Camper Selection

Choosing which kids we want to invite to camp is a very difficult process.  Each volunteer works with hundreds, if not thousands, of students in their towns, yet we can only bring two each to camp.  In order to get the most return from the experience, we look for children who have strong English-language skills, leadership qualities, and the motivation to share what they learned with their communities when they return home.

For this camp, we decided to use a standardized selection process to ensure fairness.  First, interested students submit a written application, and then are interviewed by Peace Corps volunteers and school directors.  PCV Eric "George" Woodbury in Sebeta shares his experience selecting campers below:

Picking students to attend was a difficult task. To add objectivity, I asked PCV Gilliane McShane of Tullubollo fame to come and interview with me. I knew student academic performance from class, but we were looking for well-rounded candidates with leadership potential. Meeting someone new in an interview was a clue as to how they would embrace the camp experience.

Of course, the student who listed me as his “role model” in his written application was tough to overlook. But, I only had one vote. The School Director knew the kids best and cast tiebreakers. He did agree that we should take a 7^th grader who was the most active in the English Club. Rewarding effort is part of American culture that we are trying to instill here.

What struck me was how little the students had traveled outside their village of perhaps 5,000. We picked one student who had spent two months in Addis Abeba last summer. He is a solid student and very outgoing. We had to consider downside risk- we didn’t want anyone getting homesick.

I was also taken by the preferred vocations of the candidates. Almost all wanted to be a doctor or a teacher in order to help others. No one talked about gaining wealth. One girl said she wanted to break the gender stereotype and be a butcher- she is our alternate candidate.

When I announced who was picked there was not one complaint! The students all seemed genuinely happy for the ones selected. What a breath of fresh air! In the Northeast U.S., parents might interrogate you about why their student wasn't selected. There is a lot of respect for teachers and elders (which I love!) here, and I think that may be a good thing. It was a very positive experience for all.  

Camp and Your Taxes

Camp Finance Officer Ashley Moulder elaborates on the grant writing process Peace Corps volunteers undergo to secure funding for camp: 

So, as anyone who's ever run a camp or other event knows, these awesome fun filled days take money. Now, as I have yet to find the money tree (blasted map reading skills), we have to get our funds for camp from a different source.

The majority of our funds come from something called a VAST grant. These grants can be used for a variety of different things, but we use them mostly for camp. Grant money has to come from somewhere, and ours come from PEPFAR funds.

PEPFAR stands for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and was started by President Bush in 2003 and renewed in 2008. The current structure of the program has countries forming partnerships with PEPFAR agencies to prevent and treat HIV/ AIDS. While the majority of the funds go to providing treatment, our camp is one of the ways PEPFAR helps to prevent AIDS.

Because of this funding, our camp has to have 51% of our programming aimed at achieving the PEPFAR goals and objectives. This means our camp focuses on life skills and AIDS prevention. But, as we focus on these very serious topics, we are also very serious about having fun.

One of the ways we meet our PEPFAR obligations is through gender empowerment and youth leadership programs. This is another avenue where we find support. Though often not monetary in nature, organizations and communities throughout the country provide invaluable resources and support. This helps to keep the actual costs of camp down.

Ethiopia has one if the largest numbers of nonprofit and aid organizations working within its borders in Africa. Out here in the western part of the country, we have lots of regional offices for UN agencies and other organizations.  All of these help to support our camp through donated time, training resources, and expertise. Sometimes they also donate materials for the different sessions.

Perhaps the most valuable resource for camp is our partnership organizations. This year, we are lucky enough to have two partners for camp - Mettu College of Teachers' Education and Mettu University. The college has agreed to provide the space where we will host the camp, and the University had agreed to provide the necessary materials to house the campers for the week. Both institutions have offered the use of their staff and vehicles.

Finally, we are lucky enough to have friends and family from all around the world who donate materials for us to use at camp.

As complex as this all sounds, we are able to do so much with only a small amount of money.  Last year’s camp cost about $5,000 and we expect this year’s week-long camp for 30 students to run the American tax payers $6,000 via PEPFAR.

Without all of these different partners helping us, we wouldn't be able to put on such an amazing, fun, and educational event.  We will do everything we can to make sure your investment in Ethiopia’s children pays off.