Camp ELITE for boys

Camp ELITE In March I wrote a grant to fund a week long Camp ELITE (Early Leaders in Teamwork and Equality). We brought together boys and men to learn about: gender equality, HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and stigma, malaria prevention, signs, and treatment, environmental conservation, goal setting, and reproductive health. There were 18 boys, 9 adult male community counterparts, as well as 9 Peace Corps Volunteers who participated. Everyone came from various rural villages throughout Eastern Province Zambia. We had a great time facilitating sessions and learning together, with several soccer, capture the flag, Frisbee, and kickball games throughout the week. The goal of the camp is to teach the boys and young men the skills and information they need to create a weekly club in their own communities to pass the information on. It was exciting to watch the boys come out of their shells throughout the week, to find topics they were passionate about, and teach each other. One of the participants that I brought from my community is 15 years old and at the end of the week did a correct condom demonstration while teaching it to the entire group. I couldn’t have been more proud. Planning and organizing for the grant was stressful but it was well worth the smiles on everyone’s faces.

Above: the entire group of participants for the week, me with the boys and counterpart from my community, and me giving a boy a sign that says "without a bike" as a obstacle for him to overcome to reach his goals.