PJ Girl Guide Week

2018

PJ Girl Guide Week 2018 was hosted by Young Cranes, a local primary school who opened up their dormitories, campus, and cooking facilities for the event. The theme of the event was: “Stay Safe. Avoid HIV/AIDs, early pregnancies, and STDs. It starts with you.” The days were jam packed with activities like sports, music/arts, workshops and classes, and the night was filled with empowering movies and games. Traditional crafts, cooking styles, and culture was emphasized and the movie night featured Queen of Katwe, a film about the success of a Ugandan girl in an area not far from Kiboga. Skills like jewelry making, cooking, and household chores were taught as well as education in sexual health, career guidance, and positive mental health. Muslim and Christian religious leaders hosted lessons for religious students and an alternative activity was available for non-religious students. Teachers, motivational speakers, government officials, health workers, and community members volunteered their time and police were hired to guard the campus.

PJ Girl Guide Week ended with a major community celebration. Kiboga/ Kyankwanzi residents, family, and friends were invited to celebrate the successes of the attendees. Food and entertainment was supplied with music, speakers, and performances. Girls were invited to sing songs and perform dances learned throughout the week. Some read poems written and share crafts that have been created. Many girls demonstrated the cooking skills they learned during the week. They showcased the Luwombo dish, a traditional way of cooking different sauces in banana leaves, usually prepared by the Baganda tribe. When sauce is cooked this way, it is always sweet and delicious. Not many people are able to prepare it, so the girls proudly showed their parents and friends their new skill.

This event exists to serve two purposes: 1) to celebrate the individual girls and their accomplishments while investing in their future successes, and 2) to bring together the community for an enjoyable day in support of local girls and women in a broader sense.

2019

This week was a 7-day, sleepover camp for 183 girls with the theme: “Self-love is the Key to Success.” It was hosted by Kiboga Progressive Senior Secondary. In addition to last year’s events, we added lessons on self-defense, friendship dynamics, social isolation, bullying, academic performance, peer pressure, self-imposed pressure, media, promotion of self-esteem, and more!  The girls started every morning with physical education, bathing, and breakfast. PE included playing games, running races, dancing, jogging, and playing netball. Throughout the week, girls attended classes, workshops, and practicums. Most of their classes were geared towards self-love or skill training, with classes about morality, goal-setting, sex education, agriculture, entrepreneurship, baking/cooking, and so on. The group also had a large chunk of time for art; every day there was time for reading and writing poems, as well as learning and reciting dances. Some craft projects included jewelry making and tie-dye.

There were also 5 days of self-defense classes, where girls learned karate moves as well as information about the art form. The days were packed with activities, but there was always free time for socializing and one-on-one mentoring with women in the community. Girls learned progressive and innovative skills and information, while also celebrating cultural traditions, such as specific dishes, dances, and lessons. Friday night ended the camp portion of the week with a campfire celebration of roasting kabobs, singing songs, and dancing as a group.

The grand meeting began early Saturday morning as a finale to PJ Girl Guide Week. It started with a bang in the form of a major parade through town center. Hundreds of students were in the parade, led by girls with banners and posters with sayings about self-love and the power of girls and women. Attendees from the week wore matching PJ shirts in different colors. Students sang, chanted, and performed planned dance routines throughout the route. Other performers like a full marching band and a hat juggler accompanied the students on their way to the event. The day included parents, friends, supporters from the community, local politicians, influencers, and leaders, all coming together to support the hard work of girls this week, the hard work of women in who planned the event, and more broadly, women and girls in the community all year-round.

The event had an estimated 1,250 people. In addition to celebrating the achievements of the girls, the community, and women, the event celebrated our 5-year anniversary, which occurred in November. The shirts and banners were all 5-year anniversary editions. There was food and music at the event for attendees, as well as a plethora of guest speakers, which will be elaborated on in future posts. The girls also entertained the guests by displaying their learned skills; dances, songs, and skits were performed, poems were read, karate moves were demonstrated, and girls sold handmade jewelry to the crowd, pocketing the profit to help them with school needs. The best performers were even awarded, with the best performer of the day getting a full scholarship from Centenary Bank (a local bank), and others being awarded smaller gifts like blankets and water bottles/flasks.

All girls who completed the camp were awarded a certificate of participation as well. After the entertainment was over, we distributed materials for the year for students and schools. Many more amazing things happened this week, and soon we will upload a full report.