Its been awhile since I last posted something and quite a lot has happened. I got back from vacation in South Africa, and things seemed to be hitting me from left and right. I was sick for a couple of weeks and than I had a somewhat scary kinda-sort-of break in. I had a few restless nights and every now and than I wake up...but now I am feeling much better. I was at the Bots10 IST for a few days for PSDN; which was really nice to see all of them. As usual, going to their training’s is always somewhat of a reminder as to where I am in my service; and where I once was at their point in service.
Despite all the mishaps that I had been going through; I’m happy to say that Ive bounced back and feel as though these past 2 weeks have been one of the highest points in my entire service so far! I coordinated with the head Guidance and Counseling teachers at the two junior secondary schools I work with, in finding times to shows STEPS films. After a couple of sit downs, I finally managed to get a schedule of 30 screenings set in stone. My first couple of screenings were running seamlessly but it was all quickly interrupted when I found out exams were to be done in the morning instead of the afternoon--sending about 10 screenings out the window, but hopefully just postponed to the next week. When I showed up on Monday the teacher wasnt around and she had left for South Africa with the key to the room! Luckily Tuesday proved to be much more productive and all screenings had been rescheduled! So far, Ive conducted about 27 screenings so far; and Ive loved just about every one of them. Although I have to admit--there have been several classes that have reminded me as to why I could and never would be a high school teacher.
So what exactly does a screening entail?
Once I scheduled all my screenings, I went through the youth films that I had and picked several I thought were good/appropriate. I went through each video, took notes and wrote down possible facilitation questions. I decided to do a bit of an experiment and show different classes, different videos--to see how students reacted to various films and if they thought the issues pertained to them. (However, I found that I really ended up liking about 2 of the films...so ive resorted to showing pretty much those 2!) These films may bring up: peer pressure, condom use, talking to their parents about sex, teenage pregnancy, abuse, neglect, infected HIV+ individuals and those affected, stigma, discrimination, etc.
I usually get to the classroom/library about 30 minutes before we’re supposed to start. I set up a projector, my computer, speakers, make sure I have the right plugs/adapters, and get the movie up and running. Students come in; I introduce myself; lay down the ground rules; introduce the film; and screen the movie. Afterwards, I usually start discussions by asking the students what kinds of issues the film brought up. And from there...anything can happen! My discussions have been anywhere from about 20 minutes (for one of my schools--im teaching during the 40 min guidance and counseling periods) to about an hour and 30 minutes (at the other school, im screening during study period in the afternoon). And lastly at the end of each discussion, I have the students fill out feedback forms. Ive been asking: What have you learned from today’s discussion? Was todays discussion useful to you or your classmates? How will you put todays discussion into action? What would you like to learn more about?
Like I mentioned before, all kinds of topics are brought up during discussions. And I have to admit, I never imagined that I would be standing up in front of a bunch of teenagers talking to them about sex!! A lot of my discussions the past couple of weeks have been around the students opinions on condom use, peer pressure, options for teenage pregnancy, talking to their parents about sex...and much more. I asked students if they thought abstinence or condoms should be taught; how would you support someone you knew was being abused or seeing someone abused; do your friends easily influence your decisions; if your parents were open to talking about sex, what would you ask them; what would you do if you found out you or your girlfriend was pregnant; do condoms promote sex; how can you support someone affected by HIV/AIDS; how do you feel about young people living in poverty that are having sex for money; how would you encourage a young person living with HIV to pursue their dreams.
I usually ask them if they have any questions...and sometimes I regret saying that ha. Ive gotten some interesting questions and sometimes dont quite know how to answer. Ive gotten questions like: What does sex feel like; Does it feel good; Is it true you get energized from sex; Is it true sex is exercise; What are sex toys; Why do people use sex for entertainment; Is it painful for the 1st time; What happens to a boy after he has lost his virginity; Is it true you can drink vinegar+salt/ sta-soft (laundry detergent) and milk and that will abort the baby; and I kid you not--does the vagina bite (yes I sware..it was those exact words). (Mom--see why im looking for some good sex education books?? And I got some recommended titles from a friend...Actually if anyone is willing to send a package--id love some sex education books for my students. Id like to be able to not only use them as a reference for me when I give these talks; but id also like to leave them in the libraries for the students.)
I explain to my students that this is a free space, not to be shy, and that we can all be open to one another. I tell them that even though some of them may not know me well; Im always available to answer questions and to talk to. On my first screening, I had a young girl come up to me after class and ask if I was available to talk to her about “teen stuff." I had another student write up a question for me, asking me why abstinence and condoms were taught. Another student asked for the DVDs so she could share the information with her cousins.
I have about 3 more screenings left this week; and so far Ive had discussions with about 850+ students so far!!! Unfortunately, for each screening, I also have to write up a report...so thats what Ill be doing this week! HA! These screenings have been awesome (but also very tiring); and like I said its been one of my favorite parts of my service so far! For once, I really feel like Im doing something! Even though I know I cant change all of their opinions or make them all abstain from sex; I hope I can at least reach ONE student!! My hope is more that Ive gotten the students to really think about their actions and realize the possible consequences (As Ive said many times this week--if youre thinking about having sex, that means youre telling me youre ready to have a baby. If youre thinking about having sex, than youre telling me youre ready to see a possible HIV+ test result. If youre thinking about having sex, than youre telling me youre ready to have an STI for the rest of your life). Ive enjoyed getting to know my students a bit more; and like that when I walk home now, I hear “LESEDI" from all directions (instead of china)!
So as most of you know, today is my 24th birthday! To celebrate, I had several volunteers over on Saturday; made stir fry and ganache cupcakes and hung out! It was also another volunteers birthday on the 10th...so we also celebrated her birthday! And today, Mary and I made lasagna for a couple of people (that live nearby) for lunch! I made the homemade ricotta again and it all turned out great!! I just enjoyed another piece of lasagna and finally opened my wine from South Africa...and finished it all off with a cupcake!! Talk about the ultimate birthday dinner!! What more could a girl ask for??
Alright last thing...I apologize that this has been a LONG post!! Last Sunday, there was an article written in the Sunday Standard newspaper here titled- “Are Peace Corps Volunteers a Blessing or a Nuisance?” Im going to go ahead and paste it here for you...But first you should know that many of us were absolutely appalled at what this guy wrote. Not only did he make idiotic and negative generalizations about volunteers, but also about Batswana and women, in general. It was hurtful to hear such things but at the same time--it is so ridiculous that I dont have much to say. I have also posted the response written up by the American Ambassador that was put in today’s paper.
Here is the article: (and it is typed up exactly how it was put in the newspaper--complete with spelling and grammar errors:
Sunday September 4, 2011
It is probably conclusive that the Peace Corps volunteers have, in many ways contributed to the development of Botswana since being introduced in 1966. However, it will be extremely unfair and self-defeating to get carried away and conclude that they have been a blessing all these years. As they say, there is a story behind every success. The Mafias say ‘behind every success there is a crim.’ Nonetheless, it will be remiss of me if I do not give credit where it is due and on this, I acknowledge the positive contribution made by the volunteers is making Botswana what she is today.
Nevertheless, I wish to provoke a debate on the likely long term harm our reliance on volunteers can have on this nation. I wish to set off by making an obvious observation that Peace Corps volunteers are a form of technical assistance extended to developing nations by the Americans. That being the case, it can be safely posited that the volunteers provide among others, a channel through which the Americans extend its influence over us as a people. That agreed, I wish to submit that as with all other forms of assistance, the Peace Corps volunteers are primarily availed to Botswana in the self interest of the USA. Perhaps as a developing country we may not do without international assistance of some sorts but I am convinced that as a country we can do without the volunteers, most of who probably do more harm than good to this nation.
Peace Corps volunteers largely work with very vulnerable communities. I do not want to be fooled into believing that all these volunteers are innocent, compassionate and culturally polished. My fear is that some amongst these volunteers are beasts that had consciously applied for volunteer work for evil motives. Americans can be very honest people but as with all other societies, there will always be some yet to graduate from the animal kingdom. Americans are also egotistic sometimes with an irrational hatred or dislike of everything that does not seem American and always display a very strong determination to get what they want at any costs.
A the other hand, Batswana are very docile and at times overly sociable. They are generous, friendly and often excessive welcoming. Now if you factor in the fact that native Africans in general are overawed y white people, you come to realize the challenge that comes with using volunteers to empower our passive people. It is therefore possible that there are some volunteers especially those with evil intents who are drawn to Botswana because of the hospitabilty of her people. Now if what motives some volunteers to seek international aid work has nothing to do with their desire to help the poor but everything to do with satisfying their satanic appetites, then we are doomed because all the ingredients are in place and the conditions are sufficient due to our timidity and idiotic friendliness. In other words, everything is in place for evil doers to take advantage of our good nature. I don’t care much about those skimpily dressed female volunteers who appear like they are offering themselves to pimps. I am worried most by bully boys who often stare at tiny silicone-breasted underage girls as though they want to teach them the American lesson.
The Telegraph of August 17th 2011 carried a story about a rape victim whose father teamed up with the leadership of a certain church to potect the rapist. This story shows the extend to which some Batswana would go to protect child abusers. Now if we can protect child molesters of the African breed, what more when such crime is commited by people who mean everything to us? My guess is that some women would feel better off being sexually abused by a white man rather than having an intimate relationship with a poor native African man who struggles to feed and clothe himself. To some it could be a source of pride to feed and clothe himself. To some it could be a source of pride to offer oneself for abuse by a white man after all many black women crave a moment of passion with a white man and in this respect some may consider being raped by a white man as an opportunity to realize their dreams. I am not being jealous or xenophobic or disrespectful to black Africa women but it is a fact that many of them dismiss black African men as uncaring and sexually inadequate. Again some of our people are so poor that when they see a white person, they see bread.
As recently as June 2011, a Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa terminated his service after being busted for sexual crimes, including molesting children at a shelter for AIDS orphans. It is reported that the suspected paedophile has potrayed himself as a champion of Africa. It is possible that this individual was a sole rotten apple amongst the community of Peace Corps volunteers. Nevertheless, the incidence needs to shake us to wake up and smell coffee. There may be many cases in Botswana where there has been a breach of trust and the commission of sex crimes by volunteers . The case presents us with an opportunity to revisit the way we accommodate Peace Corps volunteers in the manner we do.
Botswana has a young civil society that is nonetheless already attending to most of the areas where Peace Corps intervention is sought. What is perhaps needed is to empower and build the capacity of these organizations to do their work more efficiently. In this respect, one would expect that in the event that we still value the contribution of Peace Corps volunteers, they be absorbed into appropriate NGOs so that they impart their knowledge and skills on NGO staff rather than having them work directly with communities. This will somewhat ensure that the volunteers are adequately supervised to reduce chances of them becoming law unto themselves and do as they please.
To this end, the US Embassy must come clean and assure Botswana citizens that the volunteers are here to provide a necessary service rather than to feed on vulnerable girls. The US Embassy must assure communities where volunteers are attached that the volunteers are not sex mercenaries or monsters intending to use our people to underscore and project the sophistication of Americans. They must assure us that they are not consciously exporting sex crazed people or child traffickers into our fragile society to exploit us. Without such assurances it might be difficult in the future for communities to openly embrace Peace Corps volunteers. It is also a challenge to all serving volunteers to come clean and expose their colleagues who, in one way or the other, are giving them a bad name.
The Botswana Government must also tell us how they ensure that only credible and unblemished volunteers come to the party.Here is the article written in response by the Ambassador:
“Peace Corps Volunteers are not sex crazed people you make them to be”
In his September 4 piece “Are Peace Corps Volunteers a blessing or a nuisance?” Kenneth Dipole acknowledges the positive contributions made by Peace Corps Volunteers. He then goes on to make numerous negative generalizations and unsubstantiated criticisms of Volunteers, Batswana, and women in general. It is rare to see such a poorly researched piece containing so much erroneous information displayed in the national press. The Sunday Standard failed to apply even the most basic, everyday standard of professionalism in running this piece, and this irresponsible decision was not only a disservice to readers, but it could put Peace Corps Volunteers and others at risk. The author’s comments suggesting that some women harbor some unfathomable desire to be raped are too repugnant and outrageous to merit further comment. With regard to the Peace Corps, I would like to set the record straight.
Over 2,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps Volunteers in Botswana since 1966. Current Volunteers span an age range from the mid 20’s to the mid 80’s, many are happily married couples, and all are committed to making positive contributions towards the further development of Botswana. They are a diverse group of idealistic individuals – not “sex crazed people or child traffickers”. To begin Peace Corps service, all Volunteers must pass a rigorous application process and background check. Volunteers do not choose their country of assignment – they can end up in Kazakhstan or Colombia or Botswana depending on their skills and a country’s needs – so they certainly cannot be said to be “drawn to Botswana” to prey on its hospitable people.
Current Volunteers held a wide variety of job positions in America, in fields ranging from healthcare to information technology. Some were nurses, teachers, medical doctors, and even CEOs. Peace Corps Volunteers leave their jobs and families behind for over two years in order to contribute to making the world a better place. They are hardly a group of “sex mercenaries or monsters” – and to so characterize them illustrates a severe lack of understanding on behalf of the author.
All Volunteers serve at the invitation of the Government of Botswana, and work under a single HIV/AIDS capacity building framework. All Volunteers collaborate with counterparts and focus on capacity building and technology transfer, so that their Batswana colleagues can be even better prepared to continue the fight against HIV/AIDS after the Volunteer departs. There are many examples of the positive impacts made by Peace Corps Volunteers across the country – especially in remote areas where it can be difficult to recruit skilled workers. Volunteers work in health clinics, schools, NGOs, and in District AIDS Coordinator offices. I am glad the author thinks it would be good for Volunteers to work with NGOs; had he done some research, he would have learned this is already very much the case.
One unintended effect this article had was to produce an outpouring of support for Peace Corps Volunteers – from the very people who know them best. Apologies on behalf of the author are being made across the country – as no one who actually works with and knows any of these Volunteers can believe they are being accused of having “satanic appetites.” Far from it; in addition to fulfilling their primary duties of addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Peace Corps Volunteers are also helping to build pre-schools for orphans and vulnerable children. They are focusing on Botswana’s leaders of tomorrow by facilitating Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) camps and Boy Scout troops. They are working to develop sports programs for children with disabilities. They are building safe playgrounds for children, and are planting community gardens to address food security issues.
The third goal of Peace Corps is to promote a better understanding between the people of Botswana and the people of the United States. Understanding is a building block for dialogue, trust, friendship, and peace. It is through having Peace Corps Volunteers live in villages and integrate into local communities that we can show Batswana who Americans really are. Rather than spewing generalizations and hate, I encourage the author to really get to know a broad sampling of Peace Corps Volunteers. I believe such knowledge might change even his opinions. As for the Sunday Standard, I hope the editors and publishers hold themselves to a higher standard in the future.Up Next: Bots 11 arrives, World Map Project (completion?? hopefully), Peace Corps 50th Anniversary celebration in October, and Dads visit in November!
In Honor of 9/11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJzUxVKLgMk
Never Forgotten. Forever Greatful. To all the heroes of the NYC fire and police department...We Thank You.
