Gem Sa Bopp - Young Women's Empowerment Camp

Year: 2015
Country: Senegal
Project Status: Funded
Impact Sector: Education
Project Investment: $798.23

Project Launch:

Started in 2011, Gem Sa Bopp is a six day young women's empowerment camp in Senegal. This year’s camp will target 50 low-income young women between the ages of 14 and 17 who are at risk of dropping out of school due to financial struggles, household obligations, and early marriage. The camp provides these young women a safe, nurturing, and supportive space to engage with strong and positive Senegalese female role models. Within this environment, they are able to discuss a variety of topics ranging from gender equality, human rights, career goal development, health issues, environmental stewardship, and financial literacy, as well as engage in activities such as beach cleanups, menstrual health lessons, and a career panel. Gem Sa Bopp aims to promote and foster positive self-worth, self-efficacy, leadership, and female empowerment among its participants.

Project Update

The camp was a success! 50 young women came together for six days to learn about topics including personal financial management, women’s health, sexual education, environmental issues, and human rights. The camp provided an open and safe forum for discussion since for many of the campers, this was the first time they were able to discuss these topics and receive information from a specialist. After the camp, the campers went back to their villages and held talks about the environment, imparted their new sexual health knowledge to their friends and families, and gained Senegalese mentors that are committed to helping each young woman achieve her personal, academic and professional goals.

Testimonials

"Camp energizes girls to continue to pursue their education and become more active participants in their community. Many of the girls involved in camp in past years still mention the impact of participating in such an activity." - Aby, Project Leader

"I liked all of the group discussions. I felt brave and comfortable in discussions." - Senyi, 14, Project Participant 

"I have my period now but never had anything to help me during that time. The sage femme was my favorite presenter because I was never permitted to talk about anything relating to my period or sex or relationships before but I wanted to ask questions and was given that opportunity during this presentation." - Penda, 16, Project Participant 

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