Teamwork Tuesday!!!

Today has been an incredible day.  By the evening the girls were really bonding.  They chanted their team names at the top of their lungs as they swarmed into the cafeteria; during announcements cheers erupted over even the most insignificant details.  It is amazing to see the connections that have been forged in just two days.

Inspiring Ugandan girls to follow their journeys is no easy task.  In a culture where the norm for women is to be in the background and stay at home, overcoming this social subjugation can be especially isolating and taboo.  Day 2 at camp G.L.O.W we dealt with this head on.  Counselors led sessions on healthy living, RUMPs, the environment and teamwork.

Building upon and reinforcing yesterdays message of self-esteem, we discussed the biological mechanisms of the menstrual cycle and that this natural phenomenon should not be feared or ashamed but embraced.  Teaching girls how to sew RUMPs (Re-Usable Menstrual Pads) is particularly empowering; it allows them to attend school without fear of staining their clothes and learn a new income generating activity enabling them to start building their foundation for independence.

We continued to focus on teamwork today as well.  Our obstacle course was designed to challenge the girls to think creatively and work together.  

Even though the girls had to start over numerous times because they would forget about the team and focus on individual performance, the celebration of success was all the sweeter when they finally finished together.