From July 29th until August 4th, 2012, Camp
G2LOW (Girls and Guys Leading Our World) took place in the
regional capital of Fada N'Gourma. Seventeen Peace Corps Volunteers
and 21 Burkinabe took part in a Training of Trainers for 3 days
before the camp began and worked together to plan and facilitate
camp sessions. About 100 students at the tops of their 8th
grade classes attended the camp. Boys and girls were split into 6
different teams each, though worked with one another in certain
sessions and hung out at meal times.
Camp G2LOW focused on 3 themes: leadership development,
healthy living, and gender equality. Students learned about being
assertive, active listening, decision making, and more. For the
session on peer pressure, groups also worked together to plan skits
showing how they would respond in various situations. Health
professionals helped out with lessons on health issues. Malaria,
hygiene, family planning and STIs were discussed in a safe
environment, and students were able to ask any questions they had. A
few sessions also involved more interactive activities, like blowing
up condom balloons, and Coaching for Hope, which combines HIV/AIDS
education with soccer, similar to Grassroots Soccer. To promote
gender equality, boys and girls switched roles in a relay race, to
understand more what jobs the other gender is generally in charge of.
Peace Corps office employees arrived in Fada to help out with a few
of the last sessions of the camp, including one about violence and a
professional panel.
Of course, there were also fun activities during the camp. We
introduced the American concept of a campfire to Burkinabe. The kids
and adults alike had fun watching skits, listening to stories, and
singing songs while sitting around the fire. As a parallel to the
London Olympics, we held our own Fada Olympics, because there's
nothing like a little competition to get kids excited. The events at
our Olympics were a bit different from the official ones: Sack race,
tug-of-war, spelling bee, eating contest, long jump, and more. Points
from the winning team were added into the weekly count, which also
included points awarded for session participation. As motivation to
be active participants in camp activities, the team with the most
cumulative points at the end of the week would win a prize. One of
the last events of the camp was a talent show and despite pouring,
pounding rain, the show was able to go on. We PCVs showcased American
culture by performing the electric slide to Michael Jackson's
“Thriller.”
Overall,
Camp G2LOW
went smoothly. There were some minor issues that occurred, as can be
expected when over 130 people
convene for an extended period of time, but we were able to solve or
fix things together. The students enjoyed their week of activities
and made new friends from other towns and schools. And most
importantly, they all learned valuable new information. As
Yaskinatou, the representative for the girls said in her closing
ceremony speech,
“I
request that all those who participated at Camp G2LOW,
when back at home, share what they learned, and I hope they won’t
keep this knowledge only to themselves.” Our hope is that the
participants of the camp will apply their new skills to become
leaders in their communities, thus affecting positive change in
Burkina Faso.
And
a special thank you to those who donated months ago to help fund Camp
G2LOW!
Without your aid and support, this project would never have happened.
If you would like more information on the camp, or the camp
newsletter (which will be sent out to donors who allowed their
information to be released), feel free to email me at
cindyguo10@gmail.com. A PCV also put together a short video of the camp; you can find it here: A
short video of the camp is also posted on youtube: http://youtu.be/vX5VMN_OW-k
