Quest for Girl Scout Gold Enriches American, Zimbabwe Teens

 

Years of being a Girl Scout¹ showed Nyla Mpofu how to serve others.

So, she decided² to apply for the yearly Girl Scout Gold Award, the group’s highest and most valued prize. She would get it, she decided, by helping³ 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 Sterling⁴, 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, underwear⁵ 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 Scouts⁶ each year and about one million girls have received it since 1916, the Girls Scouts said.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

apply – v. to formally ask for something like a job, admission to a school, for a prize, etc.

package – n. a container that holds different things

flyer – n. a piece of paper with information on it such as an announcement or advertisement

menstrual cycle – n. the natural reproductive cycle in which women produce eggs

impact –n. a powerful influence

1 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

5 underwear   

n.衫衣，内衣，贴身衣

参考例句：

• He had removed his underwear.他已脱去了内衣。
• They left off their woollen underwear when the weather got warm.天气转暖的时候，他们不再穿羊毛内衣。

6 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。