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| CLUB VIP at the debate |
To catch you guys up a bit, I have been working with a group of students since August in a youth group called CLUB VIP. It's a youth group for specifically chosen students (thus the VIP part) that want to learn about sex-ed topics and be leaders for their communities by doing replications of certain charlas (educative sessions) to their peers. Our objectives are to create youth that have healthy lifestyles, make intelligent decisions, and are proactive. My kids learned about self-esteem, sex and gender stereotypes, STDs and HIV AIDS, and condom use (and other methods of pregnancy prevention including abstinence) while also participating in radio shows and even painting a mural. For me, this project was one of my first "good ones," and so I am very proud of my small group. In March when the new school year starts, my kids will have earned the title of "Health Promotores" as they start replicating the same charlas they once received to their fellow peers (peer education is powerful) in their schools. We also want to extend our knowledge into the community as we have the opportunity to pair up with profesionals from the hospital's own health promoters.
This year, November 25th marked International Elimination of Violence Against Womens Day for Huamachuco. Every year there is a comite that works on planning different activities in and around this day in order to better spread the word about women's violence. The comite is comprised of many profesional institutions from the community such as the local government, the school board, etc. CEM is the Emergency Women Center that also works alongside these same goals, and therefore with the rest of the comite in honoring this day. With CLUB VIP, we had a debate regarding themes of self-esteem, positive communication, and gender equity. We selected these themes because they are at the base of the problem of violence against women. Attacking the base we can make change. 
We painted hands and did handprints to signify "STOP THE VIOLENCE," we were on two television stations talking about selfesteem, and handed out a lot of flyers.
For World AIDS Day on December 1st, CLUB VIP designed and painted (well, we're still painting) a mural. On it will be different myths and statistics about HIV and AIDS. Yes, that is a superhero condom. He can fight against STDs and HIV and help protect and save your life you know. It's fun, and we sure get a lot of stares when we're painting.
So, CLUB VIP is done for this year but in March they will start promoting what they have learned by doing session replications in their high schools.
To all of you, I wish you the very best Christmas and holiday season. I am heading to my regional capital this Friday and then to Lima on Monday to spend Christmas with Oscar's family. I am very grateful for him and his support, and I am excited to get to know more of his family. I am also very grateful for my 18 months of living in Peru and 16 months of being an official Peace Corps volunteer. This time truely has flown by and I'll be home visiting before I know it! I only have 7-8 months left of my "contract" as I call it, but I am looking foward to what I can acomplish in 2015. Thanks to all of you beautiful people who have helped me along the way with letters, cards, packages, stickers, Crystal Light packets, etc. You don't know how amazing you are, and how special you are to me.
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| <3 Feliz Navidad from Oscar and I <3 |
So for 2014 that's a wrap! We'll be seeing each other soon.
With love from Peru,
Cheyenne
