Simon Says Girls Club (SSGC) and Middle Eastern and North African Student Association (MENASA) held a bake sale to raise money for the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), on March 7, 2025. SOLA is an Afghan-led boarding school in Rwanda to help teach Afghan girls from around the world, aiming to provide them with a sense of purpose and a rigorous education.
“Girls from Afghanistan can’t get an education because of the Taliban regime there, so we’re basically trying to expand their capacity,” MENASA leader Miro Katan ’28 said.
During weekly club meetings at break, both clubs spent time preparing for the fundraiser.
“We had to prepare a ton – around three months in advance,” Katan said. “We had to contact the managers of Saffron and Rose to get a good deal on their ice cream, prepare the tables, and make graphics for advertising the fundraiser.”
On the day of the fundraiser, many students lined up to purchase ice cream during break. Leaders of MENASA and SSGC took ID numbers from students before they received their desserts.
“I felt empowered knowing that I was supporting female education, and I also felt privileged knowing that I could give back to others that don’t have the same opportunities as me,” said Diya Desai ’28, a student who bought from the fundraiser.
As there were students from seventh, eighth, and ninth grade trying to purchase ice cream at once, the leaders noticed a rising issue.
“During the fundraiser, some people were skipping the registration so they didn’t pay for their ice cream,” Katan said. “We tried to manage it as best as we could: there were barricades to force lines and I was standing there to make sure everyone wrote their name down, but it was really hard because everyone was all smushed together and crowded so it was hard to keep track of everyone.”
