Because We are Human. Because I am a Girl.

It has begun. Today was officially, in my book, the first genuine day of hot Malawian summer. And it is hot! But that doesn't stop us. It's really true that your second year of Peace Corps is just the best. So, as I sit sweating in my hot Malawi house, let me introduce you to Mr. Chilembwe Juma. 

Juma is one of my counterparts who leads projects with me. He has been with me from the start and is a village pillar. He has gone to two Peace Corps trainings with me: Action for Natural Medicine and Behavior Change Communication/Go Girls! He is a husband, father, member of the Health Center Committee (HCC), farmer, trilingual, and knows more people than I can count. He helped me conduct a nutrition training for 10 members of a HIV Support Group, translated two 10 page nutrition guides into the local language, built a gazebo for me in my backyard, helps me teach people living with HIV/AIDS about nutrition and food groups on Fridays and lastly, he is a strong partner in our gender equality campaign. This is one awesome Malawian (everyone applaud). 

So today, this brutal hot season day, Juma had organized a meeting for me to attend around 2pm (the hottest part of the day) at a new community based organization (CBO). He arrived at my house and off we went. It turned out to be quite the bike ride and needless to say by the time we arrived, I wasn't in the best mood. Hot, tired, unquenchable thirst, and only 4 people were around upon arrival. Not the best turn-out. But, as people say, "This Is Africa (TIA)"! And she always surprises you. 

By a little past 2pm, over 20 members had arrived and were ready for our topic. We are implementing the GoGirls! curriculum with the CBO which teaches communities how to prevent gender based violence, discrimination, and practice gender equality. Today was actually the perfect day to start it too as tomorrow is the UN's International Day of the Girl (http://dayofthegirl.org/)! So I gave the floor to Juma after some minutes of planning and he began an activity. The group was split into two and one side had to do a skit about things in Malawi only girls would do then the other a skit about things only boys would do. The groups chatted and then performed to everyone's amusement. The results were hilarious and everyone enjoyed it! I didn't expect that.

Then we discussed gender roles in Malawi using the analogy of inside and outside the box. Inside the box were culturally acceptable behaviors, actions, attitudes for men and women to have and outside the box were those that were taboo. For example, women put inside the box things such as cleaning the house, playing netball, wearing skirts. Outside the box were things such as smoking, wearing trousers, being a bus driver, etc. This was a lively discussion. At the end, both men and women decided what they would change about what they can and cannot do based on their gender. Basically what would they choose to put inside the box or take out. 

We also had a brief summary about sex vs gender and how gender roles and stereotypes can relate and play a roll in HIV/AIDS transmission. It went on for about 2 hours but it flew by!! The group was so thankful and happy for the lesson saying they learned so many new things. Juma was beaming and the leader of the CBO told me everyone was happy because they were wanting to chat about these things but didn't know how. Needless to say, we were invited back next week.

 

So to wrap it up, International Day of the Girl campaign has a slogan saying, "Because I am a Girl." A common misunderstanding is that women's empowerment means taking away from or controlling men. But this is not the case in my opinion. It's also about uplifting men to be supporters of women just as Juma is and allowing them to be whatever they want as well: ballerina, principal flute player, nurse, model, fashion designer. We all deserve a chance to achieve our dreams. 

Tomorrow, October 11, The Day of the Girl, I will be conducting an extended Pad Project with girls from my secondary school. And it is going to be another hot but terrific day. We've already reached 200 girls with this project and will be adding about 40-50 more. The project hopes to give girls confidence, knowledge, new resources and the right and strength to make their own decisions about their future. I can't wait to be apart of this project yet again! 

Happy hot season!