A few months ago I organized a formation called Take Our Daughters to Work. Early on in my service I knew I wanted to do this project because I believe in the concept and I feel that it would be a wonderful opportunity for the girls of my community. I selected ten girls who go to my High School and are at the top of their class and brought them out of the village to the regional capital, Atapkame.
The point of Take Our Daughters to Work is provide girls the skills to bridge from High School on to University successfully. Additionally, the girls receive the tools to help them enter the workforce.
The Girls From My Village and Mama
Class Time
At the formation, we discussed the usual topics such as importance of girls education, gender inequality, self-confidence, time and money management, and health. Also we had sessions on how to write a resume, practice job interviews, and choosing careers. The girls got to visit the Atapkame Hospital and speak to a female doctor and we also went for a visit to the Red Cross.
At the Internet Cafe
Finally, I organized for them a panel of professional women to come and tell their stories and how they became successful in their fields to encourage them. I invited a nurse, decorated female officer, and a woman who is the head of an NGO.
Womens Panel
I hope that this formation and what they learned and saw becomes the flicker of hope for their futures. On the second day we asked them what they wanted to do after High School. I heard a lot nurses/doctors as a responses, but one girl answered she was going to be an officer. During the women’s panel I saw her eyes light up when she saw the female officer I had invited. When the time for questions came she was the first to stand eager to ask questions of, as I later learned, the first female officer she had ever seen. Moments like that are why I joined the Peace Corps
The Formateurs_-A Great Team
Goofy Picture
Hospital Field Trip
