Hello again! So from June 13-18th all of the Mbeya Peace Corps Volunteers planned a Girls Conference called "Wasichana Wanaweza" or "Girls Can/Are Able." Or for a less technical translation, a Girls Empowerment Conference. This is the third year for Mbeya to hold a Girls Conference (it was started by the class we replaced). So it was not as hard to plan as it would have been starting from scratch. One PCV in Mbeya works as a computer teacher at the Mbeya Institute of Science and Technology. So we held the conference there, as previous years. Each volunteers brought 6 girls, and there are 16 volunteers in the region so it was a lot of girls! And a lot of volunteers! We all stayed in the dorms, which felt like college again. My girls, Nahasibu and I travelled together with Adrienne (since we take the same bus). But trying to navigate 15 people was challenging! I am so glad Adrienne and I were able to do it together! Once we got to the college the girls were shocked! A few of the girls had never even been to town before, let alone an actual college campus. We reached the dorms and it was the first time many of them had climbed stairs or slept on a mattress (most just sleep on straw mats on the floor). Or even used electricity! So I think that was one of the best parts for them! Once everyone was settled we all moved to the lunch area for some good rice and beans, some volunteers got a little sick of this food, but I do not think I will ever get sick of rice and beans, it is just so good! Then in the afternoon we played some games and did some icebreakers! Which was fun for them.

Throughout the week the schedule went something like this:

6:45-7:30 Workout with the girls (They loved this!)

8:00-8:30 Everyone trickles in to the classroom

8:30-12:30 Various lessons including AIDS; diarrhea, puberty, waiting to have sex, birth control, and to use a condom, why and when; nutrition, etc. etc.

12:30-1:00 Lunch!

1:30-5:30 During this time we either had more classroom time or speakers (one day we had a group of youth living with HIV/AIDS come in and talk about what it is like to live with the disease). Another day we had women with powerful jobs come in a speak. And another day, Kihumbe Group came (this is the group that came to my village to teach for World AIDS Day and taught all about AIDS, performed, sang, tested, and passed out condoms). The girls really loved it!

6:30-7:30 Dinner.

7:30-10:30 Either computer classes or a movie. My girls decided to do the computer classes and they were so excited to use a mouse and try and type on the keyboard and draw using Paint. It was a little challenging to try and teach how to use a computer in kiswahili, but I think we managed.

10:30PM-1:00 This was hang out time for the girls and the volunteers. We had 6 people in one room, so needless to say there was not much sleeping going on. Luckily, Adrienne is as much of a coffee nut as I am so we were able to heat up water with a hot water heater and drink instant coffee. We put it in thermoses and just drank it all day....I do not think I would have gotten through the week without it!

On the last night we planned a disco in the cafeteria. But, in typical Tanzanian city fashion, the electricity went out. So we lit candles and played music from a computer. One of the PCVs literally just held the computer on his shoulders and danced around with the music. We taught various dances, including the Macerana (I didn't even know I still knew that one) and the Electric Slide. And we took a lot of pictures, which the girls loved. It was also really fun to see that the girls had become friends with girls from other schools and other parts of Mbeya.

Then the next day was the closing ceremony. Everyone received certificates, they got their pre-tests and post-tests back. All of my girls improved! And a picture of the entire group! The next task was to get all the girls onto a daladala and negotiate a price, which was no easy feat. But with a little luck, all the girls got home safely. We stayed back to clean up and put finishing touches on everything. All in all, it was so fun and all the girls had a blast! Before we did this conference there was some talk of planning a Boys Conference. But now that I know how much work/how stressful one conference is, I am not sure that is going to happen. And if it did, I am not sure we would all be friends anymore, since the conference is so tyring on everyone! Thus, we are all pleased with how it went, and I already feel like one year away is too soon to plan another! (I am joking here).

Overall, my girls got so much out of it! And they were so happy to be there, to make new friends, and to just see a different environment. I think it has really expanded their ideas of what they can do with their lives. When you are in the village it is hard to see past the farm, yes people go to school. But after school most return to the farm and few move on. Leaving Ilembo in a rut. So just being able to experience being at a college with Tanzanian students, run by a female Tanzanian, very close to their home, hopefully changes their perspective! I am so happy with the girls I chose to go. They were all so smart and answered so many questions. They are great girls and the plan for us is to plan a shorter Girls Conference in Ilembo, so hopefully they will be there to help me!

Okay so I think I am caught up on my blog here. This is a busy time to be a PCV in Tanzania. School is out right now so it is a popular time for us to travel and I have 3 wonderful friends coming to visit in 2 weeks! Yay! I seriously cannot wait! Then after they leave we have our Mid-Service Conference (which is late this year and actually past mid-service since by August 2012 most of us will already be on planes). After that, I have to jump back in to village work. I am just playing the waiting game with some projects right now, but hopefully progress will be made soon!