My project is on the Peace Corps website. If you would like to read about it:
1. Type in the following website: www.peacecorps.gov/
2. Click on donate to volunteer projects.
3. Search by Volunteer - type in Sprague
4. Scroll down
5. Click on Camp Scientifille to read about it
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
december
World AID Day 2010
Working in collaboration, as usual, with my closest CHAP volunteer, I held an event to commemorate World AIDS Day. Step 1: Request an absurd number of condoms from PSI. By an absurd number, I mean a couple thousand. So many that I was able to cover the entire surface of floor. So many that I still have a bucket left over. Step 2: Train Peer Educators and tchouk vendors. I held the training a week or so before the event. Abdel came to translate as the vendors are all women, none of whom really speak French. We talked about modes of HIV transmission, as well as testing and prevention. The Peer Educators practiced giving short presentations on these topics as well as doing condom demonstrations. Step 3: Marché day! My Peer Educators and I (with three CHAP volunteers and some counterparts) walked around the market distributing packets of condoms to the women who participated in the training. They were instructed to hand out one condom with each purchase of a calabash (dried gourd from which tchouk is consumed). The Peer Educators circulated to give demonstrations and answer questions.
It was, well, quite an experience. I am really glad I did it, but if I ever did it again, I would start earlier in the day. Marché is less about purchasing goods than about sitting around drinking tchouk and palm wine. So, by the late afternoon, everyone is pretty intoxicated. By the end of the event, I was hoarse from reprimanding tactless men over the din of the marketplace. I will save you the indignity of exposure to some of the colorful things drunk men might say to a young woman who is distributing condoms. Oh, Togo. Just use your imagination.
But a lot of good came of it, as well. It was a great opportunity to discredit some of the many false myths surrounding condom use and HIV. I remember being warned about some of these during training and have been asked about a few of them throughout the course of my service, but it still surprises me to hear them. The white man created the HIV virus and then implanted it in condoms, so using them is actually how you acquire the virus. Condom use will make you permanently infertile. Using two is twice as good as using one. And so on. As for the best question I heard that day, it was definitely the first time I encountered it: “So, if a dog eats the feces of a man who is infected with HIV, and then you eat the dog, will you become infected?” I made him repeat it three times to make sure I understood what he was asking. But in a country where humans defecate openly and where dog meat is widely consumed, I suppose it was a reasonable question. (The answer is NO, by the way. For a number of reasons.)
It was also a great opportunity to reach a population with whom I have very little contact. Most men spend all day in the fields and besides, I do most of my work with students. My Peer Educators were completely composed throughout, and the other volunteers really stepped up when I needed it. And I learned a lot about project implementation, so I think, in the end, benefits outweighed costs.
So, there is so much more, of course, but I think that is all I can handle at present. 2011 will have to wait for another trip. Oh, and please, please consider donating to Science Camp. Please.
Working in collaboration, as usual, with my closest CHAP volunteer, I held an event to commemorate World AIDS Day. Step 1: Request an absurd number of condoms from PSI. By an absurd number, I mean a couple thousand. So many that I was able to cover the entire surface of floor. So many that I still have a bucket left over. Step 2: Train Peer Educators and tchouk vendors. I held the training a week or so before the event. Abdel came to translate as the vendors are all women, none of whom really speak French. We talked about modes of HIV transmission, as well as testing and prevention. The Peer Educators practiced giving short presentations on these topics as well as doing condom demonstrations. Step 3: Marché day! My Peer Educators and I (with three CHAP volunteers and some counterparts) walked around the market distributing packets of condoms to the women who participated in the training. They were instructed to hand out one condom with each purchase of a calabash (dried gourd from which tchouk is consumed). The Peer Educators circulated to give demonstrations and answer questions.
It was, well, quite an experience. I am really glad I did it, but if I ever did it again, I would start earlier in the day. Marché is less about purchasing goods than about sitting around drinking tchouk and palm wine. So, by the late afternoon, everyone is pretty intoxicated. By the end of the event, I was hoarse from reprimanding tactless men over the din of the marketplace. I will save you the indignity of exposure to some of the colorful things drunk men might say to a young woman who is distributing condoms. Oh, Togo. Just use your imagination.
But a lot of good came of it, as well. It was a great opportunity to discredit some of the many false myths surrounding condom use and HIV. I remember being warned about some of these during training and have been asked about a few of them throughout the course of my service, but it still surprises me to hear them. The white man created the HIV virus and then implanted it in condoms, so using them is actually how you acquire the virus. Condom use will make you permanently infertile. Using two is twice as good as using one. And so on. As for the best question I heard that day, it was definitely the first time I encountered it: “So, if a dog eats the feces of a man who is infected with HIV, and then you eat the dog, will you become infected?” I made him repeat it three times to make sure I understood what he was asking. But in a country where humans defecate openly and where dog meat is widely consumed, I suppose it was a reasonable question. (The answer is NO, by the way. For a number of reasons.)
It was also a great opportunity to reach a population with whom I have very little contact. Most men spend all day in the fields and besides, I do most of my work with students. My Peer Educators were completely composed throughout, and the other volunteers really stepped up when I needed it. And I learned a lot about project implementation, so I think, in the end, benefits outweighed costs.
So, there is so much more, of course, but I think that is all I can handle at present. 2011 will have to wait for another trip. Oh, and please, please consider donating to Science Camp. Please.
novemeber
Science club AKA geek club, as my fellow volunteers have so lovingly dubbed it, is just another project for which I felt unqualified but which is quickly becoming the best part of what I do here. Solange and I had originally selected about 16 girls at the 4e and 3e levels to participate. With a few no-shows and quite a few girls showing up, begging to join, we ended up with about 25 girls. As opposed to the general nature of the camp, the club is based on what the two classes are currently studying. We start each session by requesting a volunteer from each class to summarize what they have learned that week. Not only does this repetition give them a chance to reinforce their learning, it is also very clear when a topic was not entirely understood, and Abdel can step in to explain and answer any questions. I think this study group portion is quickly becoming the most valuable part of the club experience.
After reviewing (and doing some silly ice-breakers, practically a Peace Corps requirement), we will engage in activities and experiments related to the week’s theme. Baking soda volcanoes, an overdone classic in the states, was a hit. I also try to relate the topics to the girls’ own lives in some kind of practical application. Last week, we were talking about teeth. After going through the parts and diagrams and role in the digestive system and so on, I used the opportunity to talk about dental hygiene. The girls learned how to make toothpaste and practiced using measuring spoons in the process (these girls have never used either before.) I brought my toothbrush and we all brushed together.
While I was back down in Tsevié for my second week with the trainees, I met with a representative from Trésors d’Afrique, an NGO that has begun a program to support girls in the sciences. For now, they administer an annual science competition for girls in the Maritime region, but they are looking to expand to a national audience. And we are a national camp looking for a community partner. So, both parties are pretty pleased with the collaboration. Wait, is this the first I am mentioning of science camp? I have no way of checking right now, but I have a hard time believing that I have not yet alluded to this life-consuming project. Just to be safe, I am organizing a national science camp for girls, Camp ScientiFille, to be held in early August. And now, my shameless begging: PLEASE DONATE. We have a funding request online now. Pass the link along to anyone who might be interested. I’ll leave it at that for now, but know that the pleading will become more desperate as time goes on.
After reviewing (and doing some silly ice-breakers, practically a Peace Corps requirement), we will engage in activities and experiments related to the week’s theme. Baking soda volcanoes, an overdone classic in the states, was a hit. I also try to relate the topics to the girls’ own lives in some kind of practical application. Last week, we were talking about teeth. After going through the parts and diagrams and role in the digestive system and so on, I used the opportunity to talk about dental hygiene. The girls learned how to make toothpaste and practiced using measuring spoons in the process (these girls have never used either before.) I brought my toothbrush and we all brushed together.
While I was back down in Tsevié for my second week with the trainees, I met with a representative from Trésors d’Afrique, an NGO that has begun a program to support girls in the sciences. For now, they administer an annual science competition for girls in the Maritime region, but they are looking to expand to a national audience. And we are a national camp looking for a community partner. So, both parties are pretty pleased with the collaboration. Wait, is this the first I am mentioning of science camp? I have no way of checking right now, but I have a hard time believing that I have not yet alluded to this life-consuming project. Just to be safe, I am organizing a national science camp for girls, Camp ScientiFille, to be held in early August. And now, my shameless begging: PLEASE DONATE. We have a funding request online now. Pass the link along to anyone who might be interested. I’ll leave it at that for now, but know that the pleading will become more desperate as time goes on.
october
Time for something more uplifting. In October, our cluster (the six volunteers who share a mail point) held a MAP (Men as Partners) training at the center in Pagala. MAP is a new initiative in the GEE program that encourages men’s participation in gender equity and social development. We each invited a few men from our communities. I brought the director, the new SVT teacher (Solange’s replacement and soon to be my new counterpart) and the chief (also known as my papa). In general, the training went really well, the men were open to the difficult conversations about gender roles and treatment of women and sexual behaviors and HIV infection, and we all felt pretty good about it at the end. The best part, though, took place the day after. My host dad, driving his car (very rare, owning a personal vehicle, but he’s kind of a big deal), stopped me on the road back into village (I was walking from somewhere) and offered me a ride. On the way back, we started talking about the formation and how he thought it went. He mentioned offhand that he was on his way back from the hospital in Pagala where he had just taken an HIV test. He had also made appointments for each of his three wives to go during the following week. This may not sound like much. It is only now, writing it in English, that it seems almost inconsequential. But getting the chef du canton to engage in immediate behavior change, to take an interest not only in his health but in that of his WIVES as well, was not an outcome I had foreseen. In fact, his is a success story people like to tell. I was just sitting in on a training for first year volunteers to which participants from previous MAP trainings came to talk about their experiences and one told the story of my chief. He is now all psyched about testing, and we are trying to get a mobile testing unit to come to village and test everyone for free.
---
I went back down to Tsevie for my first week with the new stage. My first impression was that they were so CLEAN. It was also bizarre to have a new group asking me about Togo and the GEE program and my work, when really, I feel like I just got here. But it had been over a year since my arrival, now getting close to a year and a half. My favorite part of being a trainer was getting to sit through stage again, but this time I understood everything! It is amazing the difference a year has made with my French. It was also just nice to connect with a new group of volunteers, especially ones who are at their most idealistic and energetic.
---
I’ll admit it. I was pouting and thus waited a full week after the arrival of Solange’s replacement to go meet him. I know that is not professional, or even remotely mature, but I was entirely prepared to dislike him. I had already painted a pretty uninviting picture of him in my mind. He was old, condescending, uninterested, misogynistic, set in his ways and probably a little creepy. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, and very wrong. See, sometimes I can admit when I’m wrong.
He is young and enthusiastic, open to all of my ideas, really smart, creative, forward-thinking, opposed to corporal punishment, willing to do anything I dream up. I originally planned to ask him to work with me just on science club, but Abdel has quickly become an all-around counterpart. This does not make me miss Solange any less, and I definitely think that having a female teacher presented the girls with an invaluable model, but, OK, Universe, I guess you knew what you were doing.
---
I went back down to Tsevie for my first week with the new stage. My first impression was that they were so CLEAN. It was also bizarre to have a new group asking me about Togo and the GEE program and my work, when really, I feel like I just got here. But it had been over a year since my arrival, now getting close to a year and a half. My favorite part of being a trainer was getting to sit through stage again, but this time I understood everything! It is amazing the difference a year has made with my French. It was also just nice to connect with a new group of volunteers, especially ones who are at their most idealistic and energetic.
---
I’ll admit it. I was pouting and thus waited a full week after the arrival of Solange’s replacement to go meet him. I know that is not professional, or even remotely mature, but I was entirely prepared to dislike him. I had already painted a pretty uninviting picture of him in my mind. He was old, condescending, uninterested, misogynistic, set in his ways and probably a little creepy. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, and very wrong. See, sometimes I can admit when I’m wrong.
He is young and enthusiastic, open to all of my ideas, really smart, creative, forward-thinking, opposed to corporal punishment, willing to do anything I dream up. I originally planned to ask him to work with me just on science club, but Abdel has quickly become an all-around counterpart. This does not make me miss Solange any less, and I definitely think that having a female teacher presented the girls with an invaluable model, but, OK, Universe, I guess you knew what you were doing.
september
I was informed at my mid-service conference that I had been selected to be one of the volunteer trainers for the new stage [stah-ge] arriving in mid-September. While I was excited about stage, I was a little less thrilled about all the time I would be spending out of village. After mid-service conference, I went down to Lomé for the Diversity Committee training (I sort of got volun-told to join the committee, but I’m glad in the end to have done it), then back up to village, then back down to Tsevié for the Training of Trainers for stage. Yikes. Keep in mind the nature of travel here.
So far, so good. Then I got back to village. This is right about when I experienced what I believe is commonly referred to as my “mid-service crisis.” I returned, ready to start on all the second-year projects I had planned with my counterpart, Solange. I was excited to work with her for a million reasons, not the least of which is that finding a female science teacher at the CEG level is almost unheard of. The day I came back, I went to meet with the director to tell him of our plans and ask for his official approval. He let me talk on and on and on, while Solange entered and sat quietly in the back of the room. I finally paused for breath, to ask whether he was still willing to let the girls out of Travail Manuel on Thursdays, and he just chuckled. “Well, I guess that depends.” I looked at Solange, confused. She just looked down at her hands, refusing to make eye contact. “Well, Solange has been transferred, so you will have to wait and talk to her replacement.” The awkward, empty smile that generally implies that I have no idea what is going on around me (a frequent look for me, to be sure) slowly slipped off my face as I grasped the implication of his words, tossed so carelessly in my direction. Solange, transferred. Well, of course she was. Tchifama is not exactly a desired post. In fact, it is usually given to new teachers who need to put in some time before getting sent somewhere better. And it was unlikely that the regional directors would leave a young, single woman out in the bush for too long. But still… I couldn’t even respond. Not only was all of my work based on her collaboration, she was also my closest friend in village. It’s hard to have adult friends when all women my age are married with at least three or four kids by now.
I’ll save you the details of my temper tantrum though there were definitely tears shed and pillows thrown and feet stamped, though mostly in the privacy of my own home, with only my dog as witness. When I recovered enough to go back to the director and talk about where to go from there, he suggested that I try working with another teacher, one who had helped us with Girls’ Club a few times last year. I agreed and said I would be by to talk to him the following week. When I arrived, I found that he, too, had just been transferred. In the same week, the sage-femme (mid-wife) that I worked with at baby-weighing was also transferred. I wish I could say that I was making this up. But, well, it happened. So now my best friend and everyone I ever worked with was gone.
I took the night off, told my family I was sick and wanted to be alone, poured myself a glass of sodabi (gross, I know, but desperate times…) and soul-searched. Besides the obvious sadness of losing friends and acquaintances (a precious commodity here), I was frustrated because in a small village like Tchifama, there are not an overabundance of willing, capable and available counterparts. The entire premise of Peace Corps is that we work directly with Togolese counterparts to transfer knowledge and skills in a way that allows them to continue our projects in a sustainable manner long after I have left Tchifama, long after Peace Corps has left Togo.
It took me the entire first year to build these working relationships, and now, any chance for continuing, sustainable work seemed unlikely. There was a lot of “what’s the point?”-ing going on. I wish, for the sake of the narrative, that there was some, clear, epiphany moment in which I saw it all clearly and came to all kinds of brilliant conclusions. Maybe one of the girls I have worked with would have arrived at my door with a testimonial of how my work here has changed her life. If I were a character in a novel, that is what would have happened. Instead, I went back to work the next day, still a little lost, really just going through the motions, and just kept working until gradually, I remembered every reason that I love this country and my village and my work and these incredible girls and even my loud, overwhelming, demanding, ridiculous circus of a host family. And I do; I love all of these things with a depth I didn’t know possible. This is not supposed to be easy. No one ever said it would be. So I am just going to do the best I can.
So far, so good. Then I got back to village. This is right about when I experienced what I believe is commonly referred to as my “mid-service crisis.” I returned, ready to start on all the second-year projects I had planned with my counterpart, Solange. I was excited to work with her for a million reasons, not the least of which is that finding a female science teacher at the CEG level is almost unheard of. The day I came back, I went to meet with the director to tell him of our plans and ask for his official approval. He let me talk on and on and on, while Solange entered and sat quietly in the back of the room. I finally paused for breath, to ask whether he was still willing to let the girls out of Travail Manuel on Thursdays, and he just chuckled. “Well, I guess that depends.” I looked at Solange, confused. She just looked down at her hands, refusing to make eye contact. “Well, Solange has been transferred, so you will have to wait and talk to her replacement.” The awkward, empty smile that generally implies that I have no idea what is going on around me (a frequent look for me, to be sure) slowly slipped off my face as I grasped the implication of his words, tossed so carelessly in my direction. Solange, transferred. Well, of course she was. Tchifama is not exactly a desired post. In fact, it is usually given to new teachers who need to put in some time before getting sent somewhere better. And it was unlikely that the regional directors would leave a young, single woman out in the bush for too long. But still… I couldn’t even respond. Not only was all of my work based on her collaboration, she was also my closest friend in village. It’s hard to have adult friends when all women my age are married with at least three or four kids by now.
I’ll save you the details of my temper tantrum though there were definitely tears shed and pillows thrown and feet stamped, though mostly in the privacy of my own home, with only my dog as witness. When I recovered enough to go back to the director and talk about where to go from there, he suggested that I try working with another teacher, one who had helped us with Girls’ Club a few times last year. I agreed and said I would be by to talk to him the following week. When I arrived, I found that he, too, had just been transferred. In the same week, the sage-femme (mid-wife) that I worked with at baby-weighing was also transferred. I wish I could say that I was making this up. But, well, it happened. So now my best friend and everyone I ever worked with was gone.
I took the night off, told my family I was sick and wanted to be alone, poured myself a glass of sodabi (gross, I know, but desperate times…) and soul-searched. Besides the obvious sadness of losing friends and acquaintances (a precious commodity here), I was frustrated because in a small village like Tchifama, there are not an overabundance of willing, capable and available counterparts. The entire premise of Peace Corps is that we work directly with Togolese counterparts to transfer knowledge and skills in a way that allows them to continue our projects in a sustainable manner long after I have left Tchifama, long after Peace Corps has left Togo.
It took me the entire first year to build these working relationships, and now, any chance for continuing, sustainable work seemed unlikely. There was a lot of “what’s the point?”-ing going on. I wish, for the sake of the narrative, that there was some, clear, epiphany moment in which I saw it all clearly and came to all kinds of brilliant conclusions. Maybe one of the girls I have worked with would have arrived at my door with a testimonial of how my work here has changed her life. If I were a character in a novel, that is what would have happened. Instead, I went back to work the next day, still a little lost, really just going through the motions, and just kept working until gradually, I remembered every reason that I love this country and my village and my work and these incredible girls and even my loud, overwhelming, demanding, ridiculous circus of a host family. And I do; I love all of these things with a depth I didn’t know possible. This is not supposed to be easy. No one ever said it would be. So I am just going to do the best I can.
august
Science Camp Tchifama took place the first week of August. We followed the same schedule as in the previous village, and we definitely benefited from the previous week’s trial run. APCD Rose came on the last day to observe and impart a few words of wisdom. She is such an incredible woman, and someone to whom these girls can relate. She, too, came from a small, out-of-the-way village where education was not exactly a priority for girls. And she is now the director of a Peace Corps program that she herself created. The Girls’ Education and Empowerment program is her baby, and Togo its birthplace. She talked to the girls about her own struggles and the importance of pursuing an education.
I was truly exhausted by the end. So it was the perfect time for a vacation, my first, starting with a visit from Mom, Dad and Kelsi. They flew into Accra and took a car to meet me at the Togolese border. They had assured me that they could easily make their way to Togo on their own. I felt very confident, until I told other volunteers about our plan. They were horrified that I was not going to pick them up. Admittedly, travel in West Africa is not quite like Western Europe. But I had no reason to be alarmed. They found a car at the airport that took them directly to the border. I met them there and helped them cross, a venture that involves redundant paperwork, repetitive questions first in English, then in French and slipping the guards a few CFA to expedite the process. We took a “taxi” to the hotel and checked in. The Bellevue is a gorgeous hotel in the Kodjaviakope quarter. I took my first hot shower in a year and promptly started weeping. I cannot remember the last time I felt so clean. It was incredible. We walked around Lomé, seeing the “sights” and stopped for a drink in the Grand Marché. Dinner at the hotel, next to the pool, was unforgettable. We had a little hiccup in the morning when the car I had called failed to show up. The Poste bus was leaving at 6h, so there was a bit of stressful scrambling to get to the Post Office in time. We made it just in time to slip the driver a few CFA to overlook our excess baggage weight and the fact that I was transporting a prohibited gas tank for my stove, and we were on our way. We got off in Langabou and rented a car to take us to Tchifama.
My family was so excited to meet… well, my family. We spent a few wonderful days in village, eating fufu and koliko (it was yam season), drinking tchouk at the marché, playing catch with the kids, riding motos (Dad and Kelsi), having panic attacks about people on motos (Mom)... I know they all wrote something with the intention of posting it here, so I will leave the details to them. Suffice it to say, it was the best part of my service so far, and I consider myself very lucky that they were able to make the long trip out here.
We wrapped up our time in Tchifama with lots of hugs and pictures. Then we embarked on an epic travel day, in a car from village, to Lomé, across the border, in a car to Accra, flew to Cairo, flew to Luxor. I think it was about 36 hours before we actually arrived. Egypt was incredible, but I guess that is not really relevant to my time in Togo, so back we go.
I was truly exhausted by the end. So it was the perfect time for a vacation, my first, starting with a visit from Mom, Dad and Kelsi. They flew into Accra and took a car to meet me at the Togolese border. They had assured me that they could easily make their way to Togo on their own. I felt very confident, until I told other volunteers about our plan. They were horrified that I was not going to pick them up. Admittedly, travel in West Africa is not quite like Western Europe. But I had no reason to be alarmed. They found a car at the airport that took them directly to the border. I met them there and helped them cross, a venture that involves redundant paperwork, repetitive questions first in English, then in French and slipping the guards a few CFA to expedite the process. We took a “taxi” to the hotel and checked in. The Bellevue is a gorgeous hotel in the Kodjaviakope quarter. I took my first hot shower in a year and promptly started weeping. I cannot remember the last time I felt so clean. It was incredible. We walked around Lomé, seeing the “sights” and stopped for a drink in the Grand Marché. Dinner at the hotel, next to the pool, was unforgettable. We had a little hiccup in the morning when the car I had called failed to show up. The Poste bus was leaving at 6h, so there was a bit of stressful scrambling to get to the Post Office in time. We made it just in time to slip the driver a few CFA to overlook our excess baggage weight and the fact that I was transporting a prohibited gas tank for my stove, and we were on our way. We got off in Langabou and rented a car to take us to Tchifama.
My family was so excited to meet… well, my family. We spent a few wonderful days in village, eating fufu and koliko (it was yam season), drinking tchouk at the marché, playing catch with the kids, riding motos (Dad and Kelsi), having panic attacks about people on motos (Mom)... I know they all wrote something with the intention of posting it here, so I will leave the details to them. Suffice it to say, it was the best part of my service so far, and I consider myself very lucky that they were able to make the long trip out here.
We wrapped up our time in Tchifama with lots of hugs and pictures. Then we embarked on an epic travel day, in a car from village, to Lomé, across the border, in a car to Accra, flew to Cairo, flew to Luxor. I think it was about 36 hours before we actually arrived. Egypt was incredible, but I guess that is not really relevant to my time in Togo, so back we go.
july
After returning from the whirlwind of Camp Espoir and Take Our Daughters to Work, I immediately plunged into last-minute planning for the two village science camps I planned with a nearby CHAP volunteer. The first took place in her village at the end of the month. I have such counterpart-envy. While I struggle to find people with whom I can work, she has an Affaires Sociales (Office of Social Promotion) representative and Conseil Agricole (Agricultural Consultant) clamoring to work with her. They both came to camp to help in translating and explaining some of the more difficult technical concepts.
I felt unprepared, but my worries were unwarranted. There were sixteen (relatively) motivated female CEG students who showed up (relatively) on time for the first session. I will admit that science has never been my thing. I was hesitant to take on these projects. But it has been an incredible experience. And somewhere along the way, I became Peace Corps Togo’s unofficial spokesperson for the Girls in Science initiative. Who would have thought? Definitely no one who has seen my grades in high school chemistry.
So, camp was more fun and more successful than I could have imagined. Rather than take a curriculum-based approach, our aim was just to encourage the girls’ interest in the sciences with broad-spectrum activities. We started with a general session on why girls do not pursue the sciences.
*SIDE NOTE: After completing 3e and passing the BEPC, students choose a focus for their studies in lycée. The “A” series is more of a liberal arts degree, with a concentration on languages, history and philosophy. The C/D series is the math/science track. There are very, very, very, very, very few girls pursuing a C/D track at the lycée level. Increasing these numbers is one of the central goals of the Girls in Science initiative.
Right, so we talked about why there are so few girls in Series C/D at lycée. Some of the problems include:
- There are no women in the community working in a science-based field. Without these models, girls are unaware of the opportunities
- Lack of encouragement: friends, teachers and parents will all tell girls that they should stick with The A series. Even directors have been known to discourage girls from registering for Series C/D.
- Teaching methods: As with all other subjects, the focus is theory and memorization, rather than practice and application. There are no materials for experimentation. There are not even text books. Everything they have learned has been from diagrams drawn on a chalk board. Science, especially suffers from a lack of experiential-based learning.
- CONFIDENCE: So many girls I have spoken to have told me that the only reason they would not consider a science track is that it is too hard. These are very intelligent, capable young women, but they believe that they are not as intellectually capable as their male counterparts.
Then there are, of course, the general reasons for which girls abandon school in general: early pregnancy, forced marriage, responsibilities at home, lack of money to pay school fees, sexual harassment from teachers, a failure to understand the availability of post-education work opportunities, and so on.
I digress yet again. I could ramble on about this all day, but I’ll try to get back to the point. We talked about these problems and some of the possible solutions. In the next session, we taught the scientific method, a crucial component of science education in the states that is completely lacking here. To ensure they grasped the concept, we had them perform simple experiments and work through the steps. We talked about the various kinds of graphs and performed experiments with pH paper to exemplify bar graphs and worked with heart rate to illustrate line graphs. There was a session on observation and objective description where they collected leaves from the surrounding area. Conseil Agricole was invaluable in identifying all the plants at the end and explaining their various uses in food and medicines. The most popular session was the one in which the girls used the microscopes that were so generously sent from the states. They had never even seen a microscope, much less been given the opportunity to manipulate one themselves. They finished up by working in groups to compose a sample, scientific question and to design an experiment according to the steps of the scientific method. I was floored by their creativity.
I felt unprepared, but my worries were unwarranted. There were sixteen (relatively) motivated female CEG students who showed up (relatively) on time for the first session. I will admit that science has never been my thing. I was hesitant to take on these projects. But it has been an incredible experience. And somewhere along the way, I became Peace Corps Togo’s unofficial spokesperson for the Girls in Science initiative. Who would have thought? Definitely no one who has seen my grades in high school chemistry.
So, camp was more fun and more successful than I could have imagined. Rather than take a curriculum-based approach, our aim was just to encourage the girls’ interest in the sciences with broad-spectrum activities. We started with a general session on why girls do not pursue the sciences.
*SIDE NOTE: After completing 3e and passing the BEPC, students choose a focus for their studies in lycée. The “A” series is more of a liberal arts degree, with a concentration on languages, history and philosophy. The C/D series is the math/science track. There are very, very, very, very, very few girls pursuing a C/D track at the lycée level. Increasing these numbers is one of the central goals of the Girls in Science initiative.
Right, so we talked about why there are so few girls in Series C/D at lycée. Some of the problems include:
- There are no women in the community working in a science-based field. Without these models, girls are unaware of the opportunities
- Lack of encouragement: friends, teachers and parents will all tell girls that they should stick with The A series. Even directors have been known to discourage girls from registering for Series C/D.
- Teaching methods: As with all other subjects, the focus is theory and memorization, rather than practice and application. There are no materials for experimentation. There are not even text books. Everything they have learned has been from diagrams drawn on a chalk board. Science, especially suffers from a lack of experiential-based learning.
- CONFIDENCE: So many girls I have spoken to have told me that the only reason they would not consider a science track is that it is too hard. These are very intelligent, capable young women, but they believe that they are not as intellectually capable as their male counterparts.
Then there are, of course, the general reasons for which girls abandon school in general: early pregnancy, forced marriage, responsibilities at home, lack of money to pay school fees, sexual harassment from teachers, a failure to understand the availability of post-education work opportunities, and so on.
I digress yet again. I could ramble on about this all day, but I’ll try to get back to the point. We talked about these problems and some of the possible solutions. In the next session, we taught the scientific method, a crucial component of science education in the states that is completely lacking here. To ensure they grasped the concept, we had them perform simple experiments and work through the steps. We talked about the various kinds of graphs and performed experiments with pH paper to exemplify bar graphs and worked with heart rate to illustrate line graphs. There was a session on observation and objective description where they collected leaves from the surrounding area. Conseil Agricole was invaluable in identifying all the plants at the end and explaining their various uses in food and medicines. The most popular session was the one in which the girls used the microscopes that were so generously sent from the states. They had never even seen a microscope, much less been given the opportunity to manipulate one themselves. They finished up by working in groups to compose a sample, scientific question and to design an experiment according to the steps of the scientific method. I was floored by their creativity.
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