Youth empowerment and gender equality.

Youth empowerment and gender equality.

When I think of this topic for Americans, my mind goes back in history to child labor laws and the women’s Equal Rights movement .Those issues are centuries old and were slowly resolved in the USA by civic unrest, public protest, and a strong legal system to enforce basic human rights.

In many impoverished countries those issues remain – it’s not in history yet.

Peace Corps has a rich history of working with youth, especially girls.  Many volunteers all over the world are utilizing the new initiative “Let Girls Learn” sponsored by Michelle Obama. This program does more than just promote girls to continue their education - which is a challenge because of customary early marriages, pregnancies, and poverty.  LGL builds self-esteem to help them identify their innate abilities and skills – and aspire to reach a goal for their future.

Living at the community level, and teaching 5^th grade English as a secondary project, I have met these young girls and decided to form a girl’s empowering group. Because this is a new subject in my community, I have introduced it as an ESL program then when interest came up I discuss the empowerment agenda with the mothers. The girls like the ESL part and the mothers are supporting the social / educational agenda.

I held the first class with two sweet girls, ages 11 and 12. We started by learning five English words:

Our discussion started from introductions and ended with an activity to draw a picture of them at work when they grow up. Both want to be doctors and work right here in their home town. I noticed how similar their pictures came out - except for two things:  one wants a car, and the other one is taking her siblings to work - not her children.

Slowly this perhaps can expand their mindsets and learn how to set goals and the steps it takes to reach it. Could this start building leadership and be a cutting edge for future women in this small rural community?  It starts with a seed …let’s see. 

Sustainability

SUSTAINABILITY

How many of you can relate to the memory of unhappily cleaning your teenager’s room on a Saturday morning?  I found myself doing it too often, debating myself as I carried the dirty clothes down two flights of stairs. I could have closed the door so I couldn’t see it; but it would still be there.  I could have threatened to withhold food; but that would have diminished the harmony at the dinner table. I could have waited until that special shirt was needed urgently and then rebutted “I told you so”; but then I would participate in the scurry to find it.

I was thinking of that memory last week during training for Volunteers and our community counterparts on the topic of Program Design and Management. As a matter of fact in the three day training, I had plenty of free time to think. Of course I was paying attention and doing the tasks with my co-worker and I appreciated the brush up - for about half the time.  The other half I was reminded of my son’s bedroom when he was 12 years old.

It is so much easier to get something completed by just doing it yourself, right? The value is in the end results, right? So much can be saved if the able person does it, right? I can do this myself, right?

Wrong.

 Peace Corps invests in developing skills.  That’s what it’s all about here, not enabling, but assisting them to be able to know how get to the next level. At this point projects are done with a community counterparts, my role in the beginning is to guide and assist and then eventually fade out as the counterpart takes the lead.

Recipe to be an Effective Volunteer:        Patience + Steadfast = Success / Sustainability.

That’s what it’s about.

NEW:  A new project on the horizon will be working with a group of leaders to rebuild a community park that has been abandoned since independence 40 years ago. This can be designed as the community hub for educational, health, and other social services located right in the center of the villa. Peace Corps has small grants that can be applied for to assist with the funding. I am looking forward to working with my very excited counterparts!

(p.s. I did end up working myself out of my housekeeper job, eventually. Thanks Christian.)

(pp.s A visit to the beach of Xai-Xai, about 2 ½ hours away from my site.)