More Obama and Baby Mamas

Election Night 2012 … in Panama (November 6, 2012)

Just me and my mountain view. It’s a foggy evening with a cool breeze and a slight drizzle inching its way in across my backyard valley. I have a newly adopted white dog at my feet and a curious cat trying to pounce at my typing fingers. The canine adoption was his idea, not mine. Good thing the rice in the bottom of the pot sufficed for all.

It’s an evening like any other, well in some senses. Today is Election Day in the United States. Many of my neighbors have asked me my political preferences, as if they couldn't guess. Republicans in Peace Corps are quite the minority. Unfortunately, a combination of distance and confusion as to my home of reference has left me without my absentee vote. Believe me, it feels pretty awful to be serving, representing and employed by the U.S. government and not be able to have a voice in a presidential election. Either way, I just pray whoever wins can live up to the performance of Martin Sheen in the West Wing. (don’t ask, I finally gave in and allowed myself to watch american tv shows on my computer at night and, in the world of a PCV, the 2001 series is quite addictive.)

In Panama, it’s a day like any other. Another one of my students is pregnant. That’s three this year. Three that have dropped out of school at the age of 15 or 16 to become young mothers. To be clear, I am not condemning young motherhood, nor am I assuming that these young women may not one day return to school to finish their studies. This scenario is actually not too uncommon in rural Panamanian families that support their daughters with 24/7 childcare to allow them to work and attend college. I can only be bothered by the facts; early pregnancy is a very real contributor to the poverty cycle, and that there will be difficult obstacles for these young ladies to finish high school or advance their education. I spoke with the girls’ teacher today about these heartbreaking realities and she referenced a seminar I did with two other volunteers in their class in July. She said she thought the lessons we taught would have sunk in. She looked away and shook her head regretfully.

The seminar we facilitated is called Elige Tu Vida* or Choose Your Life and focuses first on values and goal setting, and then moves into sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and information about the risks of early pregnancy. We even did a pretty thorough condom demonstration complete with a skit about all the ways NOT to open or store a condom (opening one with a machete is a big no-no by the way!). I can’t imagine a school in the states whose curriculum includes Christian religious education would also allow condom demonstrations. Panama, however, seems to take a more liberal or perhaps more realistic view on religious doctrine and social issues, such as HIV infections and teen pregnancy.

I spoke with a friend of the most recent of the expecting mothers to drop-out today. I asked her why, if this young lady is so intelligent and has so much potential, would she not protect herself from early pregnancy. The response I received was bleak. “She knew,” the friend remarked, “she didn't protect herself because the man asked her not to.” She told me the guy had told her it felt better that way (without a condom) in so many words.  I immediately felt sick to my stomach. I knew that based on statistics that this “muchacho” wouldn't stick around to support his girlfriend and her future child based on both their ages and lack of incomes. This situation would inevitably affect the likelihood that the mother would be able to rise above her circumstances and the poverty level.  Then, I had another thought. I had hoped that the education and empowerment we had tried to impart in the seminar would have made an impact. I guess I idealistically clung to the assumption that we, as volunteers, had made a difference.

Sitting with 3 of this girl’s female classmates who quietly read books with me in the school library amid the frequent buzzing of their cell phones signaling new texts from friends and boyfriends, I silently pondered; maybe we had made a difference. The young woman to my left loves horror novels and is a very talented artist. She has many hopeful ideas about what her future as a professional holds. Across the table sits the rowdy loud-mouth with the booming laughter who is determined to be a nurse. She says that no man will keep her from going dancing, and that she doesn't want to start a family until she turns 25. And finally, the girl seated on my right, the oldest of 6 brothers and sisters, has just enrolled in the university 2 hours from home. She will be studying accounting starting in February of next year and hopes to one day help her family run an eco-tourism business.  

These three young women give me hope. Even with so many obstacles stacked against them, they remain focused on personal successes, on studying hard, and they are all waiting to become mothers. They are a support to each other. Despite this glimpse of hope, I also wish I could do more to support them and reinforce these positive choices. Maybe just by being their friend, talking about their concerns, their dreams and modeling what a woman can achieve by not dropping out or having a baby too young I am doing a small part. I hope they know they have options. I hope they, and they alone, choose their life.   

One positive work-related development has been that we are currently planning an environmental youth leadership camp planned for next February based on the Project, Management and Leadership seminars Peace Corps Panama facilitates with each round of volunteers and their respective adult counterparts. My goal is to give participating youth the leadership skills and tools to help them form an effective environmental youth group. The youth group will not only engage in exciting conservation and experiential education, but will also build self-confidence and provide a sense of belonging among peers with shared values. The seminar will also involve adult community leaders who will act as mentors to these proactive teens throughout the camp and in future activities. With help from the students, I have written a grant to cover the costs of the seminar, and if selected, the seminar will be funded by USAID’s Small Project Assistance (SPA) program. This program provides small grants (usually under $5,000) for qualifying projects from Peace Corps Volunteers and their communities.  

If all goes according to plan, we will be holding the leadership camp in a beautiful mountain reserve in the heart of the Azuero Peninsula, a reserve famous for being the headwaters of the Rio La Villa, the most important river in the region. Farther down this same river sits our community, where the watershed is threatened by heavy deforestation. The environmental leadership seminar therefore will allow students to make connections about the conservation efforts occurring at different points along the river and be inspired to take action. It will also provide an impressive setting for recreation and bonding among group members. We hope to leave the seminar with completed mission and vision statements, as well as a plan of action to begin group activities towards concrete objectives.

It’s still raining and time feels to sluggishly crawl along. But in reality, my service is rushing by…

Here’s to hoping more states start turning blue on the tiny map on my cell phone screen…

Here’s to hoping we’re making a difference in Panama.

*Elige Tu Vida is an initiative of the Gender and Development (GAD) group of Peace Corps Panama, to learn more check us out on facebook or read about our work in the La Vaina Peace Corps Panama Newspaper available on the Friends of Peace Corps Panama website http://www.panamapcv.net/

Students learn proper condom use to prevent
 HIV infection and unwanted early pregnancy

making SMART goals for the future
(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Sensitive)

The "Baby Game" teaches that being a teen daddy isn't so fun...
Watch out for that crazy gringa baby momma! 

fact of fiction - demystifying sexual health  myths

The Graduates of Elige Tu Vida Seminar from El Cedro