Quite fittingly, the week before I came back to America to
do nothing except rest and eat, I worked myself to the point of exhaustion. The
week left me so drained, I knew I deserved a trip back to the glorious and
strange world of America.
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| Over the week of July 8th- 13th,
nine fellow Peace Corps volunteers and I held a Camp GLOW. |
The aim of Camp GLOW is as simple as it is noble. Take a few
girls from each of our communities and teach them skills that will enable them
to be more successful in high school and university. Camp GLOW literally stands
for Girls Leading Our World and we strived for nothing less. Over the course of
six intense days, the twenty one girls from nine different communities were
taught about leadership, public speaking, looking to and becoming role models,
HIV/AIDS prevention, journaling, building self-confidence, nutrition, and
countless other topics that will hopefully stick with them for the rest of
their lives. While there are thousands of pictures and stories from the
week, I’ll try to give you a glimpse of what Camp GLOW Bekoji was
all about.
When the campers arrived Sunday, they were scared and intimated.
Most only knew one or two other girls. This was the first time many had been
away from their families and town. And perhaps most terrifying of all were the
ten, bizarrely behaving, forenjis. The girls spent most of the evening shyly
getting to know each other through conversations and small, informal
activities. But no matter how nervous they were, no one in Ethiopia can turn
down a dance party.
The next day was filled with sessions designed to build
self-confidence through skits, presentations, and art projects. Though it was
only day one, every girl was brave enough to come up and talk in front of the
group at least once.
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| Working on their skits |
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| Creating a self-esteem collage of their aspirations |
Over the course of the next four days, the campers were
exposed to countless activities, which aimed to challenge them to become
stronger individuals. To highlight a few:
We had a girl’s night where we painted fingernails as we
discussed awkward topics like puberty, body image, good qualities in boys/men,
and good qualities in friends. It was one of the more fun nights that included
a lot of laughter. We PCVs really had to reach back to pull all of the
embarrassing stories from our adolescents from the recesses of our minds. But
an amazing thing happens when one person tells an embarrassing story or fear
they had: everyone has had the same feeling or experience. All of the campers
really opened up and that willingness to take the risk of sharing something
personal carried through to the end of camp.
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This is also the night I got my hair done. I think I pull it
off.
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We had a rockin’ obstacle course that taught the girls the
importance of teamwork and supporting each other. The idea of an obstacle course
is foreign in Ethiopia. Over the course of a few hours, the campers went from
apprehensive to competitive and excited. At the end, each person went through
the course once. The best female adult time was about 58 seconds (I’m still a
little bitter; our esteemed camp director beat me in the final by one second).
The best male time was 52 seconds. Finally, the best camper time was something
insane like 45 seconds. There is a reason the people of this country are known
as amazing runners.
We had ever-so-fun condom demonstrations and activities. The
girls were all willing to learn about a subject that is pretty taboo in
Ethiopia. Again, this just goes to show how open and amazing all of our campers
were.
The group went on a hike to the top of Gelema Mountain. No
one knew how successful we would be since it was cold, looked like rain, girls
had different ability levels, and some were fasting for Ramadan. Every single
girl made it to the top. It was an impressive feat that made each girl feel
proud of herself and the group.
A group of musicians and actors came to preform in front of
the girls. They are called the Hiwot Band, meaning Life Band. Some of the
members are HIV positive and they go around the area singing, dancing, and
preforming dramas to educate people on HIV awareness, prevention, and stigma.
There was a dance party, drama, and then a question and answer session with the
group’s leader, who has had HIV for decades. While it was all in Amharic, the
one thing I could understand was all the girls came away with a different
perspective on people living with HIV.
Finally, the last night, we had a
huge bonfire. The girls took time to say what camp had meant to them, thanked special
people, burned pieces of paper that represented their fears, and then tried an
American requirement for any bonfire: s’mores. The climax of the night was when
everyone started singing and dancing around the fire. It lasted for what felt
like hours and left me feeling about 100-years-old as those young girls just
keep going. At certain points, a song would be sung in honor of a specific
person. That person would have to run around the fire as everyone sang for him
or her. Without a doubt, running around that fire with everyone sing about me
is a memory I will keep with me for the rest of my life.
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Literally… some happy campers!
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| Selflessly enduring the heat to
roast those marshmallows. |
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| Group Shot |
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| One of my favorite pictures of the
night: one of my girls from Asella decided all the PCVs should dance together,
holding each other’s hips. But I was so deep in my sugar high (hence the
marshmallow in my mouth), I just couldn’t be stopped. |
There were far too many amazing activities to include them
all. Most days, we started at 8:00am and ended with a session after dinner
lasting until 9:00pm. It was an amazing experience to say the least. Everyone
involved took something away from camp and I have no doubt that we made a
difference in those girls’ lives.
I have heard some people say that this is what every week of
Peace Corps should be. We should always have the feeling that we made a
difference and be able to see it. While that would be wonderful, there is
nothing I would change about this experience. And, to be honest, I could not
have keep up with the suicidal pace we were working at. We started planning
this camp four months before any girls arrived. There were countless trips to
the venue to make sure everything was on track. Someone is still writing a
report to justify to PEPFAR why their money was well spent. To put all the work
into perspective, the first receipt is dated May 25th and the final
one is dated September 6th. But despite all that work, it was worth
it for moments like these…
The next day was filled with sessions designed to build
self-confidence through skits, presentations, and art projects. Though it was
only day one, every girl was brave enough to come up and talk in front of the
group at least once.
Finally, the last night, we had a
huge bonfire. The girls took time to say what camp had meant to them, thanked special
people, burned pieces of paper that represented their fears, and then tried an
American requirement for any bonfire: s’mores. The climax of the night was when
everyone started singing and dancing around the fire. It lasted for what felt
like hours and left me feeling about 100-years-old as those young girls just
keep going. At certain points, a song would be sung in honor of a specific
person. That person would have to run around the fire as everyone sang for him
or her. Without a doubt, running around that fire with everyone sing about me
is a memory I will keep with me for the rest of my life.
