Hello my little tater tots! It has been a minute, huh? Sorry about that, I have been a busy little bee. And yes, laying on the concrete floor, staring at the ceiling and meowing at my cat is busy. Oh by the way, I have a cat! His name is Furlock Holmes and he is a furry little angel and I love him. I promise I'm not going to turn into a crazy cat lady but seriously, he is a serious cutie.
I have lots and lots to tell you, and I promise to give you all the juicy details, but right now I want to talk about the ladies. Being a lady in Benin is a thankless task. Women in my village do EVERYTHING, cooking over a hot smoky fire, washing dishes and handwashing all the clothes with burning lye soap, pounding yams with a giant mortar and pestle, chopping firewood, rasising children, working in the fields, working in the gardens, carrying giant basins of water from one place to another on their heads, selling things at market... I could literally go on all day. (They do.) And they do all of this with a baby on their backs. But maybe even harder than being a woman is being a girl, because you have all the weight of the world on your shoulders as well as the pressures of men pulling you in every direction. Most girls can not survive going to high school without having to sleep with their teachers, or their principal, or with a man who agreed to pay her school fees. And that's only if she manages to make it to a school, because most parents see no use in girls going to school, refusing to pay their school fees and instead marrying them off. Many Beninese people will tell you that arranged marriages are a thing of the past but even in my area you hear of girls having to choose between marrying the man their parents chose or running away. (Just imagine how hard life would be if your on your own in the African bush. And many girls make that choice, only to be beaten and then married off when they return.)
The stories you hear about what a girl goes through everyday, and especially what a girl has to do to be able to go to school, is enough to break your heart and make you want to punch the next man you see. It's a culture of child whores and multiple wives, of violence against women and negligence. And it is a culture that sees no end to the usefulness of an educated man and no end to the uselessness of an educated woman.
That's where Camp GLOW comes in: Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) is an annual girls camp hosted by Peace Corps volunteers for high school girls from around Benin. It's a chance for the girls to discuss their experiences, their desires, their wishes for the future, women's health and nutrition, family planning, career planning, study skills, and all the fun stuff of camp.
And now comes the asking for money part: it's expensive to throw a camp and get these girls there! Please help in any way you can, big little, your lunch money or what you would've used to send a care package. I'm happy to forego that box of chocolate and cheezits if it means something extra for our little camp. Please please please, every little bit helps and you KNOW it's for a good cause. And donations to Peace OCrps are tax deductible! Yay!
Click me to donate!!
I have lots and lots to tell you, and I promise to give you all the juicy details, but right now I want to talk about the ladies. Being a lady in Benin is a thankless task. Women in my village do EVERYTHING, cooking over a hot smoky fire, washing dishes and handwashing all the clothes with burning lye soap, pounding yams with a giant mortar and pestle, chopping firewood, rasising children, working in the fields, working in the gardens, carrying giant basins of water from one place to another on their heads, selling things at market... I could literally go on all day. (They do.) And they do all of this with a baby on their backs. But maybe even harder than being a woman is being a girl, because you have all the weight of the world on your shoulders as well as the pressures of men pulling you in every direction. Most girls can not survive going to high school without having to sleep with their teachers, or their principal, or with a man who agreed to pay her school fees. And that's only if she manages to make it to a school, because most parents see no use in girls going to school, refusing to pay their school fees and instead marrying them off. Many Beninese people will tell you that arranged marriages are a thing of the past but even in my area you hear of girls having to choose between marrying the man their parents chose or running away. (Just imagine how hard life would be if your on your own in the African bush. And many girls make that choice, only to be beaten and then married off when they return.)
The stories you hear about what a girl goes through everyday, and especially what a girl has to do to be able to go to school, is enough to break your heart and make you want to punch the next man you see. It's a culture of child whores and multiple wives, of violence against women and negligence. And it is a culture that sees no end to the usefulness of an educated man and no end to the uselessness of an educated woman.
That's where Camp GLOW comes in: Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) is an annual girls camp hosted by Peace Corps volunteers for high school girls from around Benin. It's a chance for the girls to discuss their experiences, their desires, their wishes for the future, women's health and nutrition, family planning, career planning, study skills, and all the fun stuff of camp.
And now comes the asking for money part: it's expensive to throw a camp and get these girls there! Please help in any way you can, big little, your lunch money or what you would've used to send a care package. I'm happy to forego that box of chocolate and cheezits if it means something extra for our little camp. Please please please, every little bit helps and you KNOW it's for a good cause. And donations to Peace OCrps are tax deductible! Yay!
Click me to donate!!
