Image courtesy of Yukon University.

“It’s not a choice to be a refugee,” says Ivan Malipo — a reality he knows from experience.

In Canada, buying pads or tampons is routine. In many refugee camps, these basic items are scarce, and for women and girls, going without them is a monthly struggle.

Yukon University student Ivan Malipo is working to change that. From Whitehorse, he is collecting feminine hygiene products for Bwagiriza Refugee Camp in Ruyigi, Burundi, which hosts about 9,000 refugees and asylum seekers from the DRC, Rwanda, and Somalia.

Ivan lived in Dzaleka for six years before leaving through the WUSC Student Refugee Program in 2022. Now studying social work in Canada, he continues to support displaced communities.

With volunteers in Burundi, Ivan aims to assist 300 to 500 women and girls with this shipment. Donations are coming in, but transport remains the biggest challenge. A cargo shipment is scheduled to leave in the coming weeks, and Ivan has launched a final fundraising push to cover logistics and ensure the supplies reach the camp.

For him, the goal is simple: deliver essential items to women who need them — and remind others that while no one chooses to be a refugee, everyone can choose to help.