Zikomo, Volunteers!

Recognizing the Dedication of Our Volunteers

Today, Dec 5th is International Volunteer Day for Social and Economic Development. In honor of the many volunteers who have made our organization what it is we would like to say thank you.

We thought it would be nice to celebrate this day by featuring some thoughts our volunteers have shared about WC and Malawi in 2012.

 

What would you say to someone who’s interested in volunteering with World Camp? Just do it. Let the idea of volunteering with World Camp consume you until it is your reality. That's what I did and I haven't looked back.

Wynddee Reese (6/26/2012)

My time in Malawi was an amazing, humbling, eye-opening experience. It always makes the world seem a little bit smaller whenever you travel somewhere new and see that apart from the differences, we all have a lot of similarities.

Caitlin Sheffield (2/23/2012)

World Camp has transformed who I am as a teacher because I understand and value the need for global education.

Elizabeth Smith (4/5/2012)

I have been in Malawi with World Camp for almost a week now and couldn’t be happier with my stay! I heard about World Camp through a friend who attended a few years ago. It has always been my dream to make it to Africa, and after seeing her pictures and hearing about the experiences she had, I signed up. I was a little nervous coming here not knowing anyone and especially about going to a foreign country that I knew little about, but I feel very at home and safe here.

Donna Stegall (7/17/2012)

It was a fun, challenging week and I think that we learned as much from the students as they did from us. It is always bittersweet leaving a village or a school, as you are exhausted and happy to be able to rest, but all the while the kids are opening up and telling you how much they will miss you. We finished off Thursday afternoon with these mixed feelings, but they quickly subsided as the excitement for our upcoming safari began to take hold.

Mark Nelson (1/16/2012)

While homestay was hard at times, learning about and experiencing the culture was invaluable. Teaching was highly rewarding as well. Knowing that I impacted my students’ lives, even in a small way, was a wonderful ending to the week. I left the village looking forward to more teaching next week as well as a hot shower and a good burger over the weekend!

Laura Duff (7/24/2012)

My favorite part of the curriculum was when all of the classes performed a presentation for the village community on what they had learned.  It was such a unique experience to be part of a community assembly that openly discussed taboo subjects, such as how to care for someone with HIV/AIDS. Involving the community made me realize how our discussions transcended the walls of the classroom and made a difference in the community.

Jenny Reinier (6/21/2012)

Describe the people of Malawi in 5 words?

I've never felt so popular.

If you could go back to Malawi what would you want to do there?

 First stop off the plane, I would need to go visit John and Ngoni and have a nice bowl of nsima (somehow I miss it!).

Did WC influence the education or career path you chose - if so how?

Yes.  Prior to visiting Africa, I had just received my degree in business and had very different career prospects.  My trip to Africa helped me realize that I wanted to focus my career on giving back -- whether it be to those in need abroad or within our own country.

Molly Cohen (4/19/2012)

Since volunteering with World Camp in 2010, I have realized how strongly I feel about promoting awareness of health inequities and developing ways in which communities can strengthen and implement change. I think what has inspired and motivated me to stay involved with World Camp is how passionate I feel towards World Camp’s mission. When I was in Malawi, I was struck by how WC used education as a vehicle for change within Malawian communities.

Jenny Reinier (6/21/2012)

What is your favorite experience from Malawi to tell your friends about?

I will never forget getting out of the truck at the very first school and being a little intimidated.  All the students were staring at us and we just stared right back at them.  We walked out to the field and did our morning songs and games.  I remember watching all the other volunteers and everyone was a little shy, including myself.  I didn’t feel like any of us were fully present in the experience.  We were just trying to take everything in.  Within a few hours, after we worked with our classes, all the volunteers and students came back to the field for closing songs and activities.  The energy had completely changed and everyone had completely let go of inhibitions and we were so present in the moment.  We were all dancing with the kids, singing and having the best time.  It was amazing how quickly the dynamic changed and how we all connected so well to one another.

Megan McInturff (4/11/2012)

I’m so happy to have spent the last few weeks in Malawi as an intern with World Camp; I
have had such an incredible experience so far and have met so many people that I
will never forget. Malawi truly deserves its title as the “Warm Heart of Africa.”

It’s amazing how fast time flies here. We spent last weekend at South Luwanga
National Park in Zambia camping with hippos and chasing leopards. No kidding!
Our safari trip managed to exceed my already VERY high expectations.

There really is no other way to describe the experience than as once-in-a-lifetime. However, as much as I loved Zambia, I was definitely excited to get started with our third group of learners
and to meet our latest homestay families back in Malawi!

Layne Schwab (8/8/2012)

It seems like a lifetime ago we all sat together at the airport for the first time, awkwardly introducing ourselves. We’ve come a long way since then, we’ve met so many remarkable people, seen some astonishing sights, and been inspired by so many stories. We’ve grown, learned, inspired and changed, and of course learned some really great dance moves along the way.

Cara Saunders (1/31/2012)

It almost seems as if we have come full circle, except instead of ten strangers trying to get to know each other it is ten close friends saying their last goodbyes to everything that only a short time ago was completely foreign. As a group, we have gone through more together in these four weeks than most friends do in years

… how great our time here in Malawi was. It serves as a reflection - time to think about all of our experiences that we have had together. I feel honored that I was able to participate in this wonderful program with nine phenomenal people. I will cherish the moments we have all had together for a lifetime and I do believe all of us will be lifelong friends.

I’m feeling magical!

Maysam Ashktorab (8/14/2012)

Connections Without Borders

I've been thinking a lot about labels and connections lately. (This is going somewhere, I promise.) Nearly two years of traveling and working abroad has provided a great deal of space to contemplate the notion of identity. Perhaps more than I would like at times. Surfacing again and again are the age-old and eternally unanswered questions, who are we? how or where do we fit in this world? what are we doing with our lives? The truth is, we begin this endless exploration of our identity when we're kids; we first recognize a concept of ourselves as individuals and eventually in relation to those around us.

Female. Male. American. Malawian. White. Black. In a relationship. Single. Married. Victim. Friend. Lover. Child. Parent. Unemployed. Employed. College graduate. Uneducated. Groupie. Musician. Healthy. Ill. Social worker. Accountant. Student. Voter. Politician. 

Malawi, Africa.  January 2010.

The labels we place on ourselves, or at times fall into, allow us to "know" ourselves and thus form connections with people around us. In some sense, this shapes who we are and what we are doing. At least for a given moment. Our identity, and our connections, are constantly defined and redefined by these labels. They shift depending on where we are, what we're doing, and who we're with.

For me those connections materialize most when I'm traveling. People often ask why I work with kids in India and Malawi when there are so many problems right here in the U.S., or why I choose to travel to Phom Penh when I haven't even been to my country's own capital? I never have a good answer, because I don't really know. For some reason I feel connected to certain parts of the world, inspired by certain groups of people, and angered more by certain "social" issues. 

Over time and through my work these connections seem to have defined me and what I am doing here. I have become an NGO worker, a foreigner living abroad. I build connections with empowerment groups because we share the label of being "women." I share understanding with kids in developing countries because we both have a concern of what it would mean to be HIV positive. My labels, my identity, have opened me to incredible experiences and connections around the world. 

And one of the things I LOVE about India (sorry boys), is the women. I was talking the other day with a friend's mom about relating to women in India and how they respond to us and World Camp's work there. How the sense of female camaraderie and spirit just permeates everywhere. A mother tucking a blanket around my feet on an overnight train. Rolling rotis in the kitchen and playing with spices. The smile a woman on the street gives me as she approves of my Indian dress (yet another label here--fitting in vs. unknowing tourist). Mothers shopping for bangles with their daughters. A conversation about educational opportunities for girls. Or giggling over the slimy lubrication during a condom demonstration.

Ahmedabad, India. July 2010.
Photo credit to volunteer Amanda Waldrop. 

My connection with women, and among women in India, was one discovered immediately on my first trip in 2005. It's one whose power continues to amaze me with each return. The welcoming spirit they have for those of us from far off lands (and lives).  Their physical and emotional strength to survive--nonetheless, succeed--in a world oppressive in so many ways. This connection, like so many other connections I've encountered abroad, breathes life into me while I'm there, yet I somehow worry will disappear when I leave.

The other day I was in a yoga class in my hometown--a beautiful little studio with views of the mountains and the lake, and, this time, a small group of 6 women. The theme for the class was "embracing change, being open to new things, and rooting in our gratitude for them." We practiced facing each other, and focused on heart-opening poses. Then came the handstands that then roll over into backbends. An incredible challenge to being open and embracing the fear of gravity.

One woman gently fell out of the pose, said it was too much, and tears began to flow. As we were rolling up our mats after class, she said she had no idea what came over her, just suddenly had to release. She thanked everyone for opening that space for release. None of us knew each other, but the rest of the group then exploded with conversation about how grateful they were that wherever we go there exists a kind of "female space." That space to release, to embrace overwhelming emotions--whether it be excitement and dancing or sadness and crying. How tough it must be for men not to have that (guys, feel free to challenge!).  How we were simply grateful to be...women.

I think when we travel we unconsciously open ourselves up to the world. To experiences and people. It's almost dramatic, really. And it comes so easily. We tend to guard ourselves when we are in places where people already know us, where we've already been labeled, where we're already comfortable.

That day, like so many of my experiences abroad and with World Camp, was a reminder of connection.  Of how, though our identity may be under constant re-definition, it doesn't mean connections aren't there.  And how those connections are what allows us to bring about (and perhaps more importantly, embrace) change.

Connections know no borders. They have an ability to transcend so many of the labels we place on ourselves and remind us that, at the core, we are all just human. That we have the same hopes and desires, that we share the same fears and sadness. And I think it is that very reminder that allows us to be effective in our work, whether it's here in the U.S. or across the ocean in Malawi.

World Camp reproductive and sexual health workshop. Pictured are Field Assistants Prerna Aroa & Prachee Shah with volunteer Kendall Strautman and women at Gramshree. Ahmedabad, India. July 2010. 

Written by: Katy Lackey, WC Coordinator


**Part I in a series of reflections on how we internalize what we learn abroad into who we are back home. Email submissions to info@worldcampforkids.org or katy@worldcampforkids.org. Articles, thoughts, poems, quotes, pictures, etc. are welcome!**

Living Positively with HIV in India

"I wanted to die. We thought, 'we should kill ourselves'." Kamraben's dark eyes tell us this story has a kind of suffering many feel but few can make sense of.  I steal a nervous glance at her husband, Kamleshbhai. So many questions, but I can't speak. He looks back for a moment and then quickly turns away as their 4 year old slaps her hand into his, plopping herself down in his lap. Kamraben is smiling now. It's in this moment that, once again, I am completely caught up in the intense extremes that coexist here in India. 

We're sitting on the cold stone of Ghandi's Ashram, a place of peace and a calm escape from the bustle of Ahmedabad, and yet my insides are raging as I silently curse my privileged life. How it's still not enough to sweep them up into my arms and take away every moment in the world a human has felt like that. 

Kamraben is 22 and HIV+. So is her husband and their daughter, Roshniben. She's talking about when they found out their status was positive. The helplessness, the discrimination, kicked out of their family's house in the slum, feeling that suicide was the best option. "We were going to die anyways. At least we'd die together." 

They've known for less than a year, but have been living with HIV for at least 3 years. The baby she's holding is the reason they know. When she gave birth to Virbhai, now 6 months old, the hospital tested her. Her positive status gave reason to test Roshniben and Kamleshbhai, who tested positive as well. The baby's testing is not final (blood tests test for the presence of antibodies, or our body's reaction to fighting HIV. It can take more than 6 months for an infected body to start producing antibodies), though the certainty with which Kamraben says Vir is HIV+ seems final. 

It's hard to believe because her smile is so huge, so warm and she says, "Now, we are happy. We are living life, we are together." It boggles my mind. Her body is being destroyed by this virus, yet her strength is immense. The amount of happiness, positivity, and love this woman carries makes a small part of me believe in the good of the world again. 

Video below: Roshniben playing peek-a-boo with his mother. 

Please check back to hear more of their story. A world of appreciation to Nimesh and our friends at Manav Sadhna for the care and work they've done for the family, and to Kamraben, Kamleshbhai, Roshni and Vir for being so open and spending time with us. 

Written by: Katy Lackey and Rina Kojima, India Coordinators

Sweaty Revelations

Our car wound its way through the bustling streets of Ahmedabad; jerking to and fro, dodging rickshaws, people and cattle. Our crew of four was on the way to a slum community called Ram Rahim to see some of the HIV curriculum in action as part of Orientation. As we neared the slum, the atmosphere of the streets shifted. We drove further and further; the width of the dirt road shrank between crooked brick houses and piles of trash. We finally parked and gathered our supplies. Curious eyes followed our every move. My senses were overwhelmed with sights, sounds and smells. Half naked children gallivanting about yelling, “hello lady!” Spices, incense, feces, decay wafted in my face. The air made you feel dirty.

We made our way through the shanty-town maze to the “school”, which was more like the roof of a family home, sheltered by a tin roof. A class of twenty boys of all ages sat buzzing at our presence. Songs and games proved difficult in the congested area but the boys seemed to enjoy the silliness. As Katy, Rina, and Prerna began the class, Sadie and I observed from the back; huddling by a creaking fan.

Buckets of sweat were running down our faces, backs and legs. All of our kurtis were completely drenched. The sweat is something we’ve all become accustomed to. I say “accustomed” with fluidity because although we are no longer embarrassed by sweat outlining the contours of our bras, the daily expulsion of salt and dirt from our bodies is accompanied by a rank smell which no amount of Tide can wash out. (Please note the sweat lines and subsequent undergarments visible on WC volunteers Jesse Pipes and Baker Henson below. We recommended enlarging this photo for full effect. Did we mention it's hot in India?)

The ruckus from songs and games drew little girls, mothers and their babies to the rooftop. The children's skin was covered in heat rash and gnat bites. A girl of fourteen or so named Jemna was living on the rooftop and looking after her two little brothers. She would lock eyes with me and giggle. We greeted as best we could, “Kemcho! Majama!” and the rest was body language. This is one time in life where I wish I could speak every language.

After an hour of curriculum I will admit, I was ready to leave. Teaching proved difficult with this population because they are not used to sitting and paying attention for so long in one attitude. Interesting to think of how the most difficult children to teach are the ones who need this information the most. 

The team packed up and hobbled into the streets again, children swarmed us. Jemna walked next to me and offered to carry my teaching bag. I of course declined so she took my hand and accompanied me to the car. Her face will forever be engraved in my memory. 

Driving back to the city, I started to grasp the harsh juxtapositions between wealth and poverty in 

India. The city felt clean, our apartment felt like a five star hotel. My heart ached for all those children. It torments me to think that we all got to leave, wash the slums off our bodies and souls, put clean clothes on, and all of those children are still in Ram Rahim. I wasn't strong enough to last three hours without feeling disgusting. Many questions arose in my heart; why am I so lucky? to be born in a culture where women have rights; where I've never had to worry about going hungry. It is difficult to comprehend how we come from such a land of abundance when we know that children are abandoned to rot in the slums, in 120 degree heat. 

I guess that is the answer to why we all came to India. To reach out to those children who deserve every opportunity to be educated. inspired. changed.

Written by: Kendall Strautman, India Volunteer 2010

Oh no! You must finish!

Saturday morning, we visited Vinay Mandir, an all girls' school. Instead of doing our traditional 3 day camp with the girls, the WC team is teaching three consecutive Saturdays.  Prerna Aaroa, one of our Field Assistants, and her family invited us to visit a Jain temple outside of Ahmedabad with them that afternoon.  The temple is called Mahudi, and the god it was built for is Sri Ghantakar.  We've been passing tons of temples on the roads, and we thought it would be a fabulous opportunity to learn more about the different religions present in Gujarat if we went with an Indian family.  We were told the food at the temple was delicious and how beautiful it was by several different people.  Aarti, Prerna's sister who has worked with WC before, rode in our car and told us a little about the temple on the way.  

(Photo below: intentions made/promises taken at the temple and tied on our wrists)

When we arrived, Mr. Aaroa rushed us in to purchase food, and he demanded that we buy at least a 100 Rs plate to split between all of us for prasad.  While Katy waited for prasad, Prerna took the rest of us to see the statues of the different deities.  When we came back, we found Katy holding a huge tin plate the size of a large pizza, filled with a thick cookie cake (minus the icing and chocolate chips).  Mr. Aaroa ushered us into another part of the temple where we had to offer our cookie to Sri Ghantakar, the god the temple was made for, and the Maharaj (Jain priest) took our plate, put some on a huge platter for the offering, and then made us hold a burning pot of incense.  We waved it over our cookie and said a quick prayer, and then Mr. Aaroa herded us all outside to get these little red bracelets. You are supposed to wear it everyday until your prayer is granted; at this point, you have to return to the temple and visit Sri Ghantakar again, offer more prasad, say another prayer, and get a new little red bracelet.  

We were all slightly overwhelmed while being hurried around to pray and offer prasad, so Mr. Aaroa led us to a small room where there were a bunch of metal picnic tables.  Katy was still carrying the gigantic cookie around, which was made from ghee, sugar, and flour.  She set it in front of us, and Mr. Aaroa looked at us and said, "Now you must finish it all!" He quickly explained that it is both disrespectful to Sri Ghantakar and bad luck to take any of the prasad outside of the temple gates, so you must eat all of it.  The daunting task of eating the entire cookie was only made worse when Prerna's aunt brought over another huge plate of the ghee cookie. "Oh no!" I said. "Oh no! You must finish!" Mr. Aaroa replied emphatically, standing over us and demanding that we eat more cookie.  I am pretty sure we each ate at least four times more than he did.  

Rina and Prerna went to crack the coconuts, and soon we were all shoving as much ghee cookie and coconut in our mouths as possible.  Finally, when only a little was left, the Aaroas said they had to leave and tried to give their entire prasad cookie to us.  When it became apparent that all of us would vomit if we were force fed anymore cookie, he started directing us in different directions to offer the cookie to other people.  

The best part was a family of four, sitting around a plate as big as a swimming pool for toddlers.  They all had the same forlorn expression of dread that we had on our faces, only amplified.  I think they may have bought the 500 Rs plate without anyone telling them how big the tin was. Poor family! 

The whole experience only took about 45 minutes, and we climbed back into the car with ghee cookie babies in our tummies and sugar hangovers.  I don't think we will be returning for prasad anytime soon!  

(Photo below: "We ate too much prasad" faces.)

  

Post by: Sadie McCleary, WC India Volunteer

India Arrivals

World Camp is back in action in India and things are heating up (and we don't just mean the weather, which by the way has been well over 105)! The past week was full of happy returns and excited arrivals. Stepping off the train from Mumbai, Rina Kojima was thrilled to return to World Camp for the 3rd time and Ahmedabad for the 2nd, as she joined Katy in finalizing camps, outreach projects, and cultural excursions.

A 4:40am flight from Qatar brought Kendall to us, a native Coloradan, and sister of a former Malawi volunteer. Kendall hit the ground running on her first day in India. A quick breakfast stop at the city's famous chai stand, Lucky Chai, energized us for a morning of house and school supply shopping, and a taste of fresh coconut juice, in the Old City with new Field Assistant, Prena Aaroa.

24 hours later, Sadie landed in Ahmedabad. A devoted World Camp applicant, she was pumped to dive right into her first experience in India and our volunteer orientation. The day was complete with shopping for Indian clothes, a tour of the city, our first (of many) Gujarati thalis, an introduction to World Camp curriculum issues, and a conversation about service at Seva Cafe. Pictures and stories are coming.....

With love from, the India 2010 crew

Working with 500 women in Ahmedabad this July!!

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World Camp India is partnering with local organization, Gramshree, to conduct HIV/AIDS awareness and reproductive health workshops with 500 women around Ahmedabad! Gramshree is a non-profit that empowers women from different communities around the city to take care of themselves and their families. The organization does this by providing loans for business and their kids' education, grains, educational health workshops, and a livelihood through embroidery and skills training for embroidery and fabrics sold in Ahmedabad.

Volunteers and Field Assistants will spend 5 days conducting this outreach project. Focus topics include HIV prevention (yes, even a condom demo), the importance of ARV treatment, and how individuals and families can better care for a person with HIV.

"Womyn must not accept; she must challenge.
She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that womyn in her which struggles for expression."    ~Margaret Sanger 

We're excited to work with so many wonderful and strong women this July! Women who challenge the world and the situation they were born into. Stay tuned to hear what we learn and about our volunteers' experiences.

India Picture of the Day

Something that continually amazes me about India is the the vast contrast found in every moment of life, an intensity of extremes, if you will. Take this image, for instance, captured as I was walking home yesterday evening. Just normal daily traffic...with so many walks of life represented--fancy cars, loner motor bikes, working class bus riders, rickshaw drivers, and cows.

Our work here in Ahmedabad is like that as well. A country of 1 billion people, India is one of the largest contributors to environmental problems. Piles of trash strewn throughout the city and the unforgivably hotter weather and shorter monsoons are mere examples of this. Yet the small actions people take--insisting  lights be turned off when rooms are left, care and conservation of precious resources like drinking water-- or even the larger presence of hot buzz concepts like "environmental conservation" and "sustainable development" are found everywhere from tree planting initiatives to activists to business practices.

India is also home to one of the largest populations in the world of people living with HIV, with 2.5-6 million testing positive. Topics like reproductive health and sex are taboo to discuss, fear of testing is widespread, and many face severe stigmas associated with HIV/AIDS. And at the same time, people join movements and campaigns to fight for accurate knowledge, accessible medications, and equal treatment. 

It's baffling, eally. I'm not sure I always understand how such extremes co-exist. But it does keep us entertained. And as we head into our summer session here in Ahmedabad, we're looking forward to diving into the extremes--the inspiring and the frustrating, the learning and the teaching, the feeling that we're so the same and yet so different...stay tuned for updates from Ahmedabad, we promise to keep you entertained as well!!

With hope from, your India 2010 Coordinator Team