Well hey there amigo, I humbly want to say thanks for stoppin by and takin interest in what this girl is doing! While you read, Keep in mind that the ideas and thoughts expressed in this thing are mine and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Peace Corps or the United States government...blah blah blah...go read!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Youth Center

Finally open! All my roomie's hard work the past year has started to pay off! We opened the Youth Training Center of Angoche last Saturday and the ceremony made quite the splash here in Angoche. It was so great to see Alex's vision realized. We ran around like mad all week getting things together to make a good first impression to the public. The whole process has definitely not been without glitches. Figuring out technology in the developing world, learning Mozambican cultural quirks and traditions surrounding logistics of opening such a center, and getting Mozambican counterparts involved for the sake of sustainability has been tough, but we're open and going! A bunch of our fellow PCV's from all over Moz came to support Alex on her big day and then join us for a much deserved party on the beach afterward. Job well done; proud of you Alex!


Our beautiful center...
Some of the first students who will be trained...


And nothing is really ever official here until there is singing and dancing...so we invited some women's cultural groups to liven up the party.

Crowd shot...
After the ceremonies PCV's wowed the remaining kids with their musical talent...


Cutest lil couple dancing...
To the beach!








Wednesday, May 6, 2009

My girls

I knew our REDES girls were fantastic and I've enjoyed them since I've started working with them, but I've never been so proud of them until now. Two weeks ago Alex and I took a few reps from our guys and girls groups to the provincial capital for conferences. Alex took our guys and I got to take our girls. I could not believe how much different these young ladies are when there are no males around or allowed. They're all a bunch of bright, bold, intense, knowledge-hungry sassifrasses! I love seeing them have a blast hanging out and learning with girls from all over the north of Mozambique. Some of our girls have never left Angoche, so it was definitely a powerful experience for them to travel to the big city and participate in a national conference. No one will be able to alleviate even half the problems these girls face, but I got to see how powerful it was for the girls to hear "me too" from the lips of other Mozambicans. They got to share and bounce ideas off each other all week. The girls had an opportunity to hear some amazing powerful Mozambican females speak on a variety of topics such as HIV/AIDS, gender issues, leadership, health, corruption, and community activism. They also recieved technical training in computers, sewing, and art. Angoche girls definitely tore it up and represented well. Our girls are the greatest!
Here we have me and the girls singing to introduce Angoche to everyone.

I helped with the art tech. group. We paited a mural at a local primary school.
Cleaning and prepping the wall...
About half-way done...everyone had a brush in on it...

Isn't she beautiful??? The mural illustrates the ability of Mozambican women to achieve a variety of "modern" goals, but still maintain Mozambican female culture. It was a big hit. People in Nampula City loved it and were asking tons of questions about the mural and REDES.