As I walked back from school today,
I passed a group of four women, each with a baby clinging to their back and
wrapped in a swath of brightly colored Swazi fabric. I stumbled on my words as I turned to greet
them. “Sanibonani bomake...” or were
they “bosisi?” As I took in each of
their faces, I debated which category they fell under: women or sisters. Their young faces suggested they were merely
high-school aged, but the babies on their backs led me to believe that “make”
was a more appropriate title. My confusion
as to the proper manner in which to address women has become routine. Yet as I reflect on the importance of female
empowerment, I realize that 15-year-old girls with children should not be
normal. Of course, this is me imposing
my Western, developed world, feminist belief that women should delay having
children until they have at least completed school, or better yet, until they
are married. Who am I to suggest that my
way is the best way? But, then again,
when these girls are dropping out of school to give birth at as young as 13 and
face a lifetime of poverty without hope of life beyond the monotony of cooking,
cleaning, and raising children in the community, I don’t feel that bad about
thinking that there’s gotta be something more for these girls.
The
majority of girls my age in my community have at least one child. When I’m not being asked for money, I’m being
asked why I don’t have children. When I
respond that I’m only 23, not to mention the fact that I’m not married, they roll
their eyes, refusing to accept my youth as an excuse. I have become numb to the sight young women
carrying babies on their backs, yet I have yet to accept the frequent
harassment of young school girls by male khumbi conductors and out-of-school
youth. What saddens me more is the way
in which the girls cherish this attention, viewing it as a validation of their
womanhood and value in society. Judging
by the number of young girls with children, my guess is that this flirting often
extends beyond the confines of the bus rank.
Seldom do these interactions end with flirting. The awkward sixth-grade style adolescent
relationship in which hand-holding is considered scandalous does not apply
here. Generally, young girls engage in
relationships with older, more experienced men and intimate relationships are
rarely limited to kissing. Do the math
and more often than not you get babies, high school dropouts, and HIV. Not cool.
So needless
to say, this country is in need of some female empowerment programs to equip
young girls with a sense of identity and greater purpose, to emphasize the
importance of schooling, and to instill in young women a sense of individual
self-worth that does not require a boyfriend.
For those that do chose to date, we aim to empower them with the
confidence to negotiate delayed sexual debut or safe sex practices. Gender equality and female empowerment have
quickly risen to the top of the list of development buzz words in the past 10
years. If you haven’t read Nicholas
Kristoff’s Half the Sky, I highly
recommend it. Through his accounts of
various empowered women throughout the world, he argues that in order for true
development to occur, nations need to take advantage of their entire
population, both male and female. How
can a nation truly prosper when it engages only its male citizens? Peace Corps volunteers throughout the world
have taken this to heart, working in their respective countries and communities
to empower young girls to become leaders in their communities. They have developed a program called GLOW –
Girls Leading Our World. Many PCVs work
with local counterparts to form after-school clubs to work with girls to teach
them life skills (goal setting, communication skills, values, etc.) and to empower
them to become leaders in their schools and communities. Since June, I have been working with a group
of primary school girls (ages 9-16). Our
GLOW meetings have been somewhat inconsistent due to extracurricular conflicts
at the school and girls will often approach me on the street inquiring why we
weren’t able to meet. While GLOW is ideally
intended for high school girls, I’ve been blessed to work with a mature group
of younger girls from grades 5-7.
Meetings serve as an opportunity to teach girls more about what it means
to be a leader in their schools, ways in which they can volunteer in their
communities, and how to set goals for their life. Our aim is to provide these girls a bigger
picture for their lives that they wouldn’t otherwise envision. The highlight of each meeting is the question
box – a box where the girls can write anonymous questions pertaining to
anything – my life in America, how to succeed in school, and questions about
puberty. One Friday afternoon, I spent
an hour squatting on rocks under a tree outside answering questions about
menstruation. I often question the
impact that I’m having as a volunteer and the effectiveness of my projects, but
GLOW provides me with affirmation that my time here is time well spent.
Each year,
Peace Corps Volunteers in Swaziland who have GLOW clubs in their communities
work together to plan a week-long GLOW Camp.
Each volunteer brings a local counterpart and three girls from their
communities to attend the camp with girls from all over Swaziland. During camp, they will have the opportunity
to gain valuable life skills, learn about sexual and reproductive health, and
discuss with each other ways in which this generation of young women can
transform their Kingdom. One girl who
attended camp last year writes, “I learned that any girl, despite her
background or how she was treated, can be strong and confident to take an
active part in leadership and bring change into our communities.” This camp requires a significant amount of
funding, which depends on support from friends and family back in the
States. If you are looking for a way to
support our work in Swaziland, I can guarantee that a donation of any amount
will be put to good use. This is by far
the most valuable project that Peace Corps Volunteers are engaged in throughout
the world and its impact is significant in the lives of the girls who attend
the camp. I am including a link to the
fundraising website for those that are interested in contributing:
Thanks to good ole' America and its government shutdown, we are a bit hard-pressed for time and hoping to raise the funds by December 1. We are also in need of in-kind donations for those that are
interested in non-monetary contributions.
The following is a list of items we are hoping to collect:
Toiletries:
- Shampoo
- Soap
- Toothpaste
- Sanitary pads
Arts and Crafts:
- Paper
- Markers
- Sewing supplies
- Flannel cloth
- Stickers
- Scissors
- Glue
- Friendship bracelet
supplies
Sports:
- Soccer balls
- Jump ropes
- Air pumps
- Dodge balls
Sweets:
- Chocolate
- Candy
- S’mores supplies
- Gum
Games:
- Card games
- Board games
- Sudoku
- TWISTER
Educational
Materials:
- Teen easy-read books
- Motivational/Goal-oriented
reading materials
Other:
- Glow sticks
- Old Magazines
- Nail polish
In-kind donations can be mailed to:
Lauren Karplus, PCV
P.O. Box 2797
Mbabane, H100
Swaziland, AFRICA
I realize that shipping is quite pricey, so another option
would be to mail donations to my parents in the States. I will be home for a visit in December (!!)
and will be able to bring back any donations to Swaziland when I return on
January 3rd. If you are interested in
contributing in this way, please shoot me an email at kefreeman9@gmail.com and I will pass on
my parents address.
Thank you all in advance for your help with making Camp GLOW
possible as well as for your constant support and encouragement. I feel incredibly blessed to have such an
incredible support base at home and miss you all dearly.
Sending love from Swaziland!
some of my favorite GLOW girls
