Camp 4 and Empowerment

***Sorry for the delay in posting. Should be another one coming tonight, so check back!

We returned from Zambia Wednesday evening and started our fourth camp on Thursday morning. With the exception of the windy (thus very dusty) weather conditions, camp was successful. The teachers at Mdunje primary school were extremely welcoming and open to sharing information and ideas with the World Camp team.

Empowerment sessions also went really well with this school. On the second day of each camp, we hold empowerment sessions to open a dialogue with the students about sex, gender, HIV/AIDS and decision-making. Boys and girls are divided into classes by their age, so that we can address issues and topics that are specific to the student’s gender and age group. During these sessions, we encourage students to share their goals and aspirations and how they can achieve them through positive decision-making. Puberty, menstruation and pregnancy are also explained, as students often have questions about their bodies and the changes they are experiencing. Sex is discussed more in depth with the older students of each school and we address the positive and negative consequences of their decisions regarding sex.

As sex is often a difficult subject for teenagers to discuss, World Camp has incorporated anonymous questions into our empowerment curriculum. Students write down questions and WC teachers answer all questions openly and honestly. With limited access to resources and lack of channels for communication about sex in their communities, anonymous questions offer the students a chance to have their questions about sex answered. Malawian teenagers are no different than youth from all around the world and anonymous questions allow for WC teachers to clear-up common teenage misconceptions about sex and their bodies.

Empowerment sessions usually have mixed reviews during our nightly evaluations of the camp; some groups of students are more open to discussion than others. Reviews were extremely positive for camp at Mdunje, as the students were quite inquisitive and spirited.

Today has been a day of rest for the volunteers including church services and trips to the market. We have two camps this coming week, with a homestay on Friday night. Posts about our homestay visits to come…

-Jenn