More Camp GLOW pictures

At the High Court of Botswana in Lobatse; meeting with Unity Dow (top left in the picture), girls dancing at camp, my group of girls with my co-facilitator, us with our GLOW banner, fun around the campfire.

Pictures from GLOW and SSI Christmas Party

Stepping Stones kids with their Christmas presents, some other GLOW facilitators, kids having fun with the camera on Friday, and kids acting in the drama competition

Highlights (and a few low points) of Camp GLOW

After attending a few days of camp with the kids from Stepping Stones, I jetted off to Botswana College of Agriculture for Camp GLOW with youth from Baylor Teen Club. The camp consisted of 54 kids from 12 different villages/towns throughout Botswana. Here are some highlights from my journal for the week. (See pictures above)

Sunday: Today was the first morning of GLOW- and what an early morning it was! The sun was up by 5 and campers and facilitators all reluctantly got up at 5:45 for morning exercises. It was tough motivating my group to get up and moving, and I could tell they were stressed about interacting with other kids they didn’t know. Fortunately throughout the day things slowly improved- it was nice to see everyone making new friends by the end of the day.

It was sad to see one of my campers leave this morning- she had become very ill and had to go to the hospital. I hope that she’ll be okay. I’m sad that she’ll be missing this opportunity, I think the camp will be a great learning experience for everyone involved.

Monday: I led my first session today- I was pretty nervous but so excited to have Natefo, a nurse auxiliary from Baylor Clinic, as my co-facilitator- she’s great! Very enthusiastic and excellent with the girls. We presented a session on marriage and family, and it was really interesting to hear the girls’ different views on the topics. One of the main goals of the week is to get girls and guys to think clearly about the choices they have and to help them make healthy decisions. Hopefully we’ll be successful in this task.

Wednesday: Today the fatigue really set in for most of the campers and leaders- it makes sense, after having 4 days here full of activities and sessions. We still managed to cram in a bunch of activities, starting with the 5:45am wake up call, going room to room to get everyone out of bed for exercise.

The most notable of today’s sessions were the drama competition and an informal debate. The kids were divided into groups to portray different situations that commonly occur in Botswana such as infidelity leading to HIV infection, prostitution, stigma and discrimination because of HIV, etc. I was really impressed at everyone’s acting abilities- it’s amazing the dialogue and stories they were able to come up with with limited preparation. The debate activity was intense, with questions about whether or not marital rape exists (most said it does) and if all forms of sexual orientation should be legal in Botswana (the vast majority said no). Us Peace Corps Volunteers had to stick together with the few kids who were brave enough to argue for those who weren’t heterosexual. It was discouraging to see how many of the kids believed that homosexuality was wrong and awful, and yet had no good reasons to back up their beliefs. And all this after talking all morning about the importance of human rights. How disappointing! Botswana has a long way to go in terms of equality.

Friday: Today we had both a dance competition and a talent show. Boy, these kids can dance! And sing, and act… I’m thoroughly impressed. The most random of the “talents” was one of the boys who got up to preach to the audience about “taking the straight path to JESUS!” and that “those who drink alcohol are all going to HELL!!!” I was a bit taken aback, and then I looked around and realized all the other kids and Batswana facilitators were screaming “Halleluiah!” at the top of their lungs. I know for a fact that I’m not the only one there who enjoys the occasional glass of wine, so I found the scene a bit puzzling and disturbing. But this is not the first, nor will it be the last, time that Botswana has shocked me.

Saturday: Today we woke early as usual, got ready and boarded the buses for Lobatse. This was by far the nicest bus I’ve been on since being in Botswana- air conditioning, cushy seats with a reclining option, and fun house music that helped me zone out and perk up. I was amazed at how beautifully Kgale hill and its surrounding areas have become with the rain- the landscape is lush and a shockingly brilliant color of green. We arrived at Lobatse High Court and the home of Unity Dow- the famous author and first female high court judge of Botswana. She was kind enough to arrange for all of us to spend a day at her house and the court learning about human rights and different career/future options for the youth, as well as doing a mock trial. The kids started out in groups in the lovely house, each led by a couple of local professionals. Us facilitators got a chance to relax and read newspapers and magazines while drinking strong, real coffee (not the bitter powdered stuff I’ve been subsisting on at camp)- I was thrilled. The kids seemed to be engaged and interested in what was going on. We had a delicious catered lunch thanks again to Unity Dow and her husband Peter, the education coordinator for Mokolodi Nature Reserve. I’d met him last week at the Stepping Stones Camp but hadn’t realized he was married to Unity Dow.

Following the lunch was a mock trial in one of the actual courtrooms, with several of the kids dressed in full legal attire. It was a rather comical affair, most of the youth having had no experience even witnessing any sort of trial. Part of it could have been since the kids conducted the trial primarily in English- maybe things would have sounded less funny in a language they were more comfortable with.

In the evening we had our closing ceremonies. My favorite part of the evening was a praise circle- everyone, facilitators and campers alike, sat in a huge circle with our backs to the middle. Two groups at a time were asked to stand in the middle and to tap the backs of any people who they thought had certain positive qualities that were read aloud. It was so overwhelming to be tapped so many times, to realize that even in a week we made an impact on so many people in so many different ways. What a great way to end this very challenging and rewarding week.

Pictures from Camp

Just a few pictures from camp with the kids from my program- some goofy photos, some of the boys in their mock initiation ceremony (not taken by me, no girls allowed!) and some of the girls plaiting hair during a break. Although I was only able to spend a short time at the camp, it was great to be able to bond more with these wonderful, fun, lively kids, and the camp setting really made the experience more enjoyable (the showers were even working this time around!). We did activities such as drama, arts and crafts, advocacy training, goal setting activities, and the Journey of Life- a session in which everyone creates a timeline of their good and bad experiences in their life thus far- it's a very intense session, but it was great to get to know the kids better and to be able to support them in dealing with the hardships they've faced. Most of the kids at the camp were orphans, and several youth were HIV positive, so some very personal and difficult issues came out of the activity. Luckily all of the staff at the camp are trained in counseling and several are social workers, so the each child will be followed up with on an individual basis and assisted in getting any help they need. And luckily all the kids seem very supportive of each other- I think it's helpful to everyone to have friends around who have had similar experiences.
I'll be reporting on another camp I'll be attending for the next week or so, stay tuned for more pictures and stories! :)