While we prepare to post another travel log, we thought maybe we should make it clear that our Peace Corps experience is not one safari after another. We actually do work and earn vacation days which we then use to our advantage. This specimen was in our house and we can’t have a post without SOME animal pictures.
So here are some pictures to show some of the people we work with and places we work. One set of shots is from a visit by one of our donors- the UK Anglican Sisters who contribute on a monthly basis to support staff allowances. Their photographer Nick Clarke, captured some beautiful pictures of beautiful people.
Gary is next door at a Junior Secondary School where we run an 11 session program called Grass Roots Soccer. We have talked about this before but here are some pictures. This is a program that teaches about good decision making as well as HIV Prevention. For our UU friends it’s kind of the OWL program for HIV/AIDS. Part of the program is giving “kilos” when good stuff happens- we are mid kilo in one picture. In another we are visiting various “football” stadiums around the world. At the end, based on who you talked to while at the stadiums, there is a demo about the effect of multiple partners on increasing the chances of getting HIV/AIDS. Graduation day with certificates, performing a skit based on a risky situation scenario and last is one of our groups participating in the 16 days campaign against gender based violence. They completed the line, Because of Education I can……
Lastly are our two big initiatives- Kids’Club and Strengthening Our Families parenting workshops. Can’t show pictures from Kids’ Club as they are all OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) and can’t post pictures of them on Facebook. But, we meet monthly and do a variety of activities meant to build self-confidence and self-esteem. Gary is in charge of cooking lunch with a rotating crew of kids. They made pizza last month and this month is spaghetti. We can post a picture of the pizza.
The pictures from Parenting Skills aren’t very exciting as these are one day workshops for parents in a classroom setting. We cover topics such as respect, trust, communication, family time, positive discipline and success in school. We have done two so far and will do 12 more by August plus one where we train local people to facilitate the workshops so they can continue after we are gone. Both these projects are funded by a Peace Corps grant. Hopefully ongoing funding will be identified for after we leave which could be as early as 6 months from now.
Stay tuned for our next post which will chronicle the amazing trip we had with Alisha and her Josh…
Walk Don't Run 