GIRLS RULE!

Gender and Development (GAD) is a secondary project that is near and dear to many volunteers, myself included. The goal of GAD is to educate individuals (men, women, and children) on gender issues within the community and to empower individuals to strive towards gender equality. Many volunteers facilitate girls groups in village or at schools, where they create a space to discuss a variety of issues. In addition, Awa Traore (our homestay and cross-culture coordinator) conducts tourneys where she talks about gender issues. This past May, Awa presented at 8 different sites in Kolda and was an asset to the Kunkane Girl's Camp. As a strong Senegalese woman, Awa is a lot more qualified to talk about sensitive issues, such as early and forced marriage, gender roles, women in the work place, rape, incest, and unwanted pregnancy to name a few.



Every year, volunteers participate in the Michelle Sylvester Scholarship Program. What is this you may ask.... Well, the Michelle Sylvester Scholarship Program is named after a volunteer deeply invested in girls education and empowerment. Established in 1993, the scholarship provides money for school fees and supplies. Each school that works with a volunteer chooses 9 high performing girls to receive school fees. Once the school chooses those 9 girls, the teacher write a recommendation and provide PCVs with end of term grades. The girls then write an essay detailing why they should receive a scholarship. Lastly, the volunteer performs a home visit to interview the girls and to gain insight into their home life. From there, the volunteer chooses six finalists and the scholarship committee chooses three winners. YAY GIRLS!

This is where you come in!! We are currently raising money to fund these scholarships. This year, we worked with over 40 schools, which means we need to raise money to send over 360 girls to school! If you are interested in donating to this wonderful cause, click here!

Peace & Gender Equality