Let me tell you 'bout ALMA

First of all, I would like to thank all of you who have donated to Lambayeque camps! Thanks to you, we just pulled off an amazing Camp ALMA (which I'm about to tell you about) and we have fully funded our all-boys' camp, VALOR! I can't thank you all enough or express to you how much you've helped us create amazing camps for amazing kids. These camps are one of the most fulfilling parts of my Peace Corps service, and I know they are very special for the kids who attend. Thank you for contributing!!

Just last weekend we had our our annual all-girls' Camp, ALMA (Actividades Liderazgos para Mujeres Adolescentes, or young women's leadership camp). Each year the volunteers from within our department design and program a three-day leadership camp and then choose two of the most deserving girls from their community to bring. Once everyone arrives to camp they are divided into teams with girls from other communities led by volunteers. Like our last year's Camp VALOR, we distinguished teams by t-shirt colors and created a point system for each team which would motivate them throughout camp to participate and be punctual to workshops.  

This year our theme was "Peace of mind, Peace of body, and Peace with the environment," and we held it at an eco-center run by a local NGO that focusses on organic farming.

The camp went great! Maybe I just think this about every camp we've had, but this one was one of the best ever. The campers were great, the volunteers all worked hard, and energy was always good and upbeat. 

One of the special things about this camp is that it is completely out of the norm for the Peruvian teens we bring. Back in the US I started attending week-long camps away from home when I was 13, and even before that I had at least stayed the night away from home on Girl Scouts trips. To stay the night away from home, especially away from family, is something many Peruvian adolescents never do. To go camping is something many of them have never done. The very fact that their parents entrusted volunteers to take them away from home to another town to stay the night for two nights is a very big deal. 

I definitely think pictures can speak louder than words on how awesome camp was, but I also want to tell you about some of the activities and workshops we had that followed our theme:

• Intensive sex-ed session with a health professional.
• A "sex question box" where girls could write anonymous questions throughout camp, and on the last day all of the questions were answered by a health professional.
• Recycling and trash management
• Volleyball tournament  
• Belly dancing, led by one of our very own volunteers
• Round robin sessions on: condom use, choosing an ideal partner, teamwork, trust, leadership, self-esteem, gardening, animal husbandry, mural painting, etc
• A session on inspirational women in Peruvian history
• A career assessment exam to help girls find their personal strengths and weaknesses for possible future employment
• Career fair with local professional Peruvian women
• Campfire with s'mores
• Talent show for the entire camp
• "Cuerpo de Pasión" a telenovela themed skit done by volunteers demonstrating the importance of safe sex.
• The infamous condom race

The girls I brought from my community. I was able to bring three as one girl came as a "super estrella" to be a leader of one of the teams since she had come to camp last year and rocked!

All teams together receiving introductory remarks

Tina, Betty, and Annie teaching belly dancing

Learning about volunteerism and helping re-paint a mural at the eco-center

Kiryssa and Kyle's session on making starter plants for a possible roof-top garden

Early-morning volleyball tournament

Equipo Verde! Zack, Steve, and I were lucky enough to be leaders of this awesome team! They were so great they "won" the entire camp with points for participation, good attitudes, punctuality, etc. Such a great group!

Julianne and my session on love, friendship, and choosing an ideal partner. A lot of talking about waiting for the right person, and how that right person should be once they find them. 

Monica and Zack talked about correct condom use and singing a little song about the "three methods of prevention," which are abstinence, fidelity, and using a condom.

A beautiful place to have camp!

Girls taking the career assessment exam

Tina showing her amazing belly dancing moves for the talent show!

My girls! They rocked at camp. So proud of them!

Some of the duckies on the farm

The infamous condom race. It's not about speed, it's about correct use!

One of the professionals invited to speak about her job during the career fair

Team Verde, winning first place! Giving some palabras on how awesome they are.

The Lamba-sexy crew! Love these volunteers! So lucky to have served in this awesome department, I am truly proud to know all of them.

On the second day of camp I realized I was exactly two months from being back in the USA, and I broke into tears. It's not that I don't want to go home, but things like camp and the love of my job makes it hard to believe this is all coming to an end very soon. Lucky for me, we still have one camp left. Three-weeks until we get to do camp all over again for the boys!