It is so hard to put into words the events of Camp GLOW into a blog post. We had a really good time; it was exhausting, but equally so much fun! I am posting a summary of what our schedule looked like. It was obviously jam-packed. I doubt any of the girls had ever attended any sort of overnight camp before, so even just their excitement for that was exhilarating. I feel like a pictorial explanation would tell so much more about the week, which I have posted an album on facebook, which you can find a link to on my “photo” tab.

Main Sessions:
• Path to the Future Exercise
• Status of Women in Zambia: Gender and Human Rights
• Assertiveness and Communication Skills
• Confidence and Self-Esteem
• Boyfriends and Peer Pressure
• Women and Traditional Practices
• Rape and Sexual Assault
• Dealing with Stress and Healthy Lifestyles
• A New Beginning and Bringing GLOW Back to the Village

Guest Speakers
• Corridors of Hope: HIV and STIs
• Her Royal Highness Chief Mwasemphangwe
• Permanent Secretary of Eastern Province

Mentor Sessions
• Why GLOW is important/the role of clubs in the community
• Listening Skills and Crises Counseling
• Creating Institutions for positive change

Girls Craft Sessions
• Journal Decorating & Intro to Journaling
• Self-Portraits
• Friendship Bracelets
• Sanitary Napkins

Sports & Games
• Netball
• Football
• Olympics

Night “Chat” Sessions
• Body Image
• Sex & Sexuality
• Puberty and Sanitary Napkins

We also had fun/informal events like a bonfire, ice cream party one evening thanks to a donation from a business owner in Chipata. After learning about assertiveness and communication skills the girls did scenario dramas acting out the good & bad of what they learned.

They had so many questions throughout the week and were more free to ask deeper, more intimate questions as the week went on. It was nice to have small group time for them to open up about some of the tougher topics we discussed among a smaller audience.

It was so moving to see them respond to certain topics with a sense of enlightenment. For instance, learning about their rights…freedom of expression. Learning that it is in fact possible for a man to rape his wife. Learning about something as basic as what happens to their bodies each month and finally understanding why, things we take for granted as someone told us at the appropriate time, but its not in school curriculum until grade 8 if its even taught at all. Understanding their beauty. One of my favorite body image/confidence quotes was from a mentor: “Look at this beautiful body, where can you beat me?”

Though the teachers and girls alike all learned a considerable amount throughout the week, they also taught us along the way. It is a constant learning process how to reach people in a culturally-appropriate way to reach people in the Zambian setting about certain topics/issues & I think I can speak for all the volunteers that we learned something along the way as well in terms of better understanding where they come from.

I hope they all left feeling empowered and encouraged to start their own GLOW Club in their communities. On the last day we created an action plan & hope to start our club at the beginning of term 3 in school. I will keep you all informed as to the process of starting up this GLOW club at Mwala Basic School.