As you well know, I have been serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador for number months now. In my community I work as a rural health volunteer, focusing mainly on common illness prevention, food safety, water quality, and sexual health.
Of the many issues present in my community and the nation as a whole, gender inequality continues to be one of the most pressing. Machismo, a cultural norm in Latin America classified as male dominance over the female, continues to pervade everyday life. Women and young girls are expected to bear the brunt of daily household chores including cooking, making tortillas, cleaning, laundry and childcare. Most striking, though, is that it is not uncommon for girls to be denied the right of education. Some believe that educating a boy is far more effective and that girls are most useful in homes. Being denied any education, many girls in rural communities, like the one in which I live and work, are often married off and mothers well before their 18th birthdays.
With these realities in mind, seven fellow PCVs and I are planning a three-day girls’ leadership and empowerment workshop, called GLOW Camp. GLOW stands for Girls Leading Our World, an ideal we hope to instill in the camp’s participants.
The camp is currently slated for August 2011 in Suchitoto, Cuscatlan, El Salvador where 21 girls and eight volunteers will experience training on goal setting, educational opportunities, healthy relationships, and self defense to name a few. For many participants, this will be their first trip away from their families and communities. The camp will literally be, for many, the experience of a lifetime.
As with all things in life, there comes a cost for GLOW Camp. The materials, camp space, overnight accommodations and meals carry a price that most girls aren’t able to afford. The benefits, though—self-confidence, self-respect, and knowledge—are things these girls can’t afford to live without.
Please consider sponsoring our camp. Even the smallest contribution will make a world of difference.
There are two ways to donate.
•By check made out to Lantern Projects and sent to:
o Lantern Projects, 51 Glen Alpine Rd., Piedmont, CA 94611 (The check MUST indicate “El Salvador Leadership”.)
• On line by going to www.lanternprojects.org and following the General Donation instructions. On the last page where it says “Special Instructions for the Merchant” indicate “El Salvador Leadership”. (Note: If a credit card is used there is an approximate fee of 2.5% deducted from the contribution for processing charged.)
All donations are tax-deductible and 100% of the funds received for this project will be provided to the project. If possible, all donations should be made before August 5th.
As always, thank you for your continued love and support.
Lindsey Weeks and the El Salvador Leadership Team
