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EMERALD ISLE, N.C. – Emerald Isle resident Ginger Garner is helping Afghan women stay healthy while they study in the United States. She volunteers for the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women, an organization that offers scholarships to Afghan women.

When some of the women were in eastern North Carolina last year, Garner noticed some health issues and set out to help.

“I was able to learn and see that they had a lot of vitamin deficiencies that could lead to health problems later, not to mention that it really conflicts with their ability to even study,” Garner said.

So with community help and a donation from New Chapter Vitamins, Garner gathered enough to supply 42 students with multivitamins for a year. The town of Emerald Isle donated space and packing supplies.

The boxes Garner and volunteers are sending have enough vitamins to last the women through the end of the semester and through the summer, when most of them will be returning to Afghanistan.

“When they need the vitamins most, when they are at home during the summer and they don't have access to any fresh fruits or vegetables and they may subsist off breads for an entire summer,” Garner said.

She will send another shipment in the fall.

One student who received vitamins said they made a big difference. She couldn't share her name for safety reasons.

“It is almost impossible for Afghan women to receive these types of vitamins in Afghanistan,” she said. “Therefore, most women feel weak and tired all day. Afghan women to do not have access to their basic needs that all women all over the world get them for granted. Students of IEAW have found all these vitamins very effective. It has helped us a lot in our daily lives.”