PCV 4 June 2010

Brief Project Description:
End-of-Year Activities for CEG Pénessoulou English Club and Girls’ Club
Each Wednesday afternoon, the members of the CEG English Club meet together with the Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) and another English teacher to improve their English speaking, reading, and writing skills and to learn about Anglophone culture. The club has fifteen regular members – eight boys and seven girls – and twenty-five students have attended at least one meeting.
Over the course of the year, the club has written and performed short skits in English, read Scholastic News articles and other texts, played games, sung songs, and trained for the school-wide spelling bee held in March. The winners of the school bee – a male student in fourth form and a female student in fifth form – will continue on to the national bee in Natitingou in July. The group has also begun a correspondence with junior high school students in America.
Participation in the club motivates students to improve their English language skills and to succeed in school. Club advisors have observed significant improvements in all club members’ English skills throughout the year. At the club’s inception, most students struggled to recite the English alphabet; now most spell basic English words aloud with ease. Many club members participate more actively and confidently in English class; their grades and work ethic have improved noticeably. English Club participation also encourages gender equality as male and female students participate in the club equally, and club activities – texts, songs, etc. – often touch upon themes of gender sensitivity and gender norms across cultures.

The CEG Girls’ Club, “Les Filles Leaders,” also meets Wednesday afternoons with the PCV advisor. Over 50 female students have attended at least one meeting; roughly 25 girls are regular members. Club activities have included question-and-answer sessions about reproductive health with a local midwife and RCH PCVs; discussions about self-confidence, strong decision-making, and future aspirations; presentations of skits about sexual harassment in schools and healthy relationships; arts and crafts; and games and sports.

Participation in the club teaches girls important life lessons, encourages their self-esteem, and motivates them to become leaders and positive role models. Through its activities and its members, the girls’ club promotes a strong message of girls’ empowerment and gender equality in the school and greater community.
Funds are requested to finance end-of-year activities for both the CEG English Club and Girls’ Club.
Firstly, funds are requested to provide T-shirts at reduced cost for the English Club. The t-shirts feature a photo of the group after the school spelling bee. They will reward club members for their participation, display the club’s accomplishments, and encourage members to continue to improve their English language skills. The shirts will also encourage other students to participate in club activities next year. (The Girls’ Club purchased t-shirts with the help of a GAD Small Projects grant earlier this year for their performance in the CEG’s Cultural Days.)
Funds are also requested to finance an end-of-year celebration for the English and Girls’ Clubs. The clubs will celebrate the end of the academic and club year together on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 with a dodgeball game and small party. Funds will be used to purchase balls for the game as well as juice and snacks for all participants.
The following week, from July 13th-15th, 2010, members from both clubs will collaborate to create a mural emphasizing the importance of universal education at the CEG. In the foreground, the mural will depict a male and a female secondary school student hand-in-hand holding their books (in brown, black, blue, and green). In the background, with a red cross striking though, the mural will show a young boy laboring in the fields and a young girl on her way to market (in black, brown, blue, green, red, and yellow). Above the figures, the mural will read “CEG [site name]: Tous les enfants à l’école” in green. In smaller lettering below, the message will be translated into English “All Children to School.” The Peace Corps logo will appear in the bottom right corner of the mural. The base of the mural will be white.
Members of the Girls’ Club chose the mural’s theme, and the image was designed by a female student who is a member of both clubs. The mural will be painted by male and female members of the English and Girls’ Clubs, with the assistance of PCVs. On July 13th, students will clean the painting space and paint the white background. On July 14th, the student who designed the mural, with the help of PCVs, will chalk the design and outline it in paint. On July 15th, students will complete the painting of the mural.

It is hoped that this mural will encourage all students, male and female, to continue their studies, as well as to motivate parents and members of the community to send all children to school at both the primary and secondary school levels. School enrollment in [post] decreases steadily from one promotion to the next, especially among female students. This mural will illustrate the importance of education for all children and will hopefully have a positive influence on community attitudes and actions. The painting of the mural will also be an occasion for motivated students of both genders to come together to work toward a common goal.
All of these end-of-year activities will serve to conclude an exciting, productive year for the CEG English and Girls’ Clubs. These activities will reward students for their year of active participation in the clubs and encourage them to continue their involvement in the future. They will also promote community awareness of the clubs and motivate other students to participate in the clubs in the future.

Dates of Project: End-of-Year Celebration & Game, July 7th, 2010;
Mural painting, July 13th-15th, 2010
(Club Activities: October 2009-July 2010)

Number of People Involved: The English Club has fifteen regular members – eight boys and seven girls. They have participated throughout the year by attending weekly meetings and competing in the school spelling bee. They will each receive a t-shirt and participate in the celebration and the dodgeball game. Several will also participate in the design and execution of the mural project.

The Girls’ Club has twenty-five regular members. They have participated throughout the year by attending weekly meetings, performing skits at the CEG’s Cultural Days, and traveling to Bassila for a celebration of International Women’s Day. Girls will attend the celebration and play in the dodgeball game against the English Club. Several will participate in the design and execution of the mural project.

The CEG English Club is organized by one female PCV and her work partner, a male English teacher at the CEG. The Girls’ Club is also organized by the PCV. A female PCV from Bassila will also assist in the execution of the mural project.

Participants:
8 male secondary school students
32 female secondary school students
1 male English teacher
2 female PCVs

Budget:

Item Number Unit Price Cost
T shirts 15 1.000 CFA 15.000 CFA
Dodgeballs 10 600 CFA 6.000 CFA
Juice for celebration 40 50 CFA 2.000 CFA
Snacks for celebration 40 100 CFA 4.000 CFA
4 kg White paint 1 7.500 CFA 7.500 CFA
1 kg Black paint 1 2.100 CFA 2.100 CFA
1 kg Brown paint 1 2.100 CFA 2.100 CFA
1 kg Red paint 1 2.100 CFA 2.100 CFA
1L gasoline 3 500 CFA 1.500 CFA
Number 2 paint brush 2 300 CFA 600 CFA
Number 1 paint brush 3 200 CFA 600 CFA
Pure water 30 25 CFA 750 CFA
Total Cost 44.250 CFA

Amount Requested: 44.250 CFA

Comments

GAD Coordinator: Technically, there are several projects here. But, since the PCV is COSing in early August, I think we can let it slide, as they are all related to each other. The English club sounds fantastic, and I’m so glad there is an HCN teacher involved. My concern for the girls’ club is same as for other pcv’s – where is the sustainability if there isn’t an HCN woman involved? The party sounds like a great way to reward the students’ work this year, however, and I love the mural idea. Recommend funding.

GAD Finance: It sounds like the PCV has had a busy and productive year! The PCV mentioned that all of the English club members have shown significant improvement in English throughout the school year. In the future, would it be possible to collect data on the club members’ grades? I think it would encourage other PCVs to start English clubs by showing measurable data on the positive outcomes. Anyway, the age breakdown of participants should also be included. Recommend funding.

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