Visit to the College...!!

We had a process in a College in one of the furthest communities. The invitation to the College was extended to us in a home visit. The team used role plays as an entry for stimulating conversations.

The drama focused on a young girl who was doing very well in school. Her parents met a man with alot of money who offeres them money for the girl. The girl is married off but she has no clue of life as a woman, the mother in-law abuses her too and complains that she doesn't know how to be a woman. Her husband beats her everyday; eventually chases her back to her mothers house. A lady becomes friends with the girl in the village; but she is actually a broker for Traffickers. The girl is trafficked.

After the drama....

The students were divided into smaller groups to reflect on what they have seen, what is reflective in their daily lives, how the responses in the community is around those issues; and what they think are ways to work through them. The last question was on what they were learning.

After the small groups, we had an open forum for conversations. Some of the reflections....

* We are young and educated if we don't do something we are letting down our community.

' We girls need to start creating awareness in our areas on early marriages and taking care of ourselves'

'If these young people can use drama and we are learning; we also need to form a group like theirs and use it in schools and in the community, but we need regular supports from the team'

' There are extended concerns in regard to early marriages and issues of trafficking;- Even if a girl is restored back to her village, there are STD;s, and also Psychological issues that a girl goes through. The concerns are in multiple layers..'

The young men, also say they have a role to play; they can influence each other to advocate for the rights of a woman. Men do play huge roles in creating these concerns.

We introduced the 'new Local Facilitation Teams; to the school teachers and the students for next visits.

It was the first time the team has engaged in a highly 'formal' environment. I gave a background of the process and the layers of response with examples from Africa and linkages with the team in the village.

Getting there was another story of its own, you will see the photos in a separate post.

In the end, we realised that four of the students in the class live in the village we have been working in. They know us, and are motivated by the visit.