When English senior Catherine Traywick came to ASU from the Philippines, she was surprised by the lack of knowledge many students had about world issues.
So Traywick, a proud supporter of women's rights, started the campus group Women Beyond Borders in 2005 with three fellow activists.
WBB recently got back from a weekend in Juarez, Mexico, where the group worked to end violence against women.
"It was incredible," Traywich said.
The group members initially traveled to Juarez to learn more about the murders of hundreds of female factory workers that have taken place in the border town since the mid-1990s.
As the weekend progressed, however, the group members discovered there was a way they could have an immediate effect on the female population of Juarez, Traywick said.
The group toured a house in Juarez that works with Aldea, a women's rights organization. The women in the house, which did not have electricity, were making handcrafts as a way to support their children, she said.
"It was really inspiring," Traywick said.
The members of Aldea are trying to build a community center. The only problem is the building cost 10,000 pesos, about $1,000. It took the group a year just to raise $500, Traywick said.
Once the group heard Aldea's mission, WBB was excited to help out in any way, Traywick said,
"We were really inspired by them," she added.
WBB gave Aldea $200 the day they toured the house to help with the costs, Traywick said. They are now hoping to work with other campus groups with similar missions to raise money for Aldea.
"That's something we can do so easily," Traywick said. "In order to make it successful, we have to do some coalition building."
The Aldea project is just one of many that WBB has taken on and hopes to take on in the future. The group has worked with Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, The Shirkat Gah Women's Center in Pakistan, the Casa Amiga Crisis Center in Mexico, and the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan, Traywick said.
The group typically raises money through benefit concerts.
"It's easy to find bands that are activists at heart," Traywick said.
Monica Spencer, an English literature senior, said she had been interested in feminism before coming to ASU and was looking to join a group when she discovered Women Beyond Borders.
"The group seemed o stand out from the rest because it was grassroots," she said.
She likes that the group deals with the worldview of feminism, she said.
"Some people have a narrow view," she said. "They think it just deals with
American women's social ills. It's nice to see that women are focusing on other women of the world."
Spencer is currently the Wellness Chair for the group. She focuses on the well-being of group members, which includes celebrating group members' personal achievements, as well as birthdays and going-away parties.
"It helps group members feel more welcome and appreciated," she said.
Reach the reporter at: kristi.eaton@asu.edu.
