The First Annual Women's Week - March 5 - 9, 2008

Members of the Woman's Club:
The First Annual Women’s Week Celebration was a great success. To celebrate the official International Women’s Day, the Club de Madres (Mother's Club) and I carried out a week of events, for women and by women. The recently re-formed Mother’s Club came together out of concern that there were not enough opportunities available to women of the community. The club began the year by bringing three different vocational courses to the community, offered to women free of charge. These courses included sewing, cooking, and massage. At the same time, the Mother’s Club began planning for its first annual Women’s Week.

Wednesday March 5th - Health and Justice
“La Semana de la Mujer” (Women’s Week) began with charlas (educational presentations) given about women’s health and women’s rights. The health charla was given by a local doctor of the community, Dr. Carmen Bonilla (pictured at left), and treated subjects such as basic health, how to do your own breast self-exam, the importance of regular pap smears, and more. Representatives from the official “Oficina de la Mujer” (Women’s Office) of Nagua spoke about women’s rights, particularly in relation to violence against women. There were about 45 people in attendance, and the women who attended the charla were very interested in the information and happy with the outcome.

Thursday March 6th - Recognition Night
Thursday saw our most talked-about night of the week, “La Noche de Reconocimiento” (Recognition Night). During this evening, we awarded twelve women of the community with mounted certificates for the variety of services they have contributed to the community in representation of strong and successful women. Included in the list of award recipients were: a nurse, a doctor, a political representative, teachers, cooks, a nun, and other women who represent a spirit of strength and courage. The Club de Madres insited on giving me an award as well for my work in the community. We also recognized a “Madre Ejemplar” (example mother), to award one woman for her work within the home and family, and to represent the importance of those whose work remains in the household.

Recognition night took the town by surprise. Invitees arrived not knowing what to expect, and witnessed a group of people congratulating women for their everyday work and for being themselves. The school director, a man named Radhames Alvarado, approached the microphone with a look of awe and spoke to the crowd, commenting, “We have never seen anything like this before. This is the first time we have had a night specifically dedicated to the accomplishments of women.” Other key community leaders were present and all had very positive things to say about the event and the importance of this gesture. A few women, inspired by the evening, took the microphone and, fists pumping in the air, called out their own words of inspiration or reflected on their own personal accomplishments. The night was a huge success, and people in town continued to talk about it for weeks to come.
This is Elizabeth, a nun from Mexico who lives and works in the community:
Here I am as I accept my award while struggling not to fall in my borrowed fancy shoes:
Here I am making a joke during my acceptance speech:
Friday March 7th - Adolescent Health
Friday took us to the local high school, where Peace Corps Volunteer and friend Idonah and I carried out charlas for two groups of high school girls. We touched on many important themes such as: understanding the human body, menstruation, pregnancy, birth control methods, and HIV/AIDS. This education is vital to girls of this age in the Dominican Republic, though in many cases youth do not have the opportunity to learn about these issues. Too often young girls end up having unprotected sex, many times ending in teenage pregnancy and as a result, marrying young, dropping out of school, etc.

The girls sat wide-eyed as we taught them about their own bodies and what was happening to them. Things like menstruation, pregnancy, and sex are so taboo in this country that they rarely get a decent explanation of them and are left to fend for themselves when faced with these critical events. We made learning fun for them by playing “Pin the body part on the woman”, and teaching them how to put a condom on a plantain. The “girls only” environment was beneficial as they did not have the pressure nor embarrassment of wondering what the boys were thinking, and felt comfortable asking lots of questions. (Ideology borrowed from Camp GLOW) I selected some of the girls from these groups to continue their education and training in sexual health as members of my new youth group, “Escojo Mi Vida” (I choose my life) and to be multipliers of the information so that they can give their own charlas and continue spreading this important information to youth of the community.

Saturday March 8th - International Women’s Day Celebration
After a week of lectures and informational sessions, we decided that we wanted the official “Día Internacional de la Mujer” (International Women’s Day) to be a time to celebrate and have fun. We called all women to the basketball court for an afternoon of singing, dancing, and prizes. The women were a little slow to arrive, and after seeing the mostly older crowd in attendance, we decided to skip the dance contest and stick with the entertainment portion. Club member Yinelis is well-known throughout Matancitas for her beautiful voice and sang a variety of both cover and original songs, accompanied by Daniel on the keys. Daniel and his friend Eduard also contributed to the afternoon special with songs and serenades dedicated to the women in the crowd.

We had lots of prizes, having had received donations of gifts and money to buy gifts from local community members and businesses. The number of attendees was small enough that each participant walked away with a prize. There were about 60 people at the event that afternoon. Accompanying everything were lots of refreshments and beautiful afternoon weather.

Sunday March 9th - Medical Mission
For the final day of the week, the Mother’s Club helped organize and carry out a Medical Mission. Three female doctors of the community provided their services at discounted prices to community members, with specialties in cardiology, gynecology, and pediatrics. Two of the doctors come directly from our town while the other lives in nearby Nagua. It was helpful for community members to have this mission as they not only saved money off the normal consultation and exam costs, but they were able to stay with their regular doctors. The turnout was not as high as we had hoped it would be, but many women did take advantage of their services, especially pap smears and cardiograms.

Overall the week was a huge success, and something that the Club de Madres hopes to continue for years to come.