Sunrises and the Sex-talk

Our adventures continued as we trekked up the mountain behind our house for a little sunrise action. The mountain, which those without an imagination might call a large hill, is scattered with massive boulders. Tucked in between the rocks are little tin-roof houses with mud walls and bright blue doors.

We finally reached the top of the mountain to see an amazing sunrise. Lauren called her family to greet them from the mountaintop.

Right behind the "sunrise rock" is a school called Emmatsi, where we were greeted by a mass of students whispering, "mzungu, how are you?, how are you?"

After shaking about 50 little hands, we parted the sea of children to greet John, the principal. To make a long story shorter, we arranged to come back the next day to give the dreaded period talk with the teenage girls at the school. It is a common problem here that girls cannot get sanitary supplies during their periods. They either use rags or stay home from school. The boys in their classes are aware of their dilemma, and offer them pads in exchange for sex. Our talk included basic female anatomy, hygiene, and the dangers of unprotected sex. At the end the girls all stood and took an oath that they would respect themselves and their bodies, that they would not accept pads for sex, and that they would finish secondary school (high school).

Since Lauren is such a stellar seamstress, we also gave all the girls cloth, reusable maxi pads she had sewn. The pads have a waterproof back and removable inserts. They should last the girls 3ish years. To add a little rainbow to that sunshine, the pads are also pink and green and fun colors like that :)

Another great day in this land I love!

Jessie

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