G.A.D. Camp on Ambae

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it's a rainy day in the jungle here. it's my day off and i'm (again) bumming in my room on a thursday afternoon. i talked to sher on monday evening, and they are doing well. enjoy - b

31 August 2009

Yes, we braved the transport to Ambae once again, this time to join other Peace Corps Volunteers for a camp for the “youngfala” of Vanuatu. One of Peace Corps programs that exists in many countries is called Camp G.L.O.W. (girls leading our world) and focused on gender and development (hence the name “G.A.D.”) education for the young women of host countries. Peace Corps Vanuatu expands the program to include the guys too in running a similar Camp B.I.L.D. (boys in leadership development). Justin and I have not yet been directly involved in this program, but a group of volunteers hosted a one week workshop on Ambae for the volunteers of Penama province (made up of the three islands of Pentecost, Ambae, and Maewo). Each volunteer was invited to bring one boy and one girl from their village to the workshop who would be interested in then helping coordinate and run a camp back home.

Part of the camp being held for the Penama province is in preparation for the health sector of Peace Corps Vanuatu to expand over the next few years. As I mentioned in the last blog, Maewo is expecting to get a health volunteer in the new group of trainees that are coming in September, and Ambae and Pentecost are anticipating their first generation of health volunteers as well. Until now, Penama province has only had volunteers focusing mainly on developing education, which is where Justin and I’s project work falls under, and agriculture. Although we weren’t required to help out with the camp, Peace Corps strongly encourages volunteers to take on a secondary activity beyond their project work and, in general, encourage any growth that their communities are interested in.

So, Justin and I rallied our troops and headed to Ambae. Our group was comprised of three girls and one boy: Justin’s sister Edvina, my sister Sophie, one of the teachers from the primary school Tadiana, and a cousin brother of Justin’s Agustine. Since the camp was focused on training those interesting in leading future camps, the age group we were working with was a bit older than that of what a typical camp that a village would host would look like. Our attendees were supposed to fall around the age range of 15-25; though any older were accepted as well. The oldest “camper” was 36 and seemed just as interested and engaged in all the activities.

In packing for the week at camp, I prepared for all extremes. In went my therma-rest mat, sheets, pillow, and mosquito net. Snacks and juice mixes to keep my sweet tooth and temperamental tummy appeased. A med kit fully stocked with pepto-bismol, band-aids, and water purification tablets (we’d heard the water on Ambae is sketchy). A book, flashlight, toilet paper, a towel that I could wrap up in (who knew what the shower situation would entail?) and lots of mosquito repellant. Pretty much everything but our cat got crammed into a small duffel bag for the next week of life.

When we showed up at the school, it was a pleasant surprise. The school grounds themselves were beautiful, nestled into a valley and beautifully landscaped. The boys’ dorms were on a hill on one side and the girls on the other. All of the classrooms and dining hall, etc were down in the center, at the floor of the valley. And the accommodative perks didn’t stop at aesthetic appeal. A generator powered lights in the dorms and classrooms for a good portion of each day. We had a shower house, which reminded me of camping, and a flushing toilet. A short path uphill behind the girls’ dorm led to a store that sold the freshest m&m’s that I have ever eaten in this country, garlic, potatoes, and these outrageously delicious mocha cream cookies. Plus, the school was also hosting a cooking workshop for participants interested in opening a restaurant. That was great news for us as we would be eating their lessons for the next week.

All the girls, participants and PCV’s alike, slept together in one of the long dorm rooms filled with bunk beds. I claimed one bed for my own and threw my duffel bag on the top bunk, setting up my bed on the lower one. That first night I realized the one thing that I didn’t pack, the cat, would probably have come in handy. The rats stampeded at night. They ran all over the beds, all over the mosquito nets, all over the luggage, and chewed and pooped on everything in their way. The first night I hardly slept from all their racket. As the week went on, I got smart and started sleeping with a skinny stick about a meter long. If I heard a rat, I would swing out in its general direction. This was especially handy when I heard them in my luggage in the bunk on top of me. I would just poke the stick up through the planks of the bed on top of me and rustle the bags around until it ran off. As empowered as that made me feel, I still had a miserable time falling back asleep if I woke up in the middle of the night. The cat would have had a feast!

The rat detail aside, the camp went better than I could have imagined. I wasn’t sure if the kids we brought would really be into the topics, and, honestly, not sure if Justin and I would be either. The first few days were run as a typical camp would go, with sessions and activities for the campers to attend. Seeing how the kids reacted to the topics helped me realize just how practical and interesting the information is for them. Sessions on the first day covered things such as leadership, communication, goal setting, and decision making. The second day was split, the boys went with the male volunteers and the girls went with the female volunteers. That day we had sessions on reproductive health and family planning. I assumed that these topics would be tough to discuss in general, and especially in another language, and especially given the shy nature of the Ni-Vanuatu culture. But the girls were exceptionally alert and interested. We had lots of relevant questions and I could really see what a positive impact it was to be sharing this information with them. Reproductive health is covered in secondary schools, but many students do not reach that level of education in Vanuatu. Even those who do may not get in depth information on the family planning side of things.

During the second day, I led a mini-session on the menstrual cycle. I actually learned quite a bit myself in preparing for the session and had a nice time explaining things in the straight forward way that Bislama accepts and requires. One thing we talked about initially was that the Bislama term for menstruation, “sikmun” (sick moon) is misleading in that it uses the word “sick.” We talked about the three phases in the cycle and how sometimes unpredictable it is. Ultimately, I tried to empower them in communicating that “Bodi blong yumi ol woman hemi wise we wise” (A woman’s body is wise) and that it is okay to ask questions and, now, share information with their friends about what is going on with one another’s body.

The third day of sessions ventured in to tougher topics. Justin and I started the day with a little “toktok” on healthy relationships. We talked about why we decided to get married and how we resolve problems. I told a little story about how I knew he was a good guy because I noticed that he treated his mother with respect. We also did a little skit about how we talked about our problems when they were small instead of waiting until it was a big deal. Then, the participants were split into two groups again by gender. We talked with the participants about domestic violence, a common issue in Vanuatu’s culture. The session that I was in was very rocky and awkward, but at least it got the information out there. There are laws in the country protecting the rights of women, men, and children, but the issue of enforcing them in a timely, just manner is not so easy. I hope to talk with our participants more about how we can make the session more successful in the camp we run in our village here and learn from their feedback. It is a touchy issue and one that cannot be handled in the same way that our culture in the US handles it. There are not as many options nor as many people in this country to constitute the same anonymity and potential “starting over” that we enjoy in the USA. My hope is to communicate that there is a choice to react and to ask that the laws that do exist are enforced, even if that does create negative consequences for all involved. The ultimate empowerment is choice, not forcing victims of domestic violence to react one way or another.

After the sessions during the day, activities similar to summer camps I attended back home were hosted in the afternoons and evenings. Sports like soccer, Frisbee, and volleyball and craft projects like friendship bracelets and painting T-Shirts kept us all entertained in to the late hours of the night. Those extra-curricular activities were a fun time to get to know some of the other “campers” better and gave a relaxed atmosphere, instead of the school type setting that the sessions were held with. The last evening we had a talent night. All of the PCV’s learned a custom dance and song from one of the participants from west Ambae. He helped us dress up in dry banana leaves and then lead us in the dance for the rest of the participants to watch. It was cool of him to share his culture with us like that, and such a rush to be a part of.

The final component, and one that is still in the works, was planning of our own camp. The last day we sat down with our participants to talk about the logistics and goals of a camp in our village. Our participants picked three sessions to focus on: leadership, reproductive health, and healthy relationships. We’re still talking about the details like dates (maybe early December?) and fundraising and such, but they are excited to share the information with everyone back home and I hope things do turn out. As much as I would love to jump into the middle of all the planning and organizing, I remind myself to step back and let them take over. It is more sustainable of me to let the participants take the leadership roles, even if I see shortcuts or potential mistakes. That way they will have the confidence to continue running these camps even after our Peace Corps service has ended.

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Photos

Assembly Line
Unloading the boat that took all 14 of us from Maewo to Ambae.

Session Time
Two PCV's lead a session on reproductive health.

Friendship Bracelets
A camper from south Pentecost working on her newly learned weave.

Gambule Girls
Sophia, Tadiana, me, Tawi Edvina

Salu Salu
Two campers work on "salu salu" or leis for the honored guests to wear and the camp's closing ceremony.

Custom Dance
PCVs getting their custom groove on.