Activities On International Girls Days by Pamela B.

Pamela Boulware
H3 - Kayonza District, Eastern Province

    On October 11, 2012, Rwanda celebrated its first International Girls Day. International Girls Day or Day of the Girls is a day to celebrate and encourage young girls to be strong as they endure the struggles of daily life, i.e., peer pressure, identity and poverty. All while embracing the woman they would like to become, in their educational achievements, personal life, future careers and in their community.

                       EDC/ Akazi Kanoze’s Accelerated Learning Program has 100 hundred students in the Eastern province of Rwanda, with over 50 girls. On October 11^th, 47 girls, ages 16-22, from four different locations in Kayonza, enthusiastically gathered at Amizero Training Center to celebrate the strength within themselves. The girls spent the day learning about goal setting and self-esteem.  

                      The first half of the day, the girls learned about the importance of setting goals and following through with the steps of achieving their goals. They wrote about their long term and short term goals, and then discussed what may hinder them from achieving their goals and what will help in the achievement of their goals. As each girl stood in front of their peers and talked about their individual short or long-term goal, emotions ran high as girl after girl expressed the challenges they would face and how they would overcome those challenges was nothing short of empowering. In that, each girl understood the others and their challenges but to say them aloud really made the girls believe that their challenges could be overcome and they could achieve anything. 

                       The second half of the day focused on self-esteem as they watched a movie entitled ‘Sinurigisha’ (I am Not For Sale). It is a movie based on the solicitation of improper actions from young girls or boys from older men (Sugar Daddies) or women (Sugar Mammies) for gifts, food or money. After watching the film a discussion was held on their thoughts about Sugar Daddies and how a person’s actions may affect their daily life; getting pregnant, contracting HIV/AIDS, social stigmas and self-esteem.

                        As a collective, the girls decided not to just make celebrating themselves one day out of the year but every day. Pamela H3 

Everybody Loves Kung Fu Fighting by Catie F.

Catie Fowler
ED 3 - Rubavu District, Western Province



When I was growing up, my best friend got her black belt in Tae Kwon Do and it was not only a turning point in her life, but also in mine. Insanely jealous, I asked my parents to sign me up for classes and worked for six years to get a black belt of my own. Martial arts helped me to get in the best shape of my life, but it also shaped me as a person. It gave me a huge boost not only to my work ethic and discipline, but also to my self-esteem.

I arrived at site with the vague idea that it would be fun to teach some sort of women's health or self-defense class, but the idea never really came into action. I didn't really have a good structure in place and I wasn't sure how well the men in my community would respond to the idea. I didn't want to give them the impression that I was training women to become violent. I stuck to teaching a couple of short self-defense classes in camps GLOW and BE and didn't really expect to take it anywhere from there.

A couple of months ago though, the unexpected took place in my village in the form of the Rubavu Kung Fu association. As a new club started forming in my community, I didn't really know exactly how I would get involved. I was invited to my sector's first promotion ceremony, but didn't think much of it because being invited to ceremonies comes pretty standard in the life of a Peace Corps Volunteer. However, it was at this ceremony that I realized just how deeply involved the association really wanted me to be. The master from Gisenyi gave a speech about gender equality and explained that Kung Fu wasn't only a sport for boys, but also for girls, making a point to invite all of them to study. It was later explained to me that I was supposed to join the association to help recruiting girls to practice and to teach was well. I was completely on the spot and out of my comfort zone, but it was impossible to turn down the opportunity. I was basically given the position of spokesperson for gender equality and female empowerment via Kung Fu and it wasn't even my idea, but the mens' idea. If gender balance is really going to work, it has to be supported by everyone, not only one of the sexes.

Involving girls in this sport has come with mixed results. On the one hand, my Sifu (instructor) has asked me to invite girls to the sport and to try to promote gender equality in my community. On the other, he also referred to me as the King Girl with the intention that I would be the primary teacher for female students, meaning that we would also be separate. I was thrilled when we went to a local school to get new students involved and ended up with a list of girls in the double digits...and ecstatic when the boys in the club promptly informed the headmaster that it would absolutely not be important to have two lists because boys and girls would study together. On some days, I have seen swarms of girls flood the basketball courts after school to study, on others I'm the only one present. There are however, two girls in particular that are really sticking with it, both of whom are up for promotion to red belt at the next test.

I never really thought I would have the chance to study martial arts in Rwanda and I certainly never thought Rwandans would be so open to gender balance so I think the two combined are a pretty good indication that times are changing in Rwanda. I get a kick out of the kids that try to imitate my Kung Fu in the streets when they see me and the old men that greet me as Sifu in the street. I love that I not only know strong and athletic girls who are willing to study Kung Fu, but also that there is a strong community of men in place to support them in doing so. The best part is every Peace Corps volunteers' dream. Because this idea didn't come from me, not only did I feel like I was pushing it on my community, but I also know that it will continue after I am gone. I just get to have the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time as Rwanda moved towards having a more balanced society.

What's a Nun Got to do With it? by Tashiya G.

Tashiya Gunesekera
ED2 -- Rubavu District, Western Province

My first friend in my village was a nun. Her name was Eleonora, a primary school teacher. She came to visit me in my temporary housing and commented that I needed to clean my floors more often. I felt, knowing what I knew of Rwandan culture, that she was going to be a genuine friend.

I live in small town in the Northwest of Rwanda. I am very connected to the Catholic church, which predominates my town. I eat all my meals with the priests, and take myself up the hill to Sunday mass every Sunday I'm at site. The nuns live in a quaint house connected to the health clinic in town, which they run. There are two nuns from Spain named Aurelia and Maria Jesus who are there as mentors and teachers for the Rwandan Nuns who were Eleonora, Matilde, Marcelline, and Vestine. We quickly became friends due to the shortbread-like cookies they gave me every time I came to visit at 530pm any weekday. As they said recently, “Tashiya, sabemos que te gusta las dolces.” (Tashiya we know that you like the sweets.)

Throughout my time at site, I have spent time getting to know the nuns. They helped me that time I had a bad day and could not find any Margarine to make Mac and Cheese. They listened to me complaining about all the papers I had to mark. They invited me to watch Spain trounce Italy in the Euro Cup this year. They gave me a thermometer when I thought I was sick. And most importantly they helped me with my book project to get more English reading books for my school library. These books were sent to their mailbox in Gisenyi and they carted them up the steep mountain in their car. During this time, I've had multiple opportunities to analyze their lives.

Not being Catholic, apart from the “Sister Act”, I personally did not know much about nuns before I moved to this small town in Rwanda. I thought nuns were super religious women that gave up a life of family and love to worship God and help poor people. And, yes in some ways this is true. They do give up having a traditional family and romantic love, and they are religious and they do help poor people. But, there is a lot more to these nuns than that.

The nuns at my site all have serious jobs and careers in the making. Eleonora was a primary school teacher, Vestine was a nurse at the health clinic, Marcelline trains girls that are not in school in trades like sewing, and cooking, and Matilde was responsible for teaching young mothers about nutrition. The two Spanish nuns oversaw much of the running of the clinic and also were responsible for the running of their home.

Within my community, these nuns are considered to be influential people. They are often at sector, cell and village events. They sit with the important people who thank goodness, I have finally been cleared of sitting with. (I'm finally one with the people!) They also live in a nice house and have access to a car to go to the nearest big town, Gisenyi and occasionally Kigali. These nuns, probably due to their congregation, have serious opportunities to travel. Eleonora broke my heart when she said in the beginning of the second year that she was leaving to go live in Equatorial Guinea for her next mission. Mathilde moved on to the Ivory Coast. Vestine went to University in Kigali. This brought in two new Nuns, Immaculee and Larisse. Immaculee is also a nurse with a degree from a University in Kigali. She speaks fluent French, English and Spanish. Larisse is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Larisse is awaiting her time before she also wants to move on to the Ivory Coast. I know that Eleonora spent two months in Spain visiting more Nuns from her order.

Many of these women come from very poor families. Their choice to become a Nun obviously changed their lives. But, they are very strong women who are greatly respected and honored within Rwanda. They gain high levels within their professional fields and are supposed and encouraged within their communities. Even though they are not the head of the community church like a Priest, they are still leaders and contributing greatly to the societies in where they live. Do I think that all girls should aim to become Nuns? Not unless you get that calling because it is after all a life where you give up a lot of comforts. But, it's worth noticing how in a quiet way, Nuns are contributing to bridging the gender divide in rural communities and encouraging women to succeed.

International Day of the Girl- October 11th, 2012

Hope Lewis

ED2 - Karongi District, Western Province
*Hope recently conquered Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania during vacation!*

The United Nations has declared October 11^th International Day of the Girl Child.  Young female activists in the United States and Canada proposed the day to the UN in 2011 to highlight the challenges of being a young girl locally and internationally.

These challenges include poor body image, forced marriage, gender based violence, school dropout, and illiteracy among others.  Worldwide, only 30% of girls in the world are enrolled in secondary school. One in seven girls in developing countries is married off before the age of 15 (http://dayofthegirl.org/girls-issues/). 

What can you do to combat these challenges for young girls? 

First, if you are teacher like me, find ways to encourage the girls in your classes to speak out in class and read outside the classroom.  For every male student answering a question, choose a female student to respond.  To further encourage female participation, present topics in class that girls can relate to such as female leaders, problems with relationships, self esteem, and self confidence.

Secondly, the purpose of this day is to spread knowledge about girl’s issues.  Read about gender based violence and its prevalence or look up articles on sex trafficking of young females across the globe.  Once you read about these issues, you can discuss them with others.  Through teaching female sensitive topics, reading about girl’s issues, and discussing them with others, you will be empowering young women to see themselves as powerful, confident, and strong young women.    

GLOW/BE Camp Stories by Lucy S. and Meg H. F.

Lucy Sung
ED2 -- Gicumbi District, Northern Province

The Following two articles are from SOMA, the volunteer produced journal of PC/Rwanda. 

GLOW: Fierce, Fabulous, Fantastic Flaviah

By Lucy Sung, ED2

I have a student named Flaviah, also known as Flamboyant Flaviah, or Miss Flavour Empress, but I like to call her My Flaviah. I received her GLOW camp application last year in 2011. She asked me many questions and gave me a draft to look at before formally submitting her application. I knew she was special the moment she gave me a high five.

She was part of my hero cabin, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and quickly rose in the group as a leader. She led the cheers, made sure everyone was together, and shot her hand up in the air during all sessions. My favorite moment was during Caitlyn Griffith’s Love and Sex lesson, “What is sex?” Flaviah rose from her seat to explain, “Sex is when a boy and a girl meet… in bed.” I wondered if she ever had a fortune cookie and played the “…In Bed” game. I watched her write furiously about her future goals and look torn between choosing dancing or jewelry making for afternoon activities. I’m afraid we both became addicted to friendship bracelet making, much to the disapproval of Katie Hall. We both had the need, the need for crafts.

This year, she is president of our school’s GLOW Club at College De Rushaki. The leaders of the club meet weekly on Friday mornings over tea and peanut butter sandwiches, and Flaviah always opens up by asking, “What are your highs and lows of this week?” She is my bridge at the school, helping me to explain things in Kinyarwanda when I run out ways in English. She is in my Senior 6 English class and encourages her shy classmates to speak up and not be afraid to make mistakes. I can see the gears moving and light bulbs lighting up in her mind from her essays and poems on how the egg came before the chicken and why family planning is important. For the Gicumbi district reading competition, she came to ask if I had Harry Potter books to lend her, but we agreed on “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe might be a better choice. When Peace Corps Rwanda field tested the Life Skills Manual in Kinyarwanda, I gave her the HIV prevention sections and was returned with constructive feedback after she led the lessons. It felt good to reach a place where the students become the teachers.

After Ed 2’s COS Conference, Flaviah and I sped away to Kayonza for GLOW Camp 2012 in the Eastern Province, where I was a facilitator again and Flaviah returned as a junior facilitator. This time, it wasn’t just me admiring her spirit, all PCVs and Rwandan facilitators gushed about Flaviah. I was told that she taught all campers the GLOW Cheer in the dusty bus park of Kayonza, she reprimanded those who did not help to keep the grounds clean, and she always had a smile on her face. I caught myself bragging about her, as I am doing here, but what else do proud teachers do? During the carnival, I got her good with a water balloon, causing her to shriek, “Teacher! My skirt!” I laughed in glee, having reclaimed payback when Flaviah and students doused me with buckets of water on my birthday. Flaviah did it again, stalking people whose birthdays fell during camp with her buckets. Flaviah was named Super Star for a day for her energy and passion, and she gave a great radio story during the talent show with jr. facilitators Marithe and Eliza, highlighted by Matt Teel singing the opening and closing song of Amakuru radio show.

I finally understand why people say the journey is equally as important as the end product. Flaviah has shown me over time how quickly youth can rise to accept a challenge and why solidarity and independent souls are beautiful. In Rwanda, most people, men and women, are eager to say there is gender equality, but are slow to recognize reality that majority of girls and women are denied access to proper education, health, and economic opportunities. Julie Greene and Sarah Lasseron’s lessons on Gender Roles and Equality helped to drive the message home to our 100+ campers that they are part of the movement of youth to bring justice and advocacy for girls in Rwanda. It gives me hope that we are moving in the right direction towards opening doors and opportunities for girls. For My Flaviah, I know she’ll kick the door down and enter with hands high up in the air.

BE: BEness

By Megan Haggerty Foster, H3

 “Take 55 teenage boys, 4 Rwandan teachers, and a dozen Peace Corps Volunteers. Mix thoroughly, sprinkling in icebreakers, games, paper mache, bonfires, and lessons about sex-ed and leadership. Keep everyone busy and make sure no one ever gets quite enough sleep. Place in a warm school in the Rwandan countryside for one week and allow the mixture to rise. For extra flavor, consider adding a dash of bedbugs, to taste.” – PCV Nick McClure, ED 3

Donning my camp-counselor persona and venturing into a new part of Rwanda, I landed in Nyanza’s Camp BE (Boys Excelling). That week, my life was filled to the brim with games, teaching about gender roles and peer pressure, and lots of arts and crafts. Although I had a lot of fun, it’s a good thing that I never tried to become a teacher. Sustaining my enthusiasm non-stop from 7AM to 10PM beyond that week seems relatively impossible; but, it was so much fun. I try to think back on my camp experiences, almost 15 years ago. How was the experience different? Well, I hadn’t been learning about preventing HIV or gender roles. I do remember staying in large burlap tents, my dysfunctional attempts at arts and crafts, singing songs, and playing games. Although my art work attempts haven’t improved too substantially since I was nine, I did work hard at BE camp to bring out this inner enthusiast and kid person that is supposedly lurking somewhere inside me. Surprisingly, I found that person.

As a group leader, I met with a group of 13 boys, two junior facilitators and an adult facilitator every day, playing new games, listening about what they were learning, answering any questions, and making camp feel like a place where magic happens. I heard my Kinyarwanda getting better every day, and surprised myself with the ability to explain all these random games in Kinyarwanda without stumbling too much or confusing my audience. The games were even successful too! One of my favorites was “monkey, monkey, gorilla,” a Rwandan version, of “duck, duck, goose.”

             The boys were impressive. “They are so eager to learn and so willing to put themselves out there, to a degree that we would be hard-pressed to find with high school youth back in America,” said PCV Christine Hooyman, H3. I saw this in my gender roles lesson, where the boys asked questions like, “what if we see a girl who is being treated poorly, what do we do?” and “how can we work to make our lives and girl’s lives more equal?” and “how do we change?” During HIV awareness videos, my group told me how they would help protect themselves and others from HIV. I was concerned as a wave of “wows” echoed through the audience when a woman was scolding a man for assuming she’d have sex with him because he brought her gifts. I was surprised, however, when my boys voiced appreciation for her because of her reaction to the man.

The camp left me hopeful and proud, and more confident in the future of Rwanda. I think about my male co-workers who have told me they would never carry a baby on their backs because people will laugh at them, or how some believe it’s a man’s right to decide when his wife will have sex with him. I see these men, who I respect, yet also loathe at times for their behavior, and superior mentality towards the opposite gender, then I think about these young boys, how much potential they have, and who they may or may not become, and it’s inspiring.

            BE’s talent show was filled with surprise, from talented artists to absurdly good dancers, singers, rappers, and comedians. The lyrics to Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” still can’t seem to leave my head from the show. We also did a “barrier burn” a twist on the “I can’t funeral.”  Campers wrote down things on pieces of paper that they feel are barriers to their own successes, then stepping forward amidst the dark group encircling the fire, they voiced their barrier. All of us watched the barriers burn as each piece of paper was thrown into the hot coals. This was followed by a s’mores extravaganza, complete with a ridiculous amount of marshmallows carried over from the states by some friends of a PCV. The night continued to the sounds of camp songs around the fire, and an encore presentation of the Jr. facilitators singing “We are the World.” 

            From my seat during Nyanza’s BE camp, it was immensely successful, fun, and inspiring for all of us. Like my group, I will also continue to strive for what they wrote on their group flag, “With all sides of the earth, with unity and peace, we will have a brighter future.”