Celebrating International Women’s Day!

 

Last week was International Women’s Day. I would have posted this earlier but for the past two weeks we have been having serious power and internet issues in Niger, so I am just getting it up now!

Since we didn’t have a grand opening celebration for the Girls at Risk school back when it opened this fall, we decided to throw a “grand opening-ish” party on International Women’s Day! We invited friends, teammates, dignitaries, television and print media crews and of course the girls and their parents! We set up a bunch of displays as well showing all the different activities the girls had been involved in, as well as had the girls themselves set up showing off some of their skills in person while they worked on projects.

A table set up outside showing off their sewing successes!

The official program lasted about an hour. That is, after we waited for the very late Mayor of the community to arrive. But he DID come and I think that encouraged all the parents and girls to see that kind of recognition. Every last moment was also taped for the local tv station.

Official speeches

Paul’s shade hangar was up and was so great that the local chief even wanted to buy it or “borrow it” for his own special events!

Don’t I look totally relaxed giving interviews to the TV station? Yah right.

Actually I am not at all afraid of public speaking, but I am also just as content to stay behind the scenes!

The next night the whole event was on TV. Yes, I mean our WHOLE event made the nightly news. We had a full hour dedicated to our school and the whole program, including the skits, was broadcast all around the country. WOW! Can you imagine that kind of coverage back home in Canada? It was great exposure for the program!

As part of the official program each group of girls also choose one skit to perform for the open house. The morning class chose a health related topic and

re-enacted teaching someone to make an oral rehydration solution when they are sick. They did great!

 

The afternoon class chose to go with a moral theme skit, and to look at honesty. The decided to re-enact the story of “The boy who cried Wolf” They had everyone in the place laughing their heads off! Check it out in the video below!

One of the things that the girls really enjoyed was getting all dressed up. I think they look beautiful every Wednesday, but they came out in their finest for this celebration! After it was all over we had so much fun taking pictures and enjoying time with the girls. This was the first time that both classes were present at the same time and it was a lot of fun. Check out some of these great pictures, and then at the bottom there are new updated whole class photos!

 

 

Morning Class

Afternoon class