GLOW

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:

https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-645-008

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