Camp Grow & Glow 2014

Last year I asked my friends and family to donate to a leadership camp for young Tongan men and women. I was completely blown away by everyone’s generosity as we raised all of the money we needed within a week. I was humbled by peoples’ decision to donate to a cause that I was running and was so passionate about, and I vowed to honor their generosity by ensuring that Camp Grow and Glow provided a transformative experience for our campers. I truly believe that the camp accomplished that goal last year and I hope to do so again this year. I posted what follows below last year and I would like the repost it now:

There is a link on the Peace Corps website where you can donate funds to the project and read a description about the what Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) and GROW (Guys Reshaping Our World) is all about, but before I copy the link and rather than paste the description of the camps onto my blog I will instead explain our goals (I am working with three other volunteers and numerous Tongans) in my own words.

Camp GLOW is an internationally recognized program focusing on women’s empowerment and is run by Peace Corps Volunteers in countries throughout the world. The girls’ camp in Vava’u will cover important issues facing women in Tonga such as sexual health, the rights of women and children, and sexual harassment and domestic abuse. Camp GLOW was brought to Tonga in the past decade, and was successfully run in Vava’u the last few years.  With the main island deciding to cancel Camp GLOW the last two years and with only one female volunteer in charge of CAMP GLOW Vava’u, myself and and another male volunteer offered to help run the female camp.

After corroborating on the curriculum development of the girls camp, the other volunteers and I quickly saw the potential importance of what we were doing and lamented the absence of a boy’s camp. We did a little research to see if Camp GLOW had ever been successfully paired with a boys’ camp, and with the exception of a few small efforts, we were disappointed to see there were no such existing camps for young men. Thus, Camp GROW was born.

This year we are running Camp Glow and Grow from September 22 to the 26^th. The 2014 edition will last 5 days instead of 4 and will have twice as many campers, as we hope to spread more information to a greater number of students. The campers all come from the local high schools of Vava’u and have been selected, with help from their teachers, on the merits of their leadership skills and strong academic performance.

Finally, before I post the link to donate, I want to say one thing first. The decision of whether or not to donate to charity or of what charity to choose is an extremely personal one. The last thing I want to do is stand up on a soapbox, preaching to my readers to donate to my charity. Only you can decide if you wish to donate money. There are many charities and organizations in much greater need of funds and with more important aims than my project. There are places where money can be sent to save lives and cure diseases. In all honesty, Camp GLOW and GROW will not do that.

However, if you want to contribute a little money to a project that I am working on and running, would like to donate to Tonga, or wish to give your money knowing that 100% percent of your contribution will go to the project rather than to salaries or lost in bureaucracy, then I can promise GLOW and GROW will accomplish that. While we will not save lives or cure disease, I do strongly believe the project will do some good and have a profound affect upon the lives of these children. We are asking for $4,000 from the US (with the plan of raising the other $1,500 within Tonga) and I will be forever grateful to whoever decides to donate to this cause. Donations are completely anonymous, but if you do wish to let me know that you gave money, please email me so I can keep you updated on the project and know of your generosity.

If you wish to donate, the link to give money is as follows:

https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=14-421-001

Thank you all so much for your support. I cannot truly express into words how much it means to me and how much I appreciate any contribution you may make.

Please enjoy the photos below of last years Camp Glow and Grow taken by the Glow director, Mandy Pederson.

Traditional Medicine

I have mentioned several times throughout this blog that the Tongan government provides universal healthcare for free to its citizens. The conditions of the hospitals and the access to particular medicines may differ from what we expect in the US, but Tongans are given vaccines, check ups, and routine medical procedures for free. The doctors and nurses are incredibly bright and well trained, having usually attended university and medical school in Fiji, New Zealand, or Australia. It still takes me a second to remember that Tongans go to the hospital for all medical issues, including minor illnesses like the common cold, as I immediately return to my American fear/anxiety of hospitals when I hear that one my students is missing school to go the hospital, before I eventually realize my mistake.

Of course, no system is perfect. There is only one MRI machine in Tonga on the main island. Dialysis and chemotherapy, while theoretically possible, are extremely rare, and Tongans suffering from cancer who can’t afford to get treatment overseas are left with few options. These are serious issues that leave room for traditional medicine to reassert itself.

I’m sure it surprises no one that traditional medicine stills exists in Tonga. When I first arrived in Tonga, I expected to see some form of traditional medicine, but for most of my two years here I haven’t observed anything. Once in a while a kid would come to school with a weird green paste on a cut, but these incidents were few and far between.

It was not until a few weeks ago that I was first exposed to the world of Tongan medicine. I was walking to town on a Friday when someone from my village offered to give me a ride as long as I first went with him and his wife to the nearby village of ‘Utui. In Tongan, he explained that his wife needed medical treatment in the village. I was confused, as I had never heard of someone traveling to another village to receive medical care, but I assumed that I must have misunderstood what he was saying and would see what happened.

In ‘Utui, the husband and I remained in the car, while the wife entered a house and stayed inside for thirty minutes. Once she returned, we drove into town and went our separate ways. My interest was peaked however. I had no idea what happened inside the house, but I was curious and wanted to learn more. After pestering a few people with my questions, I discovered that there was a whole world of “underground” traditional medicine throughout Tonga that I was completely unaware of. Almost every village has a healer that specializes in a particular kind of medicine. In fact, I learned that a woman I knew quite well from my village is considered very talented at treating stomach issues using traditional Tongan medicine.

I could only laugh. After two years of living in my village, and thinking that I was beginning to understand all of its mysteries, I realized that in many I ways still don’t have a clue. After all this time Tonga continues to surprise me.

Thank you for reading. Please enjoy some more photos of the King’s birthday celebration taken by another volunteer.

The flag of the King

His Majesty's seating area

Presents for the King

One of the Ministry of Education officials all dressed up for the festivities

Showing some birthday love for the King

Journey to the New World

First, I need to give credit where credit is due, and thank my grandpa, Papa, for the title and name of this post. My last few posts have focused on my American visitors, and as Papa confided to me on the phone, it seems only fair that I similarly recount some of my trip back to the United States. Second, this week’s post will be a bit on the shorter side, but I promise to make it up with an abundance of photos taken by other Peace Corps volunteers of the King’s birthday and the Wesleyan Conference.

I have spent the last three weeks in San Francisco, spending time with Katherine, Bennett, and my parents, plus a host of college friends who I didn’t even know lived in the Bay Area but that I happily ran into on my short travels. I walked around for miles throughout SF, a city I had never visited before, went to a Giants game with my dad, drank wine in Napa on two separate trips, walked through the beautiful Muir Woods, and for good measure spent the 4^th of July in Lake Tahoe. The trip was an absolute whirlwind, offering me my first taste of America in over 6 months, and helping me mentally prepare for the completion of my Peace Corps service and my final return to the US in a few short months. I can hardly believe it’s been almost 2 years since I left.

Back in Tonga, I am ready to make the most of my last few months. The past few days have been terrific, as I have made the rounds in the village, caught up on all the recent gossip, and passed out hordes of candy to all the kids... and a lot of the parents for that matter. Due to last minute changes in the school calendar, I have a full week to slowly work my way back into my Tongan life, as school does not start again until next Wednesday. Further, I am working with the Peace Corps office on the main island and in D.C. to get my funding for Camp Grow/Glow approved, and I will hopefully have more information concerning my project in a few weeks.

Last but not least, below is a short list of some of the things that I was asked and did bring back to Tonga:

•   Advil and Fish Oil for my host grandmother
• 7 pounds of candy and pencil sharpeners for my school
• Burgundy hair coloring for my host family's neighbor (I actually went above and beyond here as I brought two shades - dark and normal - of burgundy
• Tequila for my host brother
• 
  

As always thanks for reading, and please enjoy the incredible photos below taken by volunteers Mandy Pederson (the first three) and Abby Kloberdanz (the last three).

A baby all dressed up for the baby competition - contestants were judged on cuteness, weight, and health among other criteria 

The students of Vava'u High School dancing the traditional tau'olunga for the King's birthday

More dancing

A sign welcoming the King to Vava'u

The King's seating during his birthday celebration

Beautifully carved watermelons

The King's Birthday