GAD Camp

Recently I spent a week in Mzuzu at GAD Camp.  You are probably thinking, what in the world is a GAD?  GAD stands for Gender and Development.  It is an organization within Peace Corps that meets monthly to discuss programs involving (guess what?) gender and development that can be used effectively within communities.  If you live in the northern region of Malawi (like I do) then you are a member of GAD. It’s as simple as that.

It’s a good way to consult with other volunteers about projects and programs – especially when you are new and you’re drawing a blank.

This was the first year of GAD Camp.  It was designed for secondary school students in form 3 and form 4 (equivalent to high school juniors and seniors) to learn about their gender and development (What?!  No, not really, but I did actually say that to someone when they asked what GAD Camp was and I couldn’t come up with an answer right away.  Yeah, I was completely wrong and Robert reminded me that juniors and seniors in high school are pretty familiar with their genders thus far…)  These students spent the week job shadowing different professions in the mornings (doctors, nurses, hair stylists, business people, paralegals, mechanics, etc.).  In the afternoons we had guest speakers, field trips, and workshops (veterinarian, librarian, judge, banker, as well as learning how to write a resume or conduct a community assessment) and in the evenings, we played games (Bingu [a spin off of Bingo – we merely substituted the President of Malawi’s name for the infamous dog], Red Rover [violent and oh so fun], Bang Bang [also violent, but a huge hit], etc.)

Some of the campers had never left their villages before.  Traveling to Mzuzu was a huge adventure and they had the opportunity to experience a working day.  At the end of the week, it was so exciting to see how much the kids learned and to hear that they wanted to come back next year.  The joy never left their faces and I think they were inspired to continue doing well in school and to take advantage of more opportunities.

In an environment where few ever leave the village, we can only hope these experiences will help encourage students to look for ways to improve their lives and Malawi.  There’s only so much a Peace Corps Volunteer can do and the youth in this country are the future.

Maybe a cheesy blog post, but I’m genuinely inspired by my week at GAD Camp – those kids made me smile.