Pop Tabs for a Cause

They’re sprouting up all around the law school:  containers with labels asking people to deposit “pop tabs” from their cans.  You are probably wondering What could they possibly want with these?   Who’s behind the collection campaign?  Well, let us tell you.

This campaign to collect pop tabs is another step in the College of Law’s walk with Pros For Africa.  A formal collaboration between OU Law and PFA began in February 2011 and has allowed law students to travel to Uganda, Morocco, Zambia and to do summer externships in South Africa.

This time, first-year law students, members of the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) aren’t traveling but are using their time and energies to assist Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe of Gulu, Uganda.   Sister Rosemary operates a boarding school for young females, many of whom are survivor “brides” of Joseph Kony’s Lord Resistance Army in Uganda.  These ladies take the pop tabs and crotchet them into remarkable purses and other objects.  So, our law students are gathering pop tabs to send to Uganda. 

If you look closely at the picture of the purses posted with this blog, you’ll recognize the old familiar, throw away “pop tab.”   It takes about 100 to make a purse so we’re trying to collect as many as possible.  The bags are selling ($125+) and the revenues go to Sister Rosemary.  For more information, you can go to http://prosforafrica.com/.

Chinyere Kimberly Ikegbunam, the student spearheading this campaign, says “Collecting pop-tabs just seemed like a no-brainer. It amazes me that something we would easily discard can literally be used to change someone else's life.”  Becoming excited, because so many students, faculty and staff are getting involved, Kim is now thinking about taking the campaign university-wide.  Dormitories, fraternities, sororities, cafeterias, watch out --- pop tab containers may be coming to your location!