By Tessa Davis | Program Director
Coming off a high point from our 2013 Camp Girl Power, the first half of 2014 has proven to be just as successful! Just Like My Child Foundation (JLMC) recently hosted a camp for 10 of our newest Girl Power trained communities. Girl Power Camps are an unparalleled opportunity for adolescent girls who have excelled in the first two phases of The Girl Power Project ® to come together with their peers to build friendships, share what they’ve learned, and dive even further into the program.
Everyone, including our facilitators and staff, agreed this camp was the best that JLMC has put on so far! It brought together over 100 girls who made the most of their time together by carrying out dramatizations, debates, small group discussions, and presentations. The girls demonstrated a high level of confidence and understanding of the curriculum, participated strongly in all activities, and had so much fun meeting new people and seeing familiar faces too!
One of the most powerful aspects of the camp is the campfire storytelling activity, where girls are given the time and space to share sincere testimonies of how Girl Power has impacted them. This activity is aimed at helping girls to understand the challenges their fellow peers have faced and how they have managed to address them. Three poignant stories that were shared amongst the camp goers that night demonstrate the power of The Girl Power Project®:
Blessing, a 13-year-old girl, was self-proclaimed head-over-heals in love with a boy, James. She was mesmerized with his romance, gifts, and sweet talk. After attending the Girl Power Project mentoring sessions, Blessing had a wake-up call and realized that love cannot be a priority right now. She understood the risks of pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and early marriage so she called the romance with James off. When he tried to get her back numerous times, she still held her ground and said no. She would save romance for a later time.
Josephine, a 12-year-old girl in elementary school, had a much older boyfriend, Dennis, who was in high school. Josephine’s brother had instigated the relationship between the two of them and helped facilitate correspondence since they were geographically separated. After her first Girl Power training, Josephine had a better understanding of what was really happening. She told her brother she didn’t want to be with Dennis anymore, but he insisted that she stay with him because of the money and gifts she was receiving. Josephine still held her ground and called off the relationship.
Every morning 10-year-old Evelyn walked to elementary school and the same motorcycle taxi (boda) driver came by and asked if she wanted a ride. The driver never made her pay. One day, the driver stopped before dropping her off and asked her for sex, saying “you thought I always take you for nothing in return?” Evelyn said no to this man and decided to walk home instead of finishing the taxi ride.
Girls who attend the Girl Power trainings are taught about the danger of receiving gifts and a man’s typical motive for giving them within their context. Girls at this campfire understood that taking money, food, and candy were risky and threatening gifts, but Evelyn's story awoke many of the girls and even teachers at the camp who didn't know that gifts of free rides could lead to a dangerous situation.
The camp not only provided girls with a chance to share their life stories and come together as a collective whole to address issues they face in their communities, it provided a chance for a handful of parents to better understand the Girl Power Project. When talking to the parents at the camp, they gratefully expressed sincere appreciation for boosting their girls’ confidence and teaching them important social survival skills. Many parents wished they had this training at such a critical time of crossroads as an adolescent but were so happy their daughters would learn and pass the information down to their children. It was a truly spectacular event!
We want to send a special thanks to the Plan International Uganda Team for traveling several hours from the capital city to witness The Girl Power Project ® in action in our rural communities. We truly appreciate you being part of such an important day in the lives of our girls and in the project as a whole! And also much appreciation is owed to our phenomenal Ugandan team who tirelessly executed this camp in a new village! We extend our utmost gratitude to our partners, The Collective Heart and Feminine Power whose commitment, love, and support have helped to make this project possible.
We especially want to thank all of you who have given what you can to make this camp possible! Every little bit helps! We hope you will continue to follow our exciting progress and be a critical part of JLMC’s Girl Power Project movement! We encourage you to click on all of the links we have provided and share not only our story and videos with others who may wish to get involved, but also your story! We would love to hear about why you are moved to support The Girl Power Project! Share your stories here and we will feature our favorites on our Facebook wall!
Links:
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