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! :)

Busy busy!

Here's a silly picture of the little furballs that now live with me (and yes, I am giving them away when they're old enough, I don't want to become a crazy cat lady afterall). But they sure are cute, and help keep me company.
Things have been very busy- planning for 2 camps with the kids from my program and the GLOW camp I mentioned previously. I'm also in the midst of writing a proposal for a drama/dance project that would allow the kids in my program the chance to learn performance art and then tour around the district advocating for positive change among youth in Botswana. Wish me luck!
Lately huge thunderstorms have been frequenting the area, bringing with them torrential downpour which has turned the dry, brown sand and shrubs into a luscious emerald green scene- a change I've long been waiting for. Unfortunately the combination of storms and the surge in power use by those with air conditioners has brought about frequent power outages for the rest of us- my power goes out at some point nearly every day. But I'm still thankful to have power at all!
Recently there have been some tragedies among my Peace Corps friends- my best friend's boyfriend died suddenly of a heart attack, and another friend of mine very suddenly lost her mother. Events like these remind me of how much I take for granted, and I'm so thankful that my loved ones are alive and well!
Speaking of being thankful, us Peace Corps volunteers will be celebrating Thanksgiving together- in the absence of family it will be nice to have some sense of community. And lots of delicious food! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back home.
Things will be crazy busy over the next month, but I'll try to write when I can, hopefully before Christmas.

Summer heat and Camp GLOW

From the refreshing cool of Oregon back to the excruciating heat of Botswana... it hasn't been an easy transition back! But weather aside, things here are going well. I recently attended a facilitation training in Maun, a town in the northern part of Botswana which is the gateway to the Okavango Delta. I've been selected to accompany 3 HIV positive girls from a great program in Gaborone to Camp GLOW, a leadership camp that will take place in December. Adolescent girls and boys from all over the country will be at camp for a week, with activities addressing everything from relationships, self-esteem, and leadership to prevention of HIV addressing stigma related to being HIV positive. It should be a great experience to be a part of.
Work has been very busy, trying to get everything organized before we have our holiday break in December. I'm trying to figure out travel plans, as this may be the last chance I'll have to travel before I finish Peace Corps next May or June.
Sorry for the lack of pictures, I'll try to post some soon!

Pictures of New Kids, New Center

Some of the new kids at Stepping Stones; My new office; the main hall of the new center

New Center and Kids!

Last week we officially reopened Stepping Stones at our brand new, beautiful and huge center. We just added an additional 30 kids to our program, making the total close to 60. The new kids are really funny and cute, it's been nice to see some new faces! They seem to be enjoying the program- so many of them don't have anything to do after school otherwise, so it's a nice treat to play games, get help with homework, do art, etc. A lot of them are coming from difficult home situations- I recently found out that one kid has been repeatedly sexually abused by her brother who suffers from a mental illness; most of the kids in our program are living in poverty and caring for younger siblings; most are beaten at school (corporal punishment is acceptable here) and often at home as well. It makes me really sad to hear about the issues they deal with, but it's great to have the opportunity to help them grow and learn to be kids- giving them a chance to play and have fun with other kids their age, even if just for a few hours a day, is such a good reason for me to be here. Nothing can compare to the sense of fulfillment I get from seeing these kids smile and have fun.
In addition to working for Stepping Stones, I've started volunteering for Baylor Clinic- a fantastic clinic for HIV+ kids in Gaborone. They do monthly teen club meetings with activities such as sports, group talks, field trips, etc. Since kids come from villages all over to attend these teen club meetings, and since many are from Mochudi, I'm helping to start up a similar teen club in Mochudi. It amazes me to see how much being on anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment has helped these kids to be healthy and maintain reasonably normal lives. Botswana is one of the only (or perhaps the only?) country in Africa that provides free ARVs for all citizens. Thanks to these drugs, the average life expectancy has increased dramatically. Of course, like any public health program, it's not perfect, and a lot of people still don't have access to the care they need, but it's a step in the right direction.
I'll post pictures of the new center and activities soon!

Sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Botswana

Sorry everyone for neglecting to write for so long. Over the past few weeks I've been reflecting on the differences between back home and Botswana (vast as they are) and realizing all that I've grown accustomed to after being here for over a year. So I thought I would summarize some of the things one might see, hear, smell, and taste if they were in my shoes for awhile...
I see women carrying everything imaginable balanced carefully on their heads; women sweeping their sand yards with handmade straw brooms; cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens and sometimes horses roaming everywhere (even in the roads); emaciated dogs scavenging for food (and cowering in fear at people trying to beat them); bright blue sky with rarely a cloud in it; reddish sand covering the ground in every direction, divided by thick dry bushes and long white grass; shrubs with spikes resembling toothpicks growing in abundance (I'm careful to avoid running into them); bugs larger than I've ever witnessed- grasshoppers nearly as big as my hand, 'corn beetles' the size of a mini candy bar (with creepy thick exoskeletons); the one small river in Mochudi- a murky, greenish, slow-moving body of water with the occasional fish surfacing for food; white toyota vans going in all directions as public transport (they're called combis); old rickety buses spewing black exhaust; people flooding the streets of my large village at all hours, every day of the week; tiny kids without supervision running barefoot, chasing after hollowed out tires and tiny cars created from old wires; the "barber shops" that consist of a few strips of corrugated metal nailed to wooden poles in a shed-like structure, with electric clippers connected to a car battery.
I hear the customary greetings of "Dumela Mma" and "Dumela Rra" (hello ma'am and sir), the laughter of children playing; the braying of donkeys; cows, chickens, and all aforementioned wildlife calling out; the constant honking of combis looking for passengers; blasting traditional or hip hop music spewing from vehicles and oversized speakers in front of stores in town (always a good promotional tool); the early morning harmonic singing of funeral processions; religious music bellowing from the striped church tents; a distorted voice echoing through the village from the public announcement system (a government vehicle that circles throughout the village with a loudspeaker on top); "lekgoa"- the word for white person- being shouted at me at every opportunity.
I don't mean to sound negative, but some of the smells here can be rather offensive- being in close proximity with many people who rarely bathe or wash their clothes, and in the constant heat- body odor is one of the most predominant smells I'm exposed to, often overwhelmingly so; burning trash in the evenings; the occasional dead animal being burned along the side of the road; car and bus exhaust; but then there are the good smells- the frying of "fat cakes"- round balls of fried white cake flour, much like doughnuts but not sweet; fresh spinach and other veggies cooking; the occasional nice perfume that someone is wearing.
Though I often cook what would be considered normal back home (rice and beans, pizza, coconut curry), I do enjoy traditional cuisine now and then- salad made from shredded beets, butternut squash, phaleche or pop (maize meal cooked until thick enough to eat with your hands); madombi- large dumplings served with soup and vegetables; bean salad made from baked beans and chakalaka (a spicy tomato, pepper, and onion mix); and the occasional piece of chicken. And who can forget the traditional cup of rooibos tea, although the weather is too hot to drink it most of the year.
So that is just a piece of my life through the senses. It's amazing to think that all this has become normal to me, but it feels good to have adapted. I will post another update soon, looking forward to being back in Oregon in less than 2 months now!!!