My Crib/The Rains Came

Great news, the rains have started. This last week we had a couple of solid rainstorms at night. Still hasn’t brought any more water to my well, but that should be coming soon. This week is the April break for schoohl, so I’m going up to help work at a small girls camp that another volunteer is running a little bit further north in the country, close to the town of Nikki.

Anyways, as promised, here are some pictures of my house. As you can see it is quite nice. I didn’t choose the paint colors, but I wouldn’t change them for the world. My house is the middle unit of our concession. Better get MTV on the line, because I’ve got a ride that needs pimping. Anyways, it’s two rooms, an outdoor space, a shower, and a closed in kitchen. My main room, has an extra bed, a sweet bookcase, a coffee table, a regular table, some lounger style chairs. This is where I spend most of my time.

The bed room has a nice size bed, given to me by the family in the concession, my cooking stuff and food (I tried keeping them in the kitchen area and there was a rat problem). You can get a taste for my wondrous wardrobe, so on and so forth.

Back space is fairly small, I use it for washing laundry/drying and the dishes. Not much else to be said for it. Although not pictured is the African home security system on the walls back there, a series of broken bottles cemented into the top of the wall.

That’s about all for now, I’ll try to throw up a more substantive post when I get the time.

Camp Glow

So one of the things I’ll be doing this summer is Camp GLOW, a girls camp in Parakou. Unfortunately we don’t have the funding yet to make sure it happens, so below is a plea for money. 

What is it?

Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) is a week long camp for exceptional girls, selected by Peace Corps Volunteers, to come together and learn how to be leaders among their peers and receive education about important health and social issues affecting their communities.  Camp GLOW is a Peace Corps initiative that started in Romania in 1995 with the purpose of promoting female empowerment.  The program came to Benin in 2004 and has been widely successful; current volunteers are encouraging and educating promising young females all across the country.

What do we do?

Throughout the week, girls will live on a university campus and attend sessions that target vital public health concerns, emphasize the value of education, focus on developing life skills, and encourage creativity and critical thinking.  Topics include: finding safe drinking water, sexual health, study skills, career planning, leadership, entrepreneurship, creative writing, and domestic violence.  At the end of the week, girls will collaborate with their volunteer to discuss the ways they can bring what they have learned at camp back to their villages.

Why do we do it?

Most of the girls who attend Camp GLOW will have never before stepped foot on a university campus.  They will have their first experiences with touching a keyboard, picking up a paintbrush, and being told that it’s not OK for a husband to hit his wife.  The girls will be mentored by adult Beninese women who have been selected for the exceptional example they set as professional, progressive women as well as older girls (junior mentors) selected from last year’s camp as outstanding participants.  Most importantly, the girls will be surrounded by positive encouragement.  They will not be hit, they will not be constantly sent out for chores, and they will be reminded that they are special and valuable.

How can you help?

Camp GLOW is financed through the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP).  The project is posted online where friends and family of participating volunteers can come together to collectively finance the demand.  Please follow this link: www.peacecorps.gov/donate and search our project number: 13-680-015.  You can read project details and contribute with your credit card directly through the site.