Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) is a week-long girls
empowerment camp by Peace Corps Volunteers, specifically from the health sector
(in Malawi). It encourages young women
to be active citizens, build confidence, self-awareness and self-esteem. GLOW also teaches topics including health,
career planning and the environment. Girls learn skills in assertiveness,
goal-setting and life planning.
The program began in 1995 in Romania with three Peace Corps
Volunteers, four teachers and 80 girls.
It started in Malawi in 2003 and has been going strong ever since. We
have had over 300 girls attend GLOW over the years.
Perhaps you remember my note about GLOW last year?
“You don’t have to be anti-man to be
pro-woman” – Jane Galvin Lewis
A few facts for you:
Globally, adolescent girls are 50% more likely to be HIV
positive than boys of the same age.
Greene M et al, Girls Speak a New Voice in Global
Development. International Center for Research on Women, 2010.
Educated girls have better opportunities to participate in
community and decision-making. They are more informed about health risks such
as HIV and AIDS.
They also tend to marry later, have fewer, healthier,
better-nourished children and are more likely to send their children to
schools.
DFID, DFID Factsheet on Gender Equality, (London: DFID,
2008).
Nearly half of all girls in Malawi are married by age 18,
and one in four teen girls already has a child.
Less than a quarter of girls finish elementary school in
Malawi.
In Malawi, approximately 65% of girls experience some form
of child abuse during their lifetime, compared to 35% of boys.
Klasen S et al. The Impact of Gender Inequality in Education
and Employment on Economic Growth in Developing Countries: Updates and
Extensions. World Bank Group, August 2008.
“There is a growing strength in women
but it’s in the forehead, not the forearm.” – Beverly Sills
After the two days I spent last year, I knew I wanted to be
a part of the action. This year I
applied to be a counselor to get a more personal experience with working
one-on-one with a group of girls.
A glance at my Camp
GLOW application essays: “What does ‘female
empowerment’ mean to you?” and “Why do you want to be a camp counselor?”
If you can believe it, this page was blank for several hours
while I tried to put into words the montage of images that flashed through my
head. “Female empowerment” is not an
easy phrase to summarize in 500 – 1000 words however, having first-hand
experience with being a lady, I think I can narrow down my favorite qualities
of women – the ones that make me most proud to be a woman.
The “female empowerment” montage of images begins with
athletes. Women running, throwing,
kicking, hitting – they exert their power in any capacity with grace and
strength. Tennis players, a game of
softball, volleyball, cycling – the images run quickly through my head until we
see an 11-year old Kathi in a soccer game.
It was boys versus girls. The air
was tense, my heart was pounding. I wanted to win so badly. The score was 2 – 2. I ran beside my best
friend as she made a break with the ball. She tripped and fell – the ball was
loose! I raced for it, made one look at the goal, closed my eyes and booted it
into the net. We won! We beat the boys!
It was the first time I ever truly felt proud to be a
girl. I was strong and capable and I
believed in myself. More images of strength flash through my mind: a woman
gives birth in a sweaty, rural clinic without an anesthetic, another graduates
from university with high honors, and yet another carries a pile of wood on her
head with a baby on her back and a chicken in each hand. Whether it’s great physical feat or educational
accomplishments, women are strong and capable.
Then there is beauty.
Women are the most beautiful creatures – not just physical attractiveness,
but with daily life: the sashay of hips as women balance buckets on their
heads; the deep-set wrinkles around a grandmother’s eyes from years of
laughter; the songs and cheers of young girls playing; dancing that is free
from worry or rhythm. Beauty is not a
one-size-fits-all: it’s tall, short, thin, wide, and voluptuous with big noses,
thin lips, large smiles, too many teeth and wild hair. One is beautiful in a
skirt and heels that click down the hallway; in sweatpants and sneakers;
barefoot in a chitenje. Beauty is the
moments where women think that no one is watching, but their movement and
presence is appreciated.
Finally the images in my head slow down, but their meanings
are difficult to decipher. There is no
clear pattern to the pictures. And then
I realize it’s individuality: shaving heads, burning bras, marching for a cause
– women do it with passion. No matter
what, a woman is still herself and she should always stand confidently and
without fear.
It’s these strong, beautiful individuals that we must praise
because they are the ones who bring out change.
They lead by example and they live this one life they are given with
purpose. I encourage these women to
inspire us more. In my life, I try to
set an example for my younger sisters, my girls group, my students and even all
the males in my life. I want them to
know that a woman does not need a man’s attention to know that she is
beautiful. I encourage girls to stay in
school because education is an investment that no one can take from you. Most importantly, I show appreciation for
those who embrace differences and creativity and who have innovative
ideas. In this way, I want to inspire
women to be confident and proud to be female and I want men to respect and
appreciate the females in their lives.
I have been excited about Camp GLOW since my site visit
during PST. During that week, I met the
program coordinator for Camp GLOW 2010.
She showed me photos, curriculum and projects she has continued with
girls who went to Camp. I was inspired
by her stories about girls gaining confidence and knowledge about sensitive
topics, like healthy sexual practices. I
knew I wanted to experience this incredible week that she talked about first
hand.
I have experience working with youth in Malawi and I am
eager to share a week with eleven young women whom I can inspire and who will
inspire me. I am creative – a gift I inherited from my mother, a truly
empowered woman. I can tell an elaborate
story, make pinch pots out of clay and problem-solve with unique ability. I
uphold ideals, a goody-goody since I was a child, I like rules and format. However, I dance to the beat of my own drum.
Sometimes there’s no beat at all, but I’m still dancing.
Finally, a note on what I will offer as a counselor. I am
positive, full of energy and eager to work.
I want to provide these young women with self-confidence they can walk away
with. I would like to feel the
inspiration I felt after two days at Camp GLOW 2011 last year and use that
energy to focus on my girls group in my community. I believe in the power of Camp GLOW and I
would love for it to be a part of my Peace Corps experience.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or
where you come from. The ability to
triumph begins with you. Always.” – Oprah Winfrey
This year we had 60 secondary school girls attend and 6
previous campers as junior counselors.
Each Peace Corps Volunteer counselor was paired with a counterpart
counselor (a professional Malawian woman who tag-teamed with PCV counselors –
an excellent source of information and role model).
Some excerpts from my counselors…
“It is my sincere hope that this camp will be fruitful to me
as a person as well as my profession. I
have always been willing to help the Malawian nation in terms of encouraging
women. I always aim high to be a role
model in every community that I live.” – my co-counselor, an amazing woman who
has had many life experiences that made her the strong, independent woman that
she is – I am so lucky to have spent the week with her.
“I want to be a junior counselor so that I can tell girls to
change our world. I will tell them they
can reach where men reach. I want to tell them that men are like us and the
jobs they do in government, companies and industries, we can also do just like
them. So I will remove the fears they have. I want them to develop their life
planning skills and to be assertive.” – my junior counselor, an incredibly
ambitious girl who was at Camp last year who inspired my ten campers to dream
big and to keep dreaming always.
“When women thrive, all of society
benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life” – Kofi Annan
This quote was the first one I read when I opened up the
Camp GLOW 2012 curriculum manual. It was
found in italics on the bottom of a page that I had opened at random. Yes,
I thought, this is why I’m here.
The week was a whirlwind – waking up at 6 and going to bed
at 11. For a girl who sleeps a lot more than that, I was pooped. It was worth
every second. To be honest, I didn’t want to waste any time sleeping anyway.
The guest speakers included many successful women who
encouraged the girls and took time to answer questions: the Principal Secretary
for Nutrition and HIV/AIDS from the office of the President and Cabinet, the
Education Program Officer for VSO, the Program Manager from the Ministry of
Health, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank, the Program Assistant for Health from
Peace Corps, self-employed business women, Public Relations Officer from the
City Council, an HIV Support Group speaker, a journalist, the Executive
Director for Malawi Health Equity Network, and a human rights activist.
A professional drama group performed a skit to encourage the
girls to set goals and to not be discouraged by others.
We learned how to make reusable menstrual pads (A huge hit! Many
girls miss school when they are menstruating because pads are unavailable in
the village)
There was a bonfire – the “I can’t” funeral. Girls wrote on
a piece of paper something that someone told them they could not do or were
discouraged from. One by one, the girls
read what was on the paper and threw it into the fire. It was so inspiring and
beautiful as the girls cheered when their paper lit into flames, representing
that they can do what is on the paper. We held hands and sang “Lean on Me” –
yeah I cried a little.
We had a dance party. Always epic.
There was a “manel” – a panel of men, Malawian and American,
who answered questions the girls had about sex, gender and relationships.
Crafts included friendship bracelets and journal-making.
Most girls did not know of the concept of journaling, so we took time to write
down our thoughts and chose topics to write about every night.
We had talks from some amazing Peace Corps Volunteers.
Topics included: sex vs. gender, condom demos, healthy sexual practices,
democracy and human rights, abuse, peer education, and self-esteem.
Then there was my favorite – the Talent Show. These girls
are extraordinarily talented. And Malawians love to show it off - everything
from songs and dances to dramas and poetry. My group of girls sang a song and
it was beautiful. I joined them half way through their performance and they
hugged me so hard. So much love! The GLOW staff read one of my favorite poems,
Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou.
Phenomenal Woman
Pretty women wonder
where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Maya Angelou
The reflection time each night was my favorite part of the
day. Everything began winding down. The girls had plenty on their minds and were
always eager to chat about everything late into the night. They shared personal
stories of abuse and struggles and I found it difficult to address some of the
topics in the best way. At times all I could do was listen. I gave words of encouragement, but some
situations may not always make it from under the rain cloud. I was always so impressed with the girls in
the group. They seemed to know what to say to their sister to comfort her. And
they were much wiser than other girls their age. I guess you grow up faster here in many ways.
Sometimes I would go to bed feeling helpless, but also grateful for the insight
I was getting. One thing’s for sure, these girls are brave.
Another great night was the candle-lighting ceremony. All 60
girls, 6 junior counselors, 12 counselors, GLOW coordinating team and the
assisting team held candles and lit them one by one as we said what we learned
at GLOW this year – what will we take back with us? The girls held
glow-in-the-dark wrist bands (which we used to teach them what “glow” means”) .
It was a beautiful ceremony – everyone was still and thoughtful - a great way
to end our last day. What did I take back with me from GLOW? Sixty-six new
sisters and an appreciation for my service here in Malawi – through all the
trials and tribulations, being away from home and learning a new culture and
missing my family…. GLOW makes all my efforts feel worth it.
Oh, did I mention Hillary Clinton stopped by? Yeah, so she
showed up. It was pretty cool.
The entire week at Camp was filled with mystery as our
cafeteria was taken over by the American Embassy and transformed into a press
room. No one was confirming who are big guest speaker was at the end of the
week, they only said it was a VIP. We had our theories. Rumors of a visit from
the Secretary of State were the most prevalent, but our coordinators were
tight-lipped.
Guess what? Madame Secretary made an appearance at GLOW. She
stopped by Malawi for only a few hours on her way to South Africa. She talked
to the girls about her camp experiences as a Girl Scout and how that shaped her
for her future. One girl (a camper I brought from Tukombo Girls named Anna)
gave a speech to Hillary about GLOW and the challenges girls face in Malawi.
Another girl presented Mrs. Clinton with a gift – a chitenje and a lovely 50th
Anniversary of Peace Corps commemorative book, which we all signed. And another
girl wrapped Hillary Clinton in the chitenje and received a big hug and smile
from her. It was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. She shook hands (I have yet
to wash mine – it’s been 3 weeks) and went on her way. Not bad, Camp GLOW.
The part that brought me chills, almost to tears, was the
fact that the press who were there to cover the event were all female
journalists. I was so touched by this fact and the girls cheered when they
heard the news – so proud of their fellow females.
Although extremely exciting, I didn’t want this experience
to take away from Camp. Yes, HRC is quite the lady, but Camp GLOW is quite
the camp. Meeting her was nothing compared to the experience I shared with my
girls. The smiles, laughter, kindness and stories will be treasured long after
I wash this hand. They’re the true heroes and role models – the future of Malawi.
This was shown prior to Madame Secreatary’s arrival. The
Minister of Education and the Minister of Gender were waiting in the audience
and allowed for a few questions to be asked. The questions began innocently
enough – What were some challenges you faced? How did you handle working in a
mostly-male environment? And then moving on to more pressing issues – Girls
being sexually abused by their male teachers in schools – what is being done
about this? And there is a movement for homosexuality to be legalized – do you
agree with this? This left the Ministers a bit tongue-tied and the questioning
was called off. The press noted this and it was in the newspaper the next day.
In order to remain politically unbiased (as Peace Corps Volunteers are not
allowed to take part in discussion regarding politics), I will leave you with
these links:
“Remember, no one can make you feel inferior
without your consent.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
By the end of Camp, the transformation was incredible. The girls
who were shy on day 1, were chatting and cheering by day 5. Songs were being
hummed in the early morning as girls showered and got ready for camp. I learned
so much about my eleven girls and my co-counselor. We bonded – we became family
and I knew I would miss them. I didn’t want to have to go to bed without saying
good-night and blowing kisses to my group of lovely ladies. I hoped beyond hope
that they would take everything they learned back and be strong, confident
women who could achieve their goals.
And what about me? Well, I was transformed for sure. This
camp moved me and has inspired me beyond words. This really long blog has not
even touched on how empowered I am. I feel selfish – like I gained too much
from this experience and I wasn’t even a camper.
“The thing women have yet to learn is
nobody gives you power. You just take it.” – Roseanne Barr
The AfterGLOW
The last day of camp left an empty pit in my stomach. I didn’t
want to say good-bye. And if you remember correctly, I’m the worst at
good-byes. When the last hug and “I will miss you” was dished out and all the
decorations and GLOW memorabilia was taken off the walls, I nursed my sorrows with
the GLOW staff over 5 liters of ice cream. I speak the truth.
But it wasn’t all bitter. I must say I’ve had so many sweet
moments in just a few weeks post-GLOW.
The girls from my group call me frequently just to say hello. Peace Corps Volunteers who sent girls to GLOW
have sent me text messages saying how much fun their girls had during the
week. One girl spent an afternoon teaching
the boys in her village the songs she learned at GLOW. Another girl has been teaching the girls in
her community about healthy sexual practices.
Sunganani, the girl I sent to Camp this year, came up to me in the market
and stated matter-of-factly, “We will be meeting at your house this Sunday. I
will bring my friends. We are starting a girls group.” And we did.
The joy I feel from that magical week is indescribable. It
was quite possibly the most amazing, transforming week of my life – definitely the
best of my service. If nothing else
comes of my 27 months here, I will always have these 7 glorious, fun-filled,
funky chicken days that I will savor.
Thanks to all the amazing help we received during the week
from our coordinating team, counterpart counselors, PCV counselors, junior
counselors, instructors, guest speakers and especially our eager, bright
campers. You made Camp…so wonderful…so excellent.
I leave you with these final words…
“Never underestimate the power of a
woman.” –Nellie McClung
Some links that may tickle your fancy…
Minister's response
to girl's question regarding homosexuality:
