April 25, 2010

A Basket for Change can make a change with your help

Hi friends and family!
You may have already purchased a bag or basket (thank you!) or read/heard me talk about this project Brianna and I have been working on during our Peace Corps service and if not, here's a description from a past blog post:
http://whatsupamychan.blogspot.com/2009/04/basket-for-change.html


Paama Mamas at an ABC workshop

A Basket for Change brought ~70,000VATU ($700) to the Mamas of Paama in 2009 and we are working on additional styles of baskets such as reusable grocery bags. Thanks to the ACTIV (http://www.activ.com.vu/products_abc.htm) fair trade organization and shop in Port Vila as well as my Mom and those in NC who purchased an ABC basket in December, we are now reaching out to friends and family who are willing to purchase multiple baskets (5, 10, 20 or more) and to distribute/sell them to their friends and family.

We’ve created a brochure that will accompany each bag that describes A Basket for Change and what we are all about. Our website, http://abasket4change.org/ is in progress and will soon point to the ACTIV fair trade site where ABC baskets are sold.

If you would like to help and support ABC, send an email to abasket4change@gmail.com. Each basket costs $5-$8. If you have web design or development skills and would be willing to help us create a website, let us know. (Hi to all my Hodes colleagues!) Thanks to those who have supported A Basket for Change…the Paama Mamas are grateful for your help.


Brianna and I at an ABC workshop

April 24, 2010

All in a day's work on Paama

KAMP GLOW followup T-shirt painting

My village Mama's attend an agriculture workshop at the RTC
conducted by a teacher from the Agriculture College in Santo

Brianna and I enjoying a sunset boat ride...Wan Smol Bag, an NGO in Port Vila came to Paama to conduct an environment workshop and we tagged along with them

Me with my Paama Mamas...love them!

RTC students attending a practical session in our RTC garden

Field trip with RTC students

Our village nakamal (meeting place) being torn down


The village work together to get wood for the new nakamal roof


Sweet pikininis. Here's Jeremiah...always laughing

Goodbye my Paama BFF

When I first arrived on Paama, I felt alone, sad and terrified about starting a new life in a strange place with its relentless pests and heat but after getting over these discomforts (kind of), it’s the relationships I’ve formed that have helped me through. The RTC having to start over after being closed for a year was without a couple teachers and one day when I was hanging out on the beach with some Mamas, I saw this woman who I had a hunch would be able to help me…little did I know that this hunch would bring me an amazing friend, confidante, teacher and leader.

Elsie arrived to Paama eight years ago from Pentecost (another island in Vanuatu), where she was born and grew up. She was a student at an RTC there and also worked in Port Vila. When I approached her about a possible teaching position at the RTC, I had no idea her qualifications and basically went out on a limb. Lucky for me, she was talented, smart and not scared to be involved. It’s been a real challenge here to find individuals who are not embarrassed to talk in front of a group, let alone to teach or lead.

Elsie became an amazing teacher and leader in the community. Not to say that I made her this way, it was always in her, but giving her the opportunity to show her talent and encourage her was all she needed. She’s been a Godsend to me and she often tells the story of how she had dreamed about an angel coming into her life to help her.

A successful year at the RTC and other groups began to recruit her as well. She became the Vice President of the PWMU (Presbyterian Women’s Mission Union) and also a leader in her village. She was also an integral part of the youth camp that Brianna and I held. When she presented and led sessions confidently and enthusiastically, I felt so proud. Along with her work, she tends to her garden, village fundraisers, events and raises two sons.

While she progressed professionally, I also found my best friend on Paama. I have my host family, of course, who I adore but Elsie and I enjoyed kava together, talked about life, relationships and had loads of laughs. She was always dependable and I could trust her with anything. I truly felt at home in Paama having her in my life.

Sadly, I had to say goodbye to Elsie. After being away in Port Vila, I arrived back to Paama hearing that she might be leaving and I immediately went to visit her last Friday. She said she was expecting me as I walked up to her as she defeathered a chicken for what turned out to be her “last kakae”. One custom or tradition here are what’s called last kakaes (last meals) which is a goodbye meal before one leaves, as I will have at the end of my service.

Elsie and I prepared food to put on the fire and began making kava, which is the first time I’ve ever prepared kava solely with someone. As we ram the kava, she tells me why she is leaving…
Her husband who is working in Port Vila and has been for a year now, has left her to live in his village and while she’s managed well, she’s also faced hard times with her village and some men have “creeped” her which means coming to her house and wanting to “hang out” or what not. She’s rejected them but rumors start as they will…coconut wireless as it’s called here. The two men were fined, she felt shamed and people just kept talking about her. Jealousy of her new positions, the attention, her friendship with me all likely had a part in her having to leave. Without the support of her husband as well, she found she could not stay.

I was devastated to be losing my best friend as well as an RTC teacher. I cried, she cried, we drank kava and tried not to think about her leaving and the next morning I walked with her to the airport. Gave her a couple photos of her and her kids and one of her and me with a note about how our friendship will always be.

Since then, I’ve talked to her several times and she’s found work in Port Vila so while I won’t get to spend time with her here in Paama, I’ll join her for a shell of kava whenever I'm in Port Vila.

April 4, 2010

KAMP GLOW and BILD

Incessant rain during the month of March drenched Paama almost daily and as Brianna and I planned for a three day Kamp G.L.O.W. (Girls leading our world) and one day B.I.L.D (Boys in leadership development ), we were anxious about whether it would prevent the youth from attending. We were also awaiting the arrival of supplies such as T-shirts, paint, folders and prizes. In addition, we were without the help of Epi Peace Corps Volunteers who were unable to come because of the rough waters caused by a couple cyclones in the South Pacific. Brianna arrived to my village with my Papa by canoe in the pouring rain and we prayed for good weather the following day.

We woke to cloudy skies and a sporadic rain drops but a few youth began trickling in and before we knew it, there were 30! We were ecstatic though a bit overwhelmed. Did we have enough materials? Was there enough food? Would facilitators arrive to help present since we scheduled a full day of sessions which would have been difficult for Brianna and I to administer alone.

With 30 participants, we had a packed room where the boys and girls sat respectively on either side with a very distinct division. We began with introductions, Brianna and I going first and the youth council chairman followed by the facilitators which included men and women community leaders, RTC teachers and manager. We combined lecture-style, participatory (although this was difficult with boys and girls combined), group discussion/presentation and role play in our sessions, finding that it was difficult to rally participation with such a large group so breaking up the groups, usually boys and girls was beneficial.
Our morning sessions included Leadership, Communication, Income Projects and How to write a letter. Facilitators were a tremendous help, providing personal experiences and giving Brianna and I time to rest as well as to make sure logistics and food were in order although one of us would always be present for every session.
After lunch, we began with Healthy Relationships in which we discussed domestic violence and had two speakers talk about their relationships with their husband/wife and how they chose he/she, how they share responsibilities and solve problems and fights. We then separated the boys and girls and prepped my RTC manager, Sandy and a teacher to talk to the boys about rape by describing the issues faced in American prisons. This was obviously a heavy conversation and we were unsure of how it went since we were with the girls but Sandy reported that they were shocked and hopefully put the issue in a different perspective.


The afternoon sessions included STI/AIDS in which, Albert, the Liro health clinic nurse came to present. The girls and boys were again split up and condoms, both male and female types were shown. Albert then spoke to the youth about how women in Port Vila, the capital, would sometimes insert a female condom before they go out dancing in case they are raped, although some women would not term it as “rape” but instead “something that just happens to women.” We were shocked but not surprised because although the treatment of women can be deemed worse in other developing countries where women have no human rights, it sadly remains a prevalent issue in Vanautu.
The following two days, we led sessions about female and male reproductive organs, condom usage, resume writing, gossip, goal making and youth in action with the hope that they would share what they’d learned with other youth in their villages. Since the conclusion of our KAMP, we’ve received supplies and will be holding a follow-up workshop to paint shirts.

Our three day KAMP GLOW (& one day BILD) was everything we’d hoped it would be and we were worn out. Having to participate in every session without the help of other PCVs was demanding but well worth the exhaustion. It was truly a highlight of my service on Paama.