When you educate a woman, you educate the whole nation

katlynsaley
Aug 18, 2015
6 min read

Above: All of the campers, councelors, coordinators, and everyone involved with camp :) Group Photo!

Welcoming the girls at the bus deport :)

How am I ever going to completely relate to these young girls? How will I ever understand the feeling of being scared at night the weeks after their first menstruation because when they fall asleep in complete darkness there is the possibility of being awakened to an adult man who has been sent to “teach” them how to have sex? How will I ever know the feelings that sit in these girls hearts and the emotions written all over their beautiful brown faces when we talk to them about abuse; physical, sexual, emotional, economical? We, the leaders of these sessions, the counselors of this camp, females from the United States, who didn’t grow up in this culture of Malawi...how do we relate, or truly understand what Malawi females go through everyday? The answer to these questions…..We probably never will. Not after six months of living in Malawi, or two years. Probably not ever. I grew up in a home in a small town of Wisconsin. In a home that I felt safe in. I didn’t ever go to bed scared of being raped. I never sat by and was forced to watch my father hit my mother because the culture says he is superior to her. I was never told I needed to get married at the age of 15. I was never told I couldn’t go to school because there was only enough money for my brother’s school fees. However, unfortunately, that isn’t the case for the majority of females living in Malawi.

Don’t get me wrong. Women’s rights being enforced, inequality, abuse, rape; they are issues all over the world. Even in the United States, where most of us Peace Corps Volunteers grew up, women still face many problems, and maybe some of the PCV's were able to relate more than I. They are issues, we as women, need to stand up and fight for. In Malawi things are slowly improving. For example, a law was just passed that you must be 18 years of age before you can marry. More women are finishing their education, and taking on leadership roles. Female empowerment is being focused on more and more, but there is still so much to be done. This is why Peace Corps Malawi puts on a female empowerment camp once a year for girls all over Malawi, known as Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World). This year I was blessed to be chosen as a counselor for this camp, and after spending this past week surrounded by amazing, inspiring, transformed, and empowered women I myself have been inspired, transformed, and empowered. These girls sat on my heart, and gave me feelings I never knew I could feel. They loved me, trusted me, looked up to me, and gave me even more of a passion for focusing on female empowerment during my time spent in Malawi, and in my village of Chipoka.

For the week at Camp GLOW myself, my Malawian counselor Shyreen, and my junior counselor Alinafe, were given a group of 10 young ladies, all in secondary school. Joana, Eyvonnie, Angellah, Chifundo, Promise, Harriet, Charity, Donata, Esther, and Olive. Ten beautiful and now confident young ladies that showed me what it means to be strong. In total there were 60 campers at Camp GLOW, 6 Malawian counselors, 6 Peace Corps Volunteer co-counselors, 6 junior counselors, and a handful of Malawian and Peace Corps Volunteer coordinators that made the show run. We all stayed at a secondary school in the district of Kasungu known as Kamudzu Academy

(wow….this place looked like we were dropped off at Hogwarts…yes Harry Potter reference…but seriously, for the week we were there it did not feel like we were in Malawi…more like Europe, or even the University I attended for college in Wisconsin). As a side note this secondary school costs 1.1 million kwatcha per term to attend (aka way too much money for the average Malawian). Right now the exchange rate from U.S. dollar to kwatcha is 1:600 (that is also a very high rate, it is normally more like 1:500). Many of the students who go to school here are bwana children (it’s what eveyone calls rich Malawians) or students who have received academic scholarships. The school was built by the first Malawian president, and since then has been a school where a handful of Malawians receive their secondary education.

My Group of Campers. Our team was called "The Ladies of the Future"

My group of campers....Ladies of the future.

Myself and a few of my lovely campers; Olive, Joanna, and Promise

A picture of two of my girls working on their presentations with the beautiful academy in the background

This past week we spent our days from pretty much sun up to sun down (well actually way past sundown) encouraging, having sessions, dancing, singing, being crazy and spending quality, unforgettable time with these ladies. We started the days with morning fitness. This was optional, and started out very popular (a morning of zumba), but as the week went on and the lack of sleep we were getting became more of a reality, the “optional” workouts decreased in attendance (Peace Corps Volunteers and campers)….clearly sleep outranks exercise haha. We then ate breakfast, every team of campers ate together, and then we moved to sessions. The girls learned about reproductive health, sex, self esteem, gender based violence, computers, scholarships, how to take what they learned at camp and implement it back in their villages, and so much more during these interactive sessions. We had a “manal” where these girls were able to ask three Malawian men, and the U.S. Deputy Ambassador ANY questions they wanted. About rights, their families, or even sex. The next day we had a “womenal” where 3 very successful and strong Malawian women leaders and role models, along with U.S. Ambassador of Malawi Virginia Palmer came and spoke with the girls and answered questions as well. All of these activities were spread out through the day, breaking for meals where we ate lunch and dinner as a team. After dinner usually had a fun activity for the girls to participate in. We had a dance party, and a huge bonfire (where we threw the “things people told us we can’t do because we’re women” written on post-it notes into it), we had a movie, a candle lighting ceremony where we shared what we learned at camp glow and our favorite memories, a talent show, and the last night we had a graduation ceremony where all of the girls received a camp GLOW certificate. After these nightly activities we ended the night with a reflection of the day. A safe place where the girls could ask questions from the day, or share stories from their pasts or their present. This time was my favorite time at camp because this is when I was really able to connect with my girls and although maybe I couldn’t relate to all of their experiences being females in Malawi, it was a time they knew that I was here to listen, and love them.

Above: Soooooo many mini dance parties :)

Alena (another PCV counselor) and myself watching one of the sessions

How quickly I learned how strong these ladies are with the challenges that they face daily. That these challenges are their normal, but they still strive, they don’t give up, and they find strength. In God. In their role models. In themselves. They are strong. Some of the strongest people I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. This whole experience was a blessing to me, and I know it was a blessing to all of these young girls because I know after camp GLOW they have all been empowered. I am so thankful to have been able to be a part of this amazing opportunity as a PCV, and am excited to bring back what I learned to Chipoka with the hopes of inspiring the girls in my village.

The candle lighting ceremony....we went around and everyone shared what they learned at camp GLOW and what they will remember most.

The girls worked hard and presented lessons from the camp GLOW manual so they are able to go back to the village and teach other girls what they learned at camp.

Above: Promise being so excited about receiving a bag of reusable pads from a donor known as Days for Girls.

Below: A group of campers with US Ambassador Virgina Palmer.

Above: So many demo penises for condom demonstrations. Some of the girls had never seen a condom, and there were plenty that did not know how to properly use one.