Thursday, February 2, 2012

Camp G2LOW: Girls and Guys Leading Our World


 Summer camp seems to be a staple of the American childhood experience. After all, parents need some way to keep their kids busy and out of trouble once the summer vacation starts. But here in Burkina, life is a little different. The school vacation corresponds to the growing season, and once students are out of school for the year, they often head to the fields to plant corn, millet, beans, sesame, and other crops. There are very few other options for students during the summer.

Last year, a few PCVs brought an international Peace Corps program, Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World), to Burkina. Here, it became Camp G2LOW (Girls and Guys Leading Our World) to include male student participants. This summer camp aims to offer students at the top of their class a chance to continue their education and get leadership training during their vacation. Sessions focus on leading a healthy lifestyle, becoming an active and informed citizen, and promoting gender equality. And of course, there will also be fun activities for the students such as yoga, games, and s'mores. This year, the camp has expanded to 4 locations, and a total of 240 girls and 240 guys will be able to participate. Each site will hold one week of camp for 60 girls, and the following week for 60 guys.

Needless to say, organizing these camps will be a big task. I'm on the planning committee for the camp in Fada, the regional capital of the Eastern province in Burkina. We'll hopefully also be partnering with the local offices of the Burkina Ministry of Youth and National Volunteer Program in Fada. The camp won't be until July or August, but there's a lot to do before then! We'll have to contact and hold meetings with villages that wish to participate, fundraise, determine how to select participants, order supplies, plan the schedule, and hold a training of trainers with our Burkinabe facilitators.

And we'll need your help to make Camp G2LOW possible! The cost of each camp is approximately $11,500. About half of the cost will be contributed by the community (lodging, transportation, volunteer facilitators, etc.), but that means a significant amount still needs to be raised for each camp. The exact figures for the Fada camp are as follows:
Total cost: $11,801.06
Community contribution: $5376.61
Amount left to raise: $6424.45

More details about Camp G2LOW and how to donate can be found here: http://www.pcburkina.org/camp-glow (Click on the image for the Fada camp to donate to us Easterners!)

Thanks in advance for your help!

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