So right now we education volunteers are in what we call “les
vacances” although most of us have been doing anything but relaxing. Camps and
Peace Corps conferences have been non-stop and, as always, the time is flying
by.
In July I participated in Camp G2LOW (Girls and
Guys Leading Our World) in Dédougou, one of the four cities around
the country where the camp was held this year. Camp GLOW (originally just Girls
Leading Our World) was started by Peace Corps volunteers in Romania who wanted
to promote gender equality and healthy lifestyles. This is the second year that
the camp has been held in Burkina Faso and we were able to reach a total of 480
male and female students from all over the country to participate. The 3 goals
of Camp G2LOW in Burkina Faso are the following:
1.
Healthy
lifestyles (this includes health topics such as family planning, malaria
and HIV/AIDS prevention, and sexual education among others)
2.
Empowering
students (this includes goal-setting for the future and good
decision-making skills)
3. Promoting gender equality
 |
| All 120 campers with Burkinabe and American staff |
Every session was co-planned and co-taught with the help of
a Burkinabé
counterpart in order to ensure sustainability for the camp. I even got to bring
3 girls and 3 boys from Diarabakoko with me!
The camp started out with a 3-day “training of trainers” in
which Peace Corps volunteers working the camp led various sessions for the 15 Burkinabe
counterparts- mostly teachers and those who work in the department of youth
activities who were donating their time . For the training of trainers, I led
sessions on active listening and how to create a comfortable and professional
environment when discussing sexual education.
Once the 120 students arrived in Dédougou, we all really got down
to business. Just the logistics of transport, lodging, and meals for around 160
people is a lot of work, let alone
the lesson preparation and evaluation activities that needed to take place. I
was a counselor working with my own group of 10 students who decided to call
themselves the “gladiateurs,” or gladiators. In addition to leading sessions on
gender equality, hygiene, and how to maintain good relationships, I was the
financial director for the camp, responsible for a US$7,000 budget, so I was a
very busy girl!
 |
| Students working in their manuals |
 |
| The Gladiateurs |
 |
| Two students acting a theater piece on the diagnosis of malaria |
Of course, it was a camp so there were plenty of camp
activities like sports and a campfire and songs. I will never forget walking
into the cafeteria one night, completely exhausted after having logged receipts
into an excel spreadsheet for hours, to find a room full of 120 boys and girls
singing about Camp G2LOW in unison and led by one of our truly
phenomenal Burkinabe counterparts, Theodora. It was one of the proudest moments
of my service to date and it made all of the hard work up to that point more
than worth the reward. Thanks to all of you who donated through the Peace Corps Partnership Program- you should be getting a newsletter with photos and a thank you letter from one of the participants in the mail!
 |
| Some of the girls after playing soccer |
After all of the Camp G2LOW festivities were
over, my stage had to head over to Ouaga for our Mid-Service Conference, or
MSC. The conference consisted of medical check-ups, dental cleaning, and too
many stool samples. Luckily, I’m actually in better health than when I arrived
in Burkina a year ago- 25 pounds lighter and with a resting heartbeat of 62
(down from 90!). Excited to have reached the midway point of our service, we
celebrated with a prom, a G24 tradition of sorts, at a local bar.
I headed back to village for a week or so but, alas, am back
in Ouaga again to work with the new volunteers during their training again. I’m
looking forward to being able to settle back into a routine in village in a few
weeks, but until then I’m enjoying speaking English and eating good food.
Besides, there was a little bit of a domestic disturbance with some of my
closest friends in village which was a bit shocking to say the least, so I’m
welcoming a little time away from village to process that situation. I may
write a big long post about the whole story at some point, since it deals with
one of the hardest things about being a Peace Corps volunteer, namely balancing
your personal beliefs with the culture and convictions of those you work and
live with in your host country. However, I think some reflection would
definitely clarify my conclusions on the matter and probably make a more
interesting story to read, too.
Peace,
Marlow
 |
| The sun setting on Camp G2LOW Dedougou. |
