PHOTOS: Montgomery Village Native Leads Peace Corps Program In Cambodia

A Montgomery Village native and Peace Corps volunteer working in Cambodia is working to organize a program providing educational workshops on sexual health, violence against women’s bodies, and environmental issues to nearly 100 young women in that country.

Kate Marsh, along with Cambodians and seven other Peace Corps volunteers, will put together the 2nd annual Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) camp in her village.

“Our 2013 Camp GLOW will have a clear focus on providing necessary skills and mindsets for young women to: preserve their nation’s natural resources and environments; protect their bodies, make healthy choices, and understand the reality of the lack of protection given to many women’s bodies due to sexual trafficking in Cambodia; and plan concrete items for their future academic careers,” Marsh, a graduate of John Hopkins University who has been working as a education volunteer in Cambodia since July 2011, said in a statement.

The success of last year's three-day camp inspired Marsh to organize another one this year, according to a news release. A portion of the funds for the project will be raised through the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), a program that helps support Peace Corps volunteer community projects worldwide.

The local communtiy, which has strongly supported the camp, has pledged to provide housing for the participants, while local health organizations have offered to teach sessions at the camp, according to a news release.

“We recognize that as a three-day camp, the hope for long-term sustainability rests solely on our ability to effectively communicate useful and new knowledge directly related to the girl’s lives and futures,” Marsh said in a statement. “We hope that by fully involving the community, giving realistic examples, and vital skills related to health, education, and the environment, each girl will walk away with information that will inform their decision-making for the rest of their lives, and help them to become successful community members that will prevent things such as violence against women and destruction of the environment.”