Welcome to Camp G2LOW!

Take a moment and remember the first time your arrived at summer camp.  You drive through the rustic gates of some compound named after an imaginary Indian tribe or a forest animal.  You see rows of log cabins and areas set aside for water sports, arts and crafts, and singing songs or performing skits.   Maybe this was the first time you were away from your parents and home.  Maybe you were excited.  Maybe you didn't really want to be there.  Maybe you plotted with your bunk mates on how exactly to sneak into the canteen or girls' dormitories after lights out.  Probably you learned something new, and made best friends that would last a lifetime - or at least a summer.  

Whatever your memories, it is clear that summer camps are an important part of the American experience.  So much of our literature and films use these settings to discuss growing up and finding your place in the world.  Children need a safe opportunity to leave their parents behind, step out of their comfort zones, and practice to become the future leaders of tomorrow.

That is why this summer, 11 Peace Corps volunteers from around the Oromia region of Ethiopia are organizing a summer camp in the town of Mettu.  We will partner with local teachers and institutions to re-create our favorite summer experience for thirty 8th and 9th grade girls and boys from across the region.

The name of our camp is Camp G²LOW, which stands for "Girls and Guys Leading Our World."  Using the theme of the FIFA World Cup, we will create a week of activities designed to teach the future leaders of Ethiopia about self-confidence, volunteerism, global citizenship, health and nutrition, and English as a world language.

We need your help to make this camp a success.  Over the next few months, we will be gathering supplies and support from our friends and families back in America.  Some of the items we want are hard to find in Ethiopia (S'mores anyone?).  We will be posting a wish list of items for activities and would appreciate your gifts and packages.

Even more important than the stuff, we want children at our camp to hear your voices.  Please join our camp event on Facebook and lend your words of encouragement to our campers.  Feel free to post written, audio, or voice messages for us to share around the campfire (and LCD projector).  Maybe as you help us to share the largeness of the world with our students, you will learn a little bit more about its depth yourself.

Check back here regularly as we post updates about our camp planning process, bios of camp staff, and also pictures and updates from the camp itself.  Mettu Camp G²LOW kicks off June 29^th and continues until July 5^th.  We hope to see you there!