Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) is a week long girls empowerment camp which aims to educate women with knowledge, skills and understanding about how to better their lives. Topics range from HIV/AIDS awareness/prevention, malaria awareness/prevention, family planning, female anatomy, birth control methods, women's rights, assertiveness, leadership, goal setting, future planning, healthy relationships, and cultural understanding. We administer material both in a class room setting, with guest speakers and through games, sports and fun activities - all while having fun.
Zambia is a country that has lots of room for improvement, but one thing that stands in its way with glaring impediment is the way women are suppressed. Due to rigid gender roles and traditions, women are constantly being overshadowed and screened from their potential by men and ingrained traditions. This isn't just relevant here in Zambia but in virtually all countries of Africa. Camp GLOW aims to shatter this norm by teaching and motivating ladies into pursuing a successful future and living a healthy life through their own accord.
The camps organization and management is led by volunteers and funded by US government grants. About ten of us (sorry if I missed you) were all responsible for a presentation and related activities to complement GLOW material. Most of us mixed our presentations up with with a combination of lectures, games and hands on activities like: bead making, sports, talents shows, dances, Olympics and art work. I was responsible for leadership, assertiveness and sports. For leadership- I demonstrated my acting skills with some lecture material. It was a popular presentation to say the least. I was happy with the feedback. For assertiveness- I had a little more difficulty as the material was a bit more obscure, but I arrived at the idea of having them take on the role of presenting skits regarding demonstrating assertiveness in dangerous situations. There acting was entertaining, creative, relevant and most importantly, they had fun with it. Finally with sports we played indoor soccer and netball which the girls thoroughly enjoyed. And of course, I couldn't resist exhibiting my talent skills in a grand finale skit during the talent show. Its not in my nature to be shy when it comes to being humorous in front of crowds. Needless to say we all laughed, performed with passion, and learned lots throughout.
Similar to Camp ELITE, the camp did well in bringing me back to the days of my youth when I was in camp; engaging in similar activities and learning similar life skills. What appeals to me most about these camps is that I can get a real feeling that I'm giving back to the same education that I learned and participated in as a kid. Camps do well in teaching kids many important lessons that aren't absorbed well enough in a school setting. Just seeing these girls change and grow in the course of one week did well in fulfilling that desire to pass it on. Its really amazing how the dynamic of relationships morph from the time when camp starts when everyone is nervous and apprehensive to the time when its over and people get emotional about leaving one another. It does well in making a mentor (or us in this case) feel accomplished as to a job well done.
Though the camp in actuality is just a drop in the bucket in solving the problem of gender inequality, it educates a generation that one can only hope will be impactful later down the line. Weather it be preventing a pregnancy, a rape, or the contraction of HIV. Or maybe towards helping these women achieve goals that are beyond the confines of village life- beyond a destiny of being attached to kitchens, expected of to clean and raise children as a sole responsibility. We want them to understand that they have the power to make their lives so much more.
Nelson Mandela and the rest of the 'Great World Elder Group' (Independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights) claimed that without gender equality in a nation, development can not progress. It is absolutely crucial for developing countries to recognize women as a force in development. Camp GLOW is an action plan preached to these girls to help enlighten them about their potential. Once they awaken from their traditional enslavement mindsets that encapsulate them to a simple life of limitations, they can empower themselves and others in their villages.
When the camp finally came to a close and we all had our reflections about what we learned and how we may implement what we learned, I was pleased to learn that the girls I selected informed me of their ambitions and enthusiasm about starting a camp of their own back in the village. At that very moment, I couldn't help but smile and say to myself as I do every now and then during my service " Damn. I love my job."..Winning.
