Camp GLOW - Girls Leading Our World

After many months of planning, applying for grants, choosing "campers", and preparing, Camp GLOW finally took place December 11 - 16. In attendance were 41 girls , all aged 12 - 15 years old, 5 camp counselors who were 17-21, 5 Setswana-speaking facilitators, 4 cooks, and 4 PCVs from the Kuruman area. We each selected counterparts to work with us, girls to attend the camp, and helped design the curriculum and map out the schedule for the camp to come together. It was quite the process seeing this project out from start to finish, but well worth it and was by far the most fun and successful project I've done here in SA!

Girls of this age are faced with a number of challenges in rural South African society. Women are especially vulnerable to becoming infected with HIV. While some of the risk factors for women are biological, there are many cultural factors at hand that can explain why women typically have a higher risk of becoming infected, including cultural taboos regarding sex, gender roles that prevent women from being assertive to men, and the lack of female-controlled prevention methods. Extreme poverty is also a huge factor, as it encourages the exchange of sex for money, food, and sometimes even shelter. I think all of us were shocked at how prevalent having a "sugar daddy" is here in order to find financial support.

This being the focus of the camp, we put together a life-skills curriculum aimed at teenage girls coming of age in rural South African society. We discussed issues such as gender roles in the village setting, how to overcome challenges as a young female, different methods in practicing assertiveness, goal-setting and planning for your future, myths and facts about HIV/AIDS in South Africa (re: having sex with a virgin does NOT cure you of AIDS), the basics of HIV transmission, and methods of prevention. The counselors and counterparts were a huge help in these sessions to break down a lot fo the discussion in Setswana. I was very proud seeing my fellow educators get so into this, as it is really something that is not talked about in the villages!

While this was the bulk of the activities we did, we also had a lot of fun! We did three arts and crafts activities (friendship bracelets, t-shirts, and making banners), played games outside, had the girls do skits, as well as a final talent show on the last night, followed by the loudest and longest singing & dancing session that I've ever seen! I was lucky enough to meet the owners of a farm in the area (Middelpos Guest Farm), which was the PERFECT place for a camp like this, During the free time blocks that we made room for, the girls got to go swimming in one of their 3 pools, jump on trampolines, play soccer on the sports field, and just relax in the entertainment room. One of the greatest parts about the camp was watching the girls go from not knowing anyone to making fast friends with the group!

Here are some pictures from the week:












Session on gender roles















Talking about decision making













Canoeing










Dance party










Bracelet making











Icebreaker games










Me and my girls :)










Skits!













Cafeteria










Whole group pic on the last day










Talent show










Time for soccer..










Showing off the shirts...










Trampolines!


A fun time indeed! My counterpart (who is the health and social studies teacher at my school) particularly enjoyed interacting with the kids in this environment, and is eager to plan another camp with me for our June break. Planning the second time around should go MUCH more smoothly than the first...