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.