"What did you think about the Career Panel today?" I asked Sibongile, one of my Young Women's Group members from Linokong High School. "'Me Limpho, what can I say?!" she exclaimed, uncharacteristically at a loss for words. "'Me Pontso was so incredible, Madam! That woman... It's like she has awoken the dragon inside of me!" she laughed excitedly. Sibongile's motivation was music to my ears... On only the second day of Camp GLOW, she'd already found what I'd been trying to give her for the past two years: a belief that her future is full of possibility.
Sibongile has an all-too-typical story for Lesotho: a double orphan whose only living relative, her grandmother, passed away this past February. Now she gets shuffled around to whichever community members are willing and able to feed her. She wouldn't have been in school this year, but for my insistence that the Principal suspend her school fees until I could get her a sponsorship through Peace Corps. Yet she's a bright girl; dedicated to her studies and constantly laughing. She's been a staple of my Young Women's Group since the very first meeting, and I knew that she needed Camp GLOW more than most.
When Pontso Ts’oeunyane stood up in front of the crowd of girls on the second day of camp, I knew she’d be able to hit the mark I'd been missing. Besides being beautiful, young, boisterously funny, and a proud Mosotho woman, Ponts'o is also incredibly well-educated and philanthropically-driven. As a sociologist at the Ministry of Education and Training, she works on government support programs that help orphans, like Sibongile, get an education. And this year we were blessed to have her join our Counseling Staff at the 2014 Camp GLOW for northern Lesotho!
During our Career Panel of Basotho Women, Pontso told a story with a language, vernacular, and history that was relatable to the campers. Pontso spoke about struggling through school; not always being the most brilliant student, but always the most driven. She described bravely standing up to her father when he told her not to study Sociology, and the pressure she still feels to get married. In two years, she hopes to begin pursuing her PhD… It will be the culmination of a dream that began when she was Sibongile’s age.
When Pontso finished, the roaring applause in the assembly hall was overwhelming. I caught Sibongile’s eye in the crowd; with a wink, she told me that she’d found what we’d come here for: a story with an ending she could envision. What I represent as a role model is often unattainable to my students, so I feel grateful to the Basotho women, like Pontso, who made Camp GLOW “real” for my girls. In the end, it was all too true… When Sibongile hugged Pontso goodbye and boarded the taxi back out to our rural village, she seemed transformed. She was literally glowing.
With Love from Lesotho… –Mary E.
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