This past September and
October PCVs, Adam and Diana Take Our Daughters To Work! Read their experiences
and be inspired to create your own Take Our Daughter to Work Day!
“Whatever the
excuse, this sounded like a nice 1-off project, a good balance to
sustainability building projects, something to show my village – and myself – that
I am doing work.” Adam said when he found out about TODTWD. “I e-mailed for one of the coveted spots and got the confirmation
and realized I had no idea what to do next.” Eventually Adam figures it out.
He explains everything
from how he selected the girls and about the process to creating a successful
TODTWD. “Together with my Catholic Relief Services counterpart, Gainu, we
made a list of six educated, successful women from either Nalerigu, home of the
Baptist Medical Center, or Gambaga, the district capital. We went out to see
who on our dream team was available and interested. I expected the majority
would be absent or have conflicting schedules, leaving us with, at best, two
women. Five said yes and were so enthusiastic about the idea that, by the end
of the day, we had outlined the TODTWD completely. Eight
girls from my local JSS would go on the trip and come back as eight
professional women. Well, not women, still JSS girls... but still.”
“The eight spots were highly prized. A field trip, snacks, lunch,
and, most importantly, no classes! I may not be a
teenage girl, but I could empathize... after all, I felt the same during PST
(hey-oh!). For the selection process, I wanted to do something gender related, to
prime them for TODTWD. No lights = no
internet and I couldn't remember any relevant woman-power material from the Peace
Corps papers, unless I wanted to teach them about
snakes, but that seems too out dated (hey-oh!x2). This time I called Shilpa who
gave me a couple of ideas and told me to look in the Life Skills book.
At the JSS, I had a discussion with the two classes, boys and girls, about some form
of gender roles, with the bonus lesson of Venn diagrams. The discussion part
did not go as smoothly as I tried to bring us deeper into the gender dynamics.
When it stalled with the Form 3 students, I tried for some good ol' fashion'd sexism,
Socrates style. ‘Is it because men are
stronger than women? Are they smarter than women?’ Ibrahim said, ‘Yes.’ I asked one of the girls and she also said, ‘Yes.’ I asked another couple of girls and they all confirmed male
superiority.
…
Fuck. This was
not how gender empowerment was supposed to go. I think the lack of gender pride
was more due to language difficulties and unfamiliarity with the exercise than
straightforward feelings of inferiority. So I asked how women are superior to men, about bravery/cowardice. That
worked, getting a few spirited students trading back and forth, ending with the
more politically correct gender equality conclusion. I talked briefly about
individual differences and the dangers of generalizing, and how much weaker I
am than the girls (seriously, what can't they carry on their heads? I announced
the TODTWD: Ladies, prepare to be developed!
I tried to make sure any girl who
wanted to go would have a shot at going. They were to write a paper about the
discussion, or come and talk to me about the discussion. Ten girls wrote their
papers and all but one was the copied Venn diagram from the board. And no one
came to me in person. I reassigned the papers, with clearer explanations. In
the end, I had my eight girls, selected for their work and also for sheer
logistical convenience.”
Adam gets a gold star for further
prepping the girls before the event. They did more icebreakers and gender
focused activities, and he even gave them homework. “I started telling
them to think of the next day like they are meeting themselves in 30 years
during ITYDTWD. What would they want to know? This concept helped the girls
better understand how these women could help them, that the meeting was not
about what can the women give them and more about how the girls can succeed
professionally.”
As many PCV’s experience
when they organize events, the attendees were late, Adam’s girls were no
exception. Once everyone Arrived they continued on strong. “I can't talk about most of the speeches of that day, not because
it's Rules 1&2 of TODTWD Club, but they spoke mostly in
Mampruli over English. The snippets I heard were plenty inspirational. Mrs.
Barba was our first speaker, said she had a daughter in
medical school, and that she was once a village girl and now a pediatrician. She also wins the TODTWD for best 1-liner
advice, ‘When a boy tells you that you are beautiful,
you say back, 'I know, my mom tells me I'm beautiful.’
The next speaker was Hospital Chaplain Elizabeth, who spoke
better English than Mampruli. She learned the girls'
names, which made a positive impression. She talked of her difficult childhood,
starting school later, dealing with the death of a parent, continued on
about why she’ll continue to improve.
Last up for Nalerigu was a Wunni Grace, a local teacher and
social worker. When she began to speak I interrupted and
said the girls would better understand English and she asked the girls if they
wanted to practice their English, which met with a great cheer!
In Gambaga, Caroline, a CRS worker, became my
role model as she handled the girls perfectly. She questioned them, coaxed good
answers from them, and rejected so-so answers,
keeping a positive light and laughter behind every expression. Best of all, her
interaction was guided to educate the girls about illusory single gender jobs.
Madame Alice rounded off the day. She is the head of an
Educational NGO, and a few decades ago, was a village girl. Her life made a big impact on the girls, laughing
together about how little she knew then, how far she had come.
The day was
over and the girls got to eat The girls enjoyed their
juices, biscuits, & fufu lunches, and headed back on the motorking. They done
good. No, we done good.” After it was all over, Adam assigned them homework!
Another gold star for him! His community loved the event and want to have more
in the future!
Thank you Adam for your hard work!
Diana, also in the Northern parts of Ghana, Takes her girls to the local district assembly, radio station, and a veterinarian. Her and the girls experienced a few slip ups with planned speakers, which can happen sometimes - this is Ghana - but it all worked out in the end! (As they always do). Here is her Story.
"I live in
the Northern Region of Ghana in a small village (of about 600 people) called
Yapalsi. In Yapalsi there is no female graduate of a Secondary Scool. I know of
only one 35+ year old mother who had some small amount of primary school. By
and large I (like too many of us volunteers) live in a village of completely
illiterate mothers.
This has
always troubled me. I want the next generation, this generation,
to be different. I want my girls to be informed, I want them to be confident, I
want them to be happy, I want for them what I never had to fight to get- higher
education.
So upon
reading the GYDlines I got motivated to do a TODTWD. I spent one week running
around my district capital finding different contacts, making awkward phone
calls (“Heyyy friend! Long time… like 1.5 years long…), getting brownie points
by going to church to further discuss TODTWD with a speaker, wearing my Ghanian
wear, dropping off pre-prepared questions to the speakers, talking to
headmasters to pull my kids out of class an hour early on Friday, and in
general, preaching all about the importance of educating our youth to any who
would listen.
Friday arrives and I pick
up my 4 JHS kids at school (a 7km walk one way from my village), take us to the
nearest taxi station and pay for a drop to go to our first stop- the District
Assembly.
Now, even
before reaching the DA I realize from that I’m in trouble. The woman I set
everything up with had traveled to a conference 5 hours away. Somehow it
escaped her mind to tell me that when we met 2 days ago. However I had two
interviews lined up here and go to my next in line.
This turns into a bit of a
teeth pulling routine. The woman is not interested in motivating my girls
(though she sure seemed it on Wednesday) and gives us very perfunctory answers.
This was such a disappointment. I leave feeling really let down, but what makes
everybody feel better? Food.
After the DA we go to get
some chop and I pay for their food and get them the *big* pieces of meat. As
everybody starts eating I begin phase 2 of TODTWD, talk about my own
experiences. Maybe it was the fact that my girls were eating meat for the first
time all month, maybe it was just because we were out of the DA, but whatever
the reason they were very engaged in my discussion of why higher education is
extra important for women.
Phase 3
of TODTWD- Bring my girls to the local radio station (90.5 Mah-mah-mah MIGHT
FM). This visit goes spectacularly. Patience, the woman broadcaster, is very
engaging and very motivational. She explains her hardships and triumphs. She
has everybody’s full attention and keeps it for her entire hour long
discussion. Leaving on a high note, she even gives my four girls a shout out on
live radio. Smiles all around =)
The last
and final phase- Go to the Veterinary College to talk with the animal rearing
professor, Madam Fostina. I was excited for my girls to talk to Fostina because
she was born and raised in the Upper West Region and I believe there is a big
north/south split where Ghanaians from the North sometimes feel inferior or
more handicapped just by being born and going to school in the North. Madam
Fostina is able to prove to my kids that if you work hard you can become a “big
woman” and succeed regardless of region.
In retrospect if I could
have changed something it would have been to have had my JHS girls prepare some
questions before hand to ask the speakers. They were extremely shy around the
speakers and it was difficult to get my girls to ask any questions.
Questions
or no questions asked aside, I believe the four JHS kids I brought around took
a lot away from our day of travels. I hope that they were inspired and will try
harder to finish their schooling. At the very least I know my girls had an
overall fun day seeing different successful women and will take away from this
experience that women can and do succeed. Now, it’s just left with time to see
if they will believe and live the thought that “I am a woman and I can
succeed.”
Thank you Diana for facilitating TODTWD. You get a gold star for thinking on your toes and keeping you girls engaged!
I hope everyone can learn from Adam and Diana when PCVs create their own TODTWD events. Key things to keep in mind when creating your event
* Prep your girls - Prepare them with a list of questions to ask their speakers.
* Include gender role activities maybe before, during, and after the event.
* Have a backup plan when a speaker bails or isn't as exciting.
- Sheena, Brong Ahafo regional GYD rep.
