[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/bathtub_1.jpg” caption=”Hanieh Rahimi, left, and Andrea Rowan are leading the Bathtub Project initiative.”]For the third year, McMaster students are hoping to fill a bathtub with donations for victims of abuse.

Until the end of November, a 'kiddy pool' covered in rubber ducky stickers will be set up in the McMaster University Student atrium, where students are taking up a collection of toiletry items for women and their children who have been exposed to any form of abuse.

Hanieh Rahimi, a fourth-year bachelor of health sciences student and Andrea Rowan, social action chair of the Jewish Students Association (JSA), are leading the third annual Bathtub project with a slogan “Rub a dub dub, drop your stuff in the tub”.

“We have joined forces with a whole range of students who are working together for a worthy cause,” says Rowan. “All groups are against the sexual abuse of women therefore this project takes advantage of this common value and creates partnerships between campus student's groups.”

Adds Rahimi: “This project brings students to work together on something they all value in order to negotiate the diversity and complexity that exist in our community. This project has shown in the past three years that students from diverse background are capable of working together in a helpful and supportive manner.”

During the last two weeks of November, participating groups will each take a day to oversee the pool, inform people about the initiative, and distribute educational material.

Shelters to benefit include Hamilton's Sexual Assault Center, YWCA Women's Residence, Mary's Place, Martha's House Summerville, Interval House, Native Women's Center and Inasmuch House. Donations can also be dropped off at the Jewish Students Association office in the Commons Building, Rm. B103, or they can be picked up upon request. To have donations picked up call the JSA office at 905-522-7215.

Donations will be wrapped in gift baskets and presented at a Dec. 6 ceremony commemorating the Montreal Massacre of 1989 of female engineering students.

“In addition to collecting items for victims of abuse, one of the main objective of the project is to bring about awareness of the issue of violence against women during these two weeks,” Rahimi says. “We are distributing various educational materials throughout the school and have materials available on the table for students to take.”