in refugee settlements.
“The income generated by the women who make and sell the Makapads creates a sense of empowerment and economic stability,” Bator said.
Makapads work to further the core objective of the project, which is to encourage young women in their education.
“He (Musaazi) got the grant under the stipulations that the pads would help girls stay in school,” Bator said.
Since then, the Girls Support Program has continued to gain public support and financial donations.
“If we continue to get support at the rate we are now … it’s very possible that we will be able to establish a Makapads production plant in Uganda,” Bator said.
That’s part of Bator’s overall goal.
“What matters is that the initiative of any global-outreach organization is a self-sustaining one … something that will eventually need no outside donation or support but can be self-contained and self-operating,” Bator said.
Last summer, Bator traveled to Uganda with Kasiisi Vanderbilt co-founder Sarah Quirk to observe the progress that’s been made and to learn more.
That’s where Bator got to meet her idol.
“My biggest inspiration when I was there came from Dr. Musaazi,” Bator said. “He sees a problem and he finds a tangible solution.
“I remember even when he was in the hospital, seeing him look outside, devastated as he watched a pile of clothes get drenched. He worried that the people in need of those clothes were going to get sick. … At that moment he started crafting a concrete solution to address this problem.”
Finding solutions is what Bator hopes to do more in her role as director, and Bator said that her work with the campus extension of the Kasiisi Project helps her to remember what it is she’s working toward.
“Kasiisi Vanderbilt has really kept a lot of these issues in my day-to-day life,” Bator said, an enthusiasm she shares with her co-founder.
“Alice’s passion for the Girls Support Program is an inspiration,” Quirk said. “She is a true leader and catalyst in the community. Her spirit is contagious and her passion inspires others to support and impact global change.”
