Gender & Development Committee

As a member of the Gender & Development (GAD) Committee of Peace Corps Vanuatu, we have undertaken many intitiatives in reaching our objectives to gender equality here in Vanuatu.

Peace Corps Vanuatu's GAD committee began in September 2001year as WID-GAD (Women In Development - Gender and Development).

In February 2008, the committee officially changed the name to GAD to encourage understanding of our true goals and encourage more male participation. Our mission statement is as follows: To promote positive change through training of Peace Corps staff and volunteers to integrate a gender-sensitive approach to all development work. The committee also added the following goals to better focus the committee:
· To train trainees, volunteers, and staff on GAD principles (see flip side)
· To offer continued support, resources, and training to volunteers throughout their year service, through PST, IST, and All-Vol sessions
· To publish "GAD-FLY" newsletter to keep Peace Corps Vanuatu abreast of current events, resources, and to provide practical tools.
· To carry out special GAD initiatives throughout the year, such as Youth camps, training of trainers workshops, working with other NGOs on gender specific objectives throughout Vanuatu

Our last big Training of Trainers Youth leader camp took place in the Penama Province of Vanuat, with 32 Ni-vanuatu Youth leader participants, for 1 week long training workshop on: leadership, adolescent reproductive health, domestic violence, STD's/AIDS, nutrition, hygiene & sanitation, environment, goal setting, healthy relationships, etc. We also do arts and crafts after each days session to encourage creativity and to have fun! This camp was a huge success, the country director of Peace Corps Vanuatu came to the closing ceremony as we handed our certificates and conducted a custom dance in appreciation to the Vanuatu culture and people. The total cost for the workshop was about 300,000 vatu or $3,000USD. We had 16 Peace Corps volunteers help conduct the workshop and speakers from the Ministry of Health give talks.

Being on the GAD committee has been an amazing experience for me, the ability to work with other volunteers and Peace Corps in making positive gender sensitive initiatives while carrying out my regular service duties. I've started 2010 off with a camp G.L.O.W on Epi island with 4 other volunteers and 21 participants. In March we plan to conduct another camp G.L.O.W. on my island, Paama.

Youth Camp on Epi Island 2010

CAMP G.L.O.W (Girls Leading Our World) on Epi: Jan. 11-15, 2010

Volunteer Facilitators: Lauren Scholle (Group 21B, Epi), Hannah McMillan (Group 21B, Epi), Amy Orr (Group 22, Epi), Chris Ekhert (Group 22, Epi), Brianna Russell (Group 21A, Paama)
Located at the RTC in Molua Village, Northeast Epi
Participants: Ages 16-22, total number of 21 girls from 3 different villages

Located just walking distance from the beautiful white sand beach, and the picturesque view of the active Lopevi volcanoe, Epi’s camp GLOW was indeed epic. Four smoltering hot days, drenched in sweat and overcome with heat exhaustion falling in out of consciousness; Team Epi brilliantly managed to pull off a very productive and heartfelt camp GLOW. To briefly introduce the director; Lauren runs the RTC on Epi, and is the next Mother Teresa of our world. Her loving and shining presence was a consistent uplifting ray of light for the rest of us. We couldn’t have had a better time between the relay races on the sand beach to the Bonani dancing in the village. Lauren has worked in a homeless shelter and at the Folsom Prison before joining the Corps. While Lauren was the ring leader of the show, the rest of us helped as much as we could in assisting with talks, activities, discussions, devotion, moral support, and errands. There isn’t a better experience here in the Peace Corps than being able to reach Ni-Vanuatu people, grow close to them, work with them, learn from them, and teach them all at the same time with other volunteers there to share the glory. Our workshop sessions included: nutrition, cooking/recipes, domestic violence, STD’s/AIDS, Adolescent Reproductive Health, leadership, healthy relationships, goal setting, sports and more!

Funniest moments: Amy showing the girls and us her hip-hop dance routine that was performed at Group 22’s swearing in ceremony. Doing charades with the girls and Chris’s imitation of riding a bicycle. Pierce getting into a tense session talk about ‘whiteman fasin’ with one of the stronger girls in the group. When a few of the girls threw the banana that had a condom on it out of sheer embarrassment. Amy’s Jesus rendition of “A whole new world” and “We Will Rock You”.

Happiest moments: During our leadership session, when we asked the girls to brainstorm strong women leaders of the world, they chose the four of us as an example. Hannah’s Baha’i prayer readings everyday to remind us of our love for life. Playing “Kokonus i faldaon sipos yu…” with the whole group.

Saddest moments: Me breaking my ankle and having to leave Epi the day before our closing ceremony of the camp, saying goodbye to the girls and the volunteers with looks of worrisome. The girls response to the question, “Is it ok if your man hits you then says sorry?” They responded, “Yes, from se hemi stap learnem mi.” The closing of the camp itself.

As Amy put it so very well, “Why can’t every week be a camp GLOW!”