Camp GLOW was everything I wanted it to
be, and more. Much like attending camp as a child, I was sad to
leave yesterday. The pouring rains were fitting for the voyage home;
we danced, enjoyed road snacks and sang our favorite camp songs.
From start to finish, it was a blast.
The week started with a pre-test to
assess participants knowledge of various topics that would be covered
over the course of the week. It touched on malaria, menstrual
hygiene, resources for vioence against women, sanitation and
nutrition. As a group, the average on day one was 40%, clearly not a
passing grade. When I graded the post-tests however, I was elated to
announce that the group achieved a 84% average, with several girls
receiving perfect scores. So, not only was camp a fun experience,
but an effective opportunity to educate and motivate these young
girls to become leaders in their community and promoters of healthy
habits in their homes.
There is no way camp would have
succeeded without the tireless work of the other directors, our
amazing team of volunteers and their wonderful homologues, adults in
their communities who assisted run activities, explain lessons in
terms that the girls could understand and monitor the girls at night.
Their presence was an absolute blessing. One homologue even brought
her baby, and little Ebenezer became a pillar of the Camp GLOW
experience.
Despite the addition of educational
sessions, we spent hours with the girls outside the classroom,
challenging their creativity, teamwork and introducing them to new
programs. Each day, girls chose to participate in one of four
different activities: yoga, self-defense, computers or art. By the
last day, the yoga girls were in perfect vinyasas, our self-defense
girls were blocking and throwing jabs, our computer girls impressed
us with their ability to use a mouse and open new programs and the
art girls dazzled us with their portrait-drawing and cootie-catcher
making skills. During the afternoon, we presented the girls with
team challenges: relay races, egg drops, straw tower building
competitions and a scavenger hunt. We watched as natural leaders
emerged from each colored team and girls began to take care of each
other. There's no doubt that each girl returned home with the memory
and knowledge of forming 50 new friendships.
The power of camp and the importance of
my work here came to a shattering halt on Wednesday morning when one
of our campers, who had been complaining about a stomach ache since
arriving, began vomiting during a session on reproductive health. We
made the call to take her to the health center for a consultation,
aware that it was unlikely to be malaria. At the health center, I
sat with her while they took her temperature and vital signs. When
she didn't have a fever, I suggested to the nurses that she do a
pregnancy test. The city nurses sized up my 14-year-old camper with
wide eyes but acquiesced. Five minutes later, with a positive result
in my hands, I had the difficult responsibility to tell this young
girl that she was pregnant. My stomach dropped as I watched her
future flash before her eyes. While I don't know how she became
pregnant, it was an instant reminder of the fate of many young girls
here in Benin. Although this young woman was a top performing
student in school, she will now be forced to drop out, and it is
unlikely that she will ever return. The news crushed me, but I was
happy to bring her back to camp, where I knew, despite her little
secret, that she would find comfort in her new friends and enjoy a
couple last days of just being a kid.
Camp, no matter where you are in the
world, is a place of freedom, fun and friendships. Every girl,
regardless of their village, background, age, grade level or economic
upbringing, was given the opportunity to just enjoy a week away from
home, free from daily chores, pumping water and caring for younger
siblings. As a camp director, I walked away on cloud nine. The
smiles and laughter were contagious and I feel like we did our part
to motivate, educate and celebrate the girls of Benin.
Thanks for the information.
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