GADGab Fall 2014 | Page 22

A Quick Note from a Swaziland RPCV!

Lauren Karplus, a volunteer in PC Swaziland, hasn’t let her recent return to the States stop her from continuing her gender and empowerment work. She’s on a mission to connect PCVs around the world that participate in GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) camps via a Facebook group. Through such a global GLOW network, volunteers will have a common space to share ideas, experiences, anecdotes, and triumphs. Check out the Facebook page, read volunteers’ testimonials, and contribute a snippet of your own at https://www.facebook.com/groups/547354708723938/?fref=ts.

Lauren explains why she felt such a group was necessary:

GLOW looks different in every country. In the Kingdom of Swaziland where I served as GLOW Director (2012-2014), Peace Corps Volunteers recruit and train young women from their communities to be club leaders. Each club meets at least once a month and the curriculum isn't just limited to female empowerment topics! However, the most exciting part of the year for many GLOW members is the annual summer camp – girls are chosen based on a competitive application process to participate in the weeklong GLOW program. Swaziland’s GLOW camp this past year included a health day, an artistic expression day, a community service day, a careers/future day, and a gender/abuse reporting day.

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