Runway Project Addresses Education for Girls in Sierra Leone

The May 3 show in the Floy Lewis Bakes field house included a live band and 25 Ursinus student models showcasing clothing lines all donated from area stores. The first 150 attendees received gift bags.

The Ursinus students created a story line about the lives of the girls who will benefit from the fashion show proceeds. “The idea started after we learned about the nonprofit group called One Girl in politics class,” says sophomore Emma Crowley. “So many girls in Sierra Leone are forced to leave school early because of cultural differences and a basic lack of access to school supplies,” said Crowley, who added  she hopes that the event will help educate the campus about the crisis. Poverty, early pregnancy and being sold into marriage are among the factors that keep many girls from receiving an education.

Crowley and fellow students, Rebecca Fong, Yousif Yahya, Maddy Scudrei, Eden Patrick and Mia Serpico researched more about One Girl based in Australia and thought it was a good fit for the efforts of UC Stand. All the proceeds from the fun and educational fashion show will go directly to One Girl. Contact Mia Serpico at miserpico@ursinus.edu for ticket information. 

UC Stand  is the Ursinus chapter of the national student organization STAND (Students Taking Action Now). STAND was originally created to fight ongoing violence in Darfur, Sudan but its mission has expanded to empower individuals and communities to fight genocidal violence and other humanitarian crimes. UC STAND invites distinguished speakers to campus and works with other social justice groups on campus to raise awareness about local, national and global issues.