Words of Thanks

We wanted to thank all of the generous supporters who sent 75 children living with HIV in Malawi to Camp Hope. Camp Hope is one of World Camp's most recent projects that offers a once in a lifetime opportunity for children trying to live positively.

"This is the happiest I've ever been in my entire life!"
                            Alex, 12 years old and living positive

At Camp Hope we respect the privacy of our campers and therefore celebrate their experiences at camp in words. On behalf of all the campers and everyone at World Camp we cherish the experiences that you made possible. Your support does change lives and we have the words to prove it.

Blessings is 17 years old, deaf, and HIV positive. He came to the first session of camp with the 12-14 year olds because he is developmentally stunted due to his HIV, and he looks like he is 13 or 14. Blessings received constant support during his time at camp. He always had a staff member next to him repeating what the facilitators were saying so that he could read their lips to understand. Blessings truly flourished at camp, culminating in an address that he signed to Camp Hope during Stage Night. While we can never fully share the power of this performance (picture the entire camp silent as Blessings beautifully and emotionally signed this address), we share his words:

Feel welcomed my fellow campers
By our Mentors, Leaders and Doctors

Let us all feel honored
To have made it to Camp Hope
So little do we know
That others wish they were here

Like our elders say
Let us all hold hands
Let us all have one goal
With love, respect and safety
In all our endeavors
As we begin this journey
Until we touch the sky

Let us not forget my friends
To take our medication
And supplement it with proper nutrition
As directed by our Doctors at Baylor

Let us have hope my friends
We are in safe hands

To our leaders
Keep on the good work
And don’t forget to always be our role models
We look up to you for support, encouragement
And above all, LOVE.

Where are they now? - Recognizing WC alumni past and present!

Molly Cohen, Alumni  2010

Molly,
Where are you and what are you doing now?
I am currently working in NYC for Alicia Key's nonprofit, Keep a Child Alive, which shares a similar mission to World Camp.  I work on securing sponsorships for our annual events and maintain the database of volunteers and donors.  This fall, however, I will be moving to Chicago to begin my master's in Urban Education.

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 (hopefully a combination of both each year!).  After my five weeks with World Camp in Malawi were up, I told Jesse I wasn't ready to leave.  I met up with a friend from college and we returned to Malawi a few months later to live in Mchezi and work forming the foundations of the professional program through teaching CBO members basic business skills.  I never expected to enjoy the teaching aspect so much.  I recently finished a fellowship at a charter school in Harlem and look forward to starting my graduate studies as well! 

What inspired you to go to Africa in the first place?

Ahhh...I always had this desire to travel to Africa, but if we're being totally honest, I came across Madonna's documentary on Hulu and found out through World Camp after doing some research.  I don't like saying Madonna brought me to Africa but unfortunately, it is kind of true!

What color most reminds you of Malawi - why?

 The turquoise color of MCBO's building reminds me of my time in Malawi.  It was always in such contrast to the musty, dry surroundings and represented a glimmer of hope, just like MCBO did for the community.

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

I probably told them enough stories that they would never want to hear another one again!  If I had to think of one experience in particular, it would definitely be the relationship I formed with a young girl from Mchezi, Maggie.  Maggie was an HIV+ orphan who immediately latched on to me during my first day living in Mchezi.  She would wait for me to wake up outside my window, be there when I finished class, and hang on my lap until the sun went down.  I know, I know, I am guilty of favoritism with Maggie, but I really felt like she needed the support.  Even with the language barrier, we shared plenty of laughs and smiles.  Just recently, Chris Goma, the director of MCBO, sent me a picture of Maggie with a sign saying she missed me.  It was really important for me to see that she is looking healthy and happy! 

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!).  After, I definitely want to spend time living in Mchezi and revisiting all the adults I taught and the children I played with.  I loved watching the church choir practice in the early afternoon and soccer, netball, and laughs with the children pre-dinner was always a blast as well..... finish the night off with a flashlight (headband, of course) game of competitive Scrabble.

What do you miss most about Malawi today?

Of course, Maggie (see picture)

What is one thing you learned from your experience?

In Malawi, there is a unique, almost innate, sense of unity embedded within the community. Children do not belong to their parents alone, but are the entire village’s responsibility. People look for help from one another, unlike my suburban childhood where cutthroat competition, soccer Moms, and fenced property lines were the norm. By reaching out to others, I reached inward – a mutually rewarding relationship.

What would you tell others who are thinking of traveling to Malawi w/ WC?

Just do it. No hesitations!

It's Getting Crowded

The United Nations reported last fall that the global population had reached the seven billion mark and would continue to expand rapidly for decades.  Almost all of the increase can be attributed to sub-Saharan Africa, where women average more than five children and population boom far outstrips economic expansion. Experts estimate Malawi's population to be between fifteen and sixteen million people. HIV has fractured the distribution of the population with 45.1% of Malawians being under the age of 14.


In other parts of the developing world, such as Latin America and Asia, fertility rates have fallen drastically over the past few generations.  This transformation has been driven by a mix of educational and employment opportunities for women, access to contraception, urbanization and an evolving middle class.  While governments in sub-Saharan Africa have begun to act by reversing long-standing policies encouraging large families, the challenges are many and the problem daunting.  “‘Population is key,’ said Peter Ogunjuyibe, a demographer at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria.  ‘If you don’t take care of population, schools can’t cope, hospitals can’t cope, there’s not enough housing - there’s nothing you can do to have economic development.’”

The most obvious example of the devastating effects of unchecked population growth is Nigeria - a nation that is projected in the next generation to have a population roughly the size of the present-day United States living in a country the size of Arizona and New Mexico combined.  In commercial hub of Lagos, living standards for most are deplorable with as many as 50 residents of one apartment block sharing the same sink, toilet, and kitchen facilities, although running water is a luxury they are rarely able to access.  At primary schools in the city, most classrooms average 100 students and the unemployment rate for people ages 15 to 24 is roughly 50%.  

To get the problem under control, the Nigerian government recently made contraceptives free; however, free birth control cannot undermine cultural beliefs that have been around for centuries.  “The number [of children] you have depends on your strength and capacity,” said a Nigerian laborer and father of four, who hopes to have at least two more children.  Many African cultures are patriarchal and even polygamist, leading the belief that the larger the family, the more prosperous and powerful.  Still, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund Babtunde Osotimehin says he is optimistic for a turnaround if contraception and women’s education are emphasized as solutions.  “We can see rapid changes, but that’s up in the air, because you have to be aggressive and constant.”  Experts are also hoping that the changing economics and lifestyles of middle-class Africans will help shift the emphasis from quantity to quality, holding up quality of life and financial gains in nations like Thailand as inspiration.  


To read the whole New York Times article, please visit:FULL ARTICLE