![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mindleaps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Screen-Shot-2018-10-02-at-8.24.28-PM-224x300.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This particular class was a room of twenty Rwandan girls, ages 13 to 19, who come from vulnerable families living in the slums of Kigali. They are students at MindLeaps where I began teaching classes this past spring.<\/p>\n
Thanks to the generosity of the Alice Rowan Swanson fellowship grant program awarded through Students for International Training (SIT)<\/a>, I was able to launch a comprehensive sexuality curriculum for MindLeaps, which was piloted for four months with a group of twenty Rwandan girls. The program emphasizes confidence building and communication skills, putting youth at the center of their sexual health and giving them the tools and confidence to make healthy, informed choices.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fast forward to one of our last classes and the feel of the class is markedly different. We\u2019re exploring communication techniques and I\u2019m trying to teach \u201cI Messages\u201d (statements like \u201cI feel angry when you ___\u201d rather than \u201cI hate you! You\u2019re a horrible human!\u201d) using role play scenarios. The first role play hilariously got the girls out of their comfort zone as it required one actor to pretend to be a six-year-old child who was constantly getting into their older sibling\u2019s things and the older sibling had to communicate their feelings about it. The following role play depicted a young woman asking her mother for money to buy sanitary pads for the first time. The girls responded beautifully with statements like, \u201cMom, this feels embarrassing for me to say, but I really need money to buy pads,\u201d and the mother responding in kind, \u201cThank you for coming to me; let\u2019s talk about your period so you know what to expect.\u201d Another role play was where one partner shared that they like the other person, but that person has to respond that they\u2019re not interested in pursuing a relationship. This was also delivered using \u201cI Messages\u201d and went something like this:<\/p>\n Person 1: Hey, I like you! You\u2019re real cute!<\/p>\n Person 2: That\u2019s really sweet, but I\u2019m not interested in being your girlfriend.<\/p>\n Person 1: What? Why??<\/p>\n Person 2: I\u2019m just not ready for a relationship right now. How about we just be friends?<\/p>\n Person 1: Ok, that\u2019s cool.<\/p>\n [They walk off, arm in arm.]<\/p>\n For such generally shy, tight-lipped girls, the forwardness of their role-plays and the strength of their statements were really powerful to witness. The students admitted that these conversations would definitely be harder with actual mothers and actual boys, but they\u2019ve practiced saying the words, and the statements themselves are normalized\u2014these are awesome steps.<\/p>\n Other highlights from our nine weeks together included a gender equality game, where relay teams competed in tasks stereotypically considered \u201cwomen\u2019s work.\u201d We all had several laughs when we got the boys to try the same tasks, but the game was an effective way to jumpstart a discussion on gender equity and stereotypes.<\/p>\n Another highlight was seeing the increasing boldness of student questions. Through the anonymous \u201cQuestion Box\u201d, where students have a chance after each class to ask an anonymous question about sexual health, I was asked the radical-for-Rwanda question of \u201cHow can I enjoy sex without having children?\u201d and the tricky question of \u201cWhat happens when a boy impregnates you and then starts yelling at you?\u201d These were invaluable opportunities to promote open communication, discussion of family planning, and long-term goal setting\u2014all critical values of the program.<\/p>\n In August, we had the honor of showcasing the program to the famous Misty Copeland, the first African American woman to become a Principal Dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. MindLeaps hosted a celebration day, where participants used dance, painting, poetry, and theater to reflect on what they had learned in the program. One student presented her artwork, which depicted two women\u2014one doing stereotypical \u201cwoman\u2019s work\u201d and the other working on a computer and pursuing a career. She explained that it\u2019s important for women to have the chance to pursue their dreams and create a future for themselves. Other girls painted adult versions of themselves as leaders, professional dancers, and doctors\u2014indicating that they\u2019re thinking about their futures and how their sexual health choices can impact those futures.<\/p>\n At the end of the celebration day, we presented certificates to each participant and a reusable menstrual pad kit, provided by Days for Girls<\/a> and made by local Rwandan women. The partnership with Days for Girls provides our vulnerable girls with an invaluable resource. The high cost and embarrassment of buying pads present challenges for consistent good menstrual hygiene, particularly for families living in poverty.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mindleaps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Screen-Shot-2018-10-02-at-8.30.29-PM-300x114.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mindleaps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Screen-Shot-2018-10-02-at-8.51.09-PM-300x111.png\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mindleaps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Screen-Shot-2018-10-02-at-8.38.25-PM-300x198.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n