GLOW

Before the earthquake, four other volunteers and I conducted a five-day girl's empowerment camp. Here's a synopsis of what we did!

On April 6, after many months of preparation with our partner, Women’s Rehabilitation Center (WOREC) Nepal, twenty-five girls aged 12-16, accompanied by five local female chaperones and five Peace Corps Volunteers, arrived at WOREC’s training center to kick off a week of girl’s empowerment. After welcomes, introductions, and some ground rules, WOREC’s instructor Padma delivered a session on empowerment and Megan led a public speaking activity that kept everyone giggling. Throughout the two days, we’d integrate the lecture-style trainings with energizers, games, and activities to keep things engaging and fun. That night, the girls stayed up late getting to know one another while the exhausted volunteers slept like rocks.

Day 2 was dedicated to health, beginning with a well-attended elective yoga class at dawn. After Maria’s anatomy lesson, Megan’s positive body image activity, and Ben’s emotional health activity and basic nutrition game, WOREC facilitators Dipa, Sarita, and Lakshmi covered a wide range of topics regarding personal hygiene, puberty, reproductive health, family planning, and HIV/AIDS. In the afternoon, Maria taught the girls how to make paper maché masks. At the end of a long day, everyone somehow still had enough energy for a dance party that went late into the night.

Development was the theme of Day 3. In the morning, Padma discussed the implications of gender roles in society. Shayne led a game of “Duck-Duck-Goose” with a Nepali twist, which was overwhelmingly the favorite activity of the week. Then the girls learned about the forms and consequences of violence against women and what they could do to prevent it. In the midday heat, we did a scavenger hunt looking for real-life examples of gender roles in a Nepali village. That afternoon we watched a heart-rending film on child marriage in Nepal, which left many of us in tears. After dinner, we watched Mary Kom, a feel-good Hindi movie about a female boxer, while eating popcorn and making henna designs on each other’s hands.

Day 4 looked to the future. Dipa delivered sessions on leadership and communication to assist the girls in their social interactions. Ben led an activity in which everyone wrote each other anonymous compliments as a self-esteem booster. In the afternoon, we developed an action plan for ways to bring the week’s lessons back to our communities. Bora demonstrated how to make a dream board, a personalized collage of images and words cut from magazines relating to each person’s future. The girls composed and shared the lives they envisioned for themselves. In the evening, we completed our paper maché masks, made s’mores around a campfire, and danced a good deal more.

Our fifth and final day began with a career panel organized by Bora, featuring four local women (two NGO founders, a staff nurse, and a civil engineer) who shared how they’d overcome adversity to become leaders. After lunch, the closing ceremony commenced. We thanked the career panelists, WOREC facilitators, and chaperones for their contributions to the camp. A few girls and a chaperone volunteered to speak, expressing how much they’d enjoyed the week. We presented each participant with a certificate and gift bag, including t-shirts declaring “I <3 Camp GLOW.” After a few dozen group photos, we packed onto the bus and returned to our villages.

In the course of the five days, the transformation had been remarkable. Initially, most of the girls had been shy and reluctant to participate in activities or share their opinions. By the end, they were volunteering for responsibilities and engaging in every event. From their evaluations, it was clear that the instruction had been effective, but a more profound change in their confidence, manner, and attitudes was apparent as well. They’d made new friends across regions, ages, and caste. Most of all, they’d had a great time and made some unforgettable memories. The week had gone even better than we’d imagined.