Peace Corps Approach to Development

A very interesting thing happened the other day at training. We were asked what the Peace Corps’ philosophy was. Not surprisingly, no one could really answer it. Our trainers then questioned why we all dedicated two years of our lives to an organization we didn’t know the philosophy of. The Peace Corps must be doing something right I guess…Thus we delved into the Peace Corps’ approach to development:

“If you are planning for a year, sow rice.

If you are planning for a decade, plant a tree.

If you are planning for a lifetime, educate people” – Chinese Proverb

Okay so now we have an organization that based their philosophy on a Chinese Proverb…just wait.

To often we just sow the rice. We do what needs to be done in that moment however, where is the long-term effects in that. You come to Africa for two years, work in a field sowing rice for the village and the village eats. What happens when you leave though? What about planting trees, they last longer and will still be there after you leave in two years. But will they survive without you there? So now you are thinking: educate people, that’s the key! Well sure it is, but if you only educate people, they wont have rice. So what do you do? This is what the Peace Corps questioned, answered, and has been doing since its formation.

The History of Development
            Development today is referred to very commonly as a “buzzword”. In other words, it is very difficult to define yet everyone understands it, many people study and work for it, and if you throw it around enough you may get some grant money here and there. But still, what really is it, how did it become what it is today, and how does the Peace Corps see it?

Immediately following the end of World War II Europe was in shambles, there was little infrastructure that had survived the war. Money was given to the European nations to rebuild and thus became the blueprint for development. However, and important thing to note in this initial situation though is that the people receiving and using the money were smart and educated people. Anyway, this led to the 50s being the era of modernization not just in Europe but all over the world. Money was pumped into countries and foreign lands in order to make them more accessible and bring them up to speed with the rest of the world. In the 60s though it was realized that there was no way to keep up all this new infrastructure if no one knew how to maintain it. Couple this with the fallings of European colonialism and you have a nation strongly dependent on someone for engagement in the affairs needed to run everything. This is just a fancy way of saying this was the age of dependency because it provided strong incentives for some kind of government engagement. Some nations came out higher and lower than others and in the 70s we saw the World Systems Theory come to the fore of international relations. Here the world was divided into what we know today as the first world/third world/ and occasionally second world.  Now the world knew where to put their “development” money into however the quality of life of many people still was not improving. Thus in the 80s the goal was an ultimate reduction in poverty and an increase in the quality of life of the targeted people/population/location. But still the question remained: How will we know that the quality of life has improved, that if we leave the situation will remain better than it was when we left, that what we did mattered or changed a life? The period we are in now is how to make development quantifiable. We see the emergence of many international indicators such as the Human Development Index. Throughout all this change though, Peace Corps’ approach to development has remained the same: they work to the people, for the people, through the people, with the people, empowering the people for development. The point of all the previous ramble though was because if it wasn’t for the initial developments in the 50s 60s and 70s with regards to what they believed was development, the Peace Corps would not be able to do their job. With out the unkept roads, the minimal but still available access to clean water, spotty electricity, and rundown/worn out buildings, Peace Corps volunteers would not be able to get to or live in the communities they are currently serving around the world.

More formally put, the Peace Corps approach to development is to “Help people develop the capacity to use their own resources and skills to resolve their needs and improve their own lives.” They accomplish this through 7 techniques:

People-to-people: Focusing on people, not things

Process=product: HOW we get from A to B is just as important as getting to B

Bottom-Up: People defining their own development agenda

Long Term Vision: No quick fixes or temporary solutions

Participatory & Inclusive: Everyone has a voice and owns the process

Capacity Building: The greatest resource is the human one

Sustainability: ”A process whereby people learn to build on their strengths in order to take charge of their own lives and to address their expressed needs.”

So where do I fit in with all of this? The Peace Corps has three goals. The first one is “helping the people in interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.” The specific role of a volunteer is a very unique one. Actually the role of a Peace Corps one is. While volunteers all over the world do wonderful things, there is no other organization in the world that makes the volunteer become part of the community they are serving. By integrating into the places they are living and serving, a Peace Corps Volunteer plays multiple roles including a mentor, co-planner, co-facilitator, co-trainer, change agent, and even learner (also another word for student). They are the agents in finding a common ground between their assignment as a PCV, the national priorities of the host country, and the local priorities of the host community. This “volunteer card” also allows one to connect groups, people, communities, etc. who may have otherwise never been brought together. Integration into your community brings trust and naivety of current community dynamics presents a unique opportunity to try something ground breaking.

In a public service announcement from the 1960’s John F Kennedy said that joining the Peace Corps was the most important thing you can do for your country. With that being said, the Peace Corps is also supported by many more people than the military is. It has enough bi-partisan support in Congress to keep it alive however its budget has flat-lined. That budget that provides able-bodied Americans for thousands of communities all over the world, promoting American values, changing lives, opening eyes to opportunities, and building relationships that are the foundation for a new global consciousness is smaller than the Marine Corps bank account. Just something to think about. 

Because I Can't Form Coherent Thoughts

Because I can’t form coherent thoughts about everything that has been going on, here are some highlights on the past week or so.

-       I can’t believe it has only been two weeks since I left home.

-       Our group (#38) is one of the largest ones Peace Corps Namibia has had. There are a wide range of ages, life experiences, and personalities here. I am the baby at 22 and there are only about 5 others that are the same age as me. Many are in their 20’s and 30’s though having graduated and had a real job before applying to the Peace Corps. There are a few even older than that as well so here is a note to all that it is never too late!

-       A typical meal consists of meat and carbs. I have never experienced people more concerned about getting enough vegetables in my life. When you don’t have them as much, you miss them and you know it. Fruit and veggies are accessible at the grocery stores but they are just more expensive, smaller in size, and not comparable to the perfection that we see in the grocery aisles of the US. That means, hardly any tomato is red red or red all the way through, all apples have some kind of spot on them, and much of the citrus isn’t the vibrant bright color you are used to. Everything is still safe to eat don’t get me wrong, it is just interesting to realize how picky shoppers in the US are.

-       Every single meal I have eaten has consisted of meat that is on the bone. They literally chop an animal up and throw it in the pot. At first I thought, wow, this is inconvenient and not a quality piece of meat obviously. Mostly I thought this because whenever I served myself I thought there was more bone than there was meat. Eventually I realized though that the point of serving meat in this way is to ensure that all edible meat is eaten. If you think about it, when you purchase chicken breast or red meat, you get a giant piece with no indication of there being a bone attached to it.  Think of all the meat that is wasted in cutting specific parts. Not to mention, cooking with the meat still on the bone adds flavor.

-       While talking about waste and consumption though I will mention that I fell in love with the coconut and cashew Cadbury bar. It tastes just like a Samoa Girl Scout cookie. Its like the best thing in the world. I have to stop myself when it comes to those.

-       Can ketchup replace marinara sauce on a pizza? Apparently because that is what I ate for lunch. And apparently that is what they do in China.

-       The baby girl in my host family Shayla has been in a snowsuit since I arrived 3 days ago. I think its funny, the other kids tell me that their mom just wants her to be warm. I do not understand.

-       My host sister Rasheeda plays with my hair for 2 hours every day when I get home from training as we watch the Disney Channel.

-       My family goes to bed at 930….It sounds really weird but with the sun going down at 6, I’m ready to go to sleep by 9.

-       I actually participated in a physical activity. Some of us walked out to a soccer field and we split up and played soccer for a few hours. I didn’t do much but when I did, I held my ground. I think for the next two months it will be a weekly thing for us.

-       I am complimented everyday on my bright and happy clothes little do they know that I just despise button downs and most professional looking clothes so I try to find a happy balance of a hot pink shirt and khakis.

-       While I do miss everyone at home terribly, I will fully admit that I love not having a cell phone or easy access to the internet. This has actually forced us to become social, get to know one another, and think outside the box on entertainment. No one is texting during a presentation, there are no phones on the table during language class, and when there is a break, we actually talk, not check our phones.

-       This inability to be on constant contact with the outside world has resulted in an interesting dynamic of all of us being really close without really knowing too much about one another. By that I mean, I do not know the life stories of many of these people but many conversations revolve around slightly more private things like body functions and guilty/bad habits. We all lived in such close contact for a week and a half that there was no point in trying to hide anything. We all would have found out eventually.

-       I am currently on malaria medication and in possession of a mosquito net. Mosquito nets I know save lives, but they are the worst things to deal with. If you know anything about me, you know about my love affair with my bed. This mosquito net is like the mom that wont let you go to bed without brushing and flossing your teeth. Its annoying as hell but in the end you know you have to do it.

-       I don’t remember if I mentioned it before but having it up does make me feel like a princess in some ways though with a flowy canopy that protects you while you sleep.

-       I am also on malaria medication to prevent contracting malaria. It’s a once a week pill that you take which has side effects that include really weird and vivid dreams. The first night I think I was psyching myself out because I kept lucid dreaming the most random disturbing things. It was like going through the scary tunnel in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. You know its fake but you don’t want to continue, but you cant stop. The other night though I had a small nightmare about my host family and woke up and literally did not know what was real and what was not. It was really freaky.

-       All this talk and prevention about malaria: Its winter here. There are no bugs out because it drops to just above freezing at night. Nothing would survive. I have only begun to see a few flies as I am expecting they are seeking refuge in buildings when the sun goes down.

-       Moral of the story: I did not bother putting my mosquito net up at my host family’s because I did not want to go through the hassle or get laughed at.

-       My English and spelling are getting worse by the day. Please be warned for when my two years are up.

-       Half the cars here are brand new and they are mostly either Nissans or Toyotas. Its really funny seeing brand new shiny cars driving around on dirt roads or through run down neighborhoods.

-       This is the theme when Dr. Justin and Kate come to Training https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNtTEibFvlQ

Just kidding, however I have now completed all my rabies, HepA & HepB, and Typhoid Fever rounds! They don't give out suckers like my pediatrician still does....Dr Justin told me it wasn't in the Peace Corps budget....

-       Here is a typical schedule of my life so far:

o   6am wake up

o   7am leave for training (or school as my host sister calls it)

o   730 arrive at training center

o   8am start (usually language)

o   10am tea time ß arguably my favorite time of the day. I don’t think I will ever go back to a life without having tea half way through my morning.

o   1030 tea time over L sessions begin again

o   1230 lunch time

o   130 resume

o   430 end day

o   5/530 maybe 6pm get home

o   6pm I begin watching TV usually the Disney Channel

o   7pm dinner time

o   730 we watch an adult show like Criminal Minds or Hawaii Five-0 as a family

o   830 go to bed when the kids go to bed because I am exhausted

o   930 host mom and dad are usually going to bed

o   10pm I am already sleeping

Host Families - Meet Your New Mommy

I must first put out a disclaimer that access to the internet has been available but having to think about something that has been a normal part of your life for so long is hard to do.  For example, if I would actually think to go to the internet café and update everyone with what is going on, I would be able to. However I most of the time end up half way there at the training center, with no computer, and hungry the next meal. I promise you though, I will be on more now that I am living with a host family.

I keep having weird bouts of anxiety about writing in this blog or keeping up with a journal because I keep feeling like I have so much to tell yet not a lot at the same time. I am constantly forgetting that I have only been here a little over a week because our days have been jam packed with so many sessions, room lock outs, card games, meals, and trips to establishments outside the hostel that I feel like I have been here for weeks. Its really just surreal and I know it is just going to get worse as I begin my life with a host family and have daily language training in Afrikaans. I think a lot of this awkward feeling comes from past People to People experiences where your life is changed in 5 or 10 days and boom you go home.

Well my life here has definitely changed and will continue changing but I will not be going home soon. That is unless you call my new hot pink room in a neighborhood called “Smarties” home. A lovely teacher couple and their three kids have opened up their home to house this blonde chick from Detroit. My host mother is a teacher by profession but is currently working in the national capital Windhoek at the ministry of education on curriculum development and my host father is a teacher at a vocational school. They speak English, a little bit of Afrikaans, and their native language, which has escaped my mind at the moment.  They have 3 kids who are 11 (boy), 6 (girl), and 7 months (girl) and they have a luxurious house. Now when you think of the Peace Corps you probably think dirty, unshowered, tree hugger who has a full homeless man beard or dead ends down to her behind. Let me tell you though, I am not nearly there (yet…) They live in a beautiful little house which is very compact, running water, electricity, wifi next week, and cable. The brand new car was parked in the garage with an electrical door, I walked into the house in the laundry room, the nanny was in the living room watching the baby, and the son was watching the Disney Channel and iCarly. I told the dad that I was prepared to live on a farm taking bucket baths and washing my clothes by hand with pre-boiled water... He just laughed and assured me I would not be doing that unless I wanted to.

I don’t really know how to describe the rest of the neighborhood though. To start, its called Smarties because all the houses look alike and are painted different bright colors like a bunch of Smarties. Adorable. While all the houses may look the same on the outside, I begin to wonder just how different they are on the inside. The road in this neighborhood is dirty, unpaved, unkept, Broken alcohol bottles litter the sides of the street where litter collects and children play. Dogs are everywhere and you cannot tell a stray one from one that has a home, they are all dirty from the sandy environment and most are pregnant. The people though are wonderful, welcoming, and friendly. Just last night as the sun was setting a few of us Peace Corps Trainees held a small yoga session on a front porch as the African sun set in the distance. Sounds like quite a Peace Corps thing, I know but there were about 10 or so kids from the surrounding houses that joined us and a few other neighbors. People stopped by to watch and laugh but then started to try it out themselves in the middle of the sandy road.  Look at us diving right into our communities.

Here is a picture of the sunset from my neighborhood and a picture of a few "Smarties" houses. 

Just a few notes about the host family situation in the Peace Crops. First of all being a host family is completely voluntary however they must have a private room with a lock on it. Most of the time this displaces other members of the family so for example I am in the little girl’s room while she bunks with her brother for the next 2 months. We were told not to feel like we were intruding if we were in a situation where there were multiple kids that shared a room now without one and sleeping in the living room.  Aside from the room with a locking door, the Peace Corps does not allow a single father to host because “we will end up doing all the work around the house.” These are the trainers’ words not mine. The family must also be a respected member of the community (i.e. a pastor, a principal, etc.) Our Peace Corps trainers told us that people in Okahandja commonly see and host many visitors because of its proximity to the capital. Many times if someone is coming from the north to go to the capital they will stop here to rest before continuing on to their duties in the capital.  While hosting is voluntary each family is compensated with gift cards and vouchers to use to purchase groceries and supplies for their Americans. Our trainers also told us that Namibians are very welcoming and so they are eager to host us because they are not able to give money to support us in their communities.

On a slightly more humorous note there was one training session where we talked about our fears and anxieties in moving in with a host family. Many people agreed that food, language, privacy, personal space, and having too many or no kids were anxieties we all shared. We didn’t know how we were going to acclimate to different food outside the hostel (which we were told we were being spoiled with. This was a surprise to many), a different living situation, and worst of all not being able to communicate any concerns we would have due to language barriers. It was s requirement that at least one member in each household had a basic understanding of conversational English however, we were still nervous. When it came to the time to meet our families, the training staff shared the fears us volunteers has as well as a compiled list of the fears that the host families had. Among their greatest fears was swearing, “wearing half naked”, bringing lovers to the house, alcohol, smoking, and my favorite anti-Christ worship. They weren’t scared that we would be lazy, closed off, quiet, they were more worried we were going to walk around with no clothes on worshiping the anti-Christ. Needless to say this made many of us feel better because it seemed like the host families were expecting a batch from the looney bin.

And Now Namibia!

Hello from Namibia! I am happy to say that I have finally made it here and I already love it. Just merely flying into South Africa those of us awake were able to witness probably the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. Since I was not sitting on that side of the plane I do not have a personal picture to share with everyone so you are just going to have to trust what my tired eyes witnessed in my sleepy state. The orange African sun beginning to bring the electric blue sky into the pitch black of space is something I don’t think any artist could give justice to.  But then again, it might have been my over exhaustion and over excitement. Anyway, speaking of over excitement, let me just put it out there that a 5 hour layover in South Africa almost destroyed my wallet and any weight limit I was already slightly over. Everything I have never seen before from necklaces to dresses to serving spoons and pillows, I wanted to buy it all. It was then that I had to remind myself that I would be living here for two years probably about 10 times so expect cool souvenirs ;)

Anyway, NAMIBIA! We embarked off the plane right into the beautiful crisp clean winter air of Windhoek. It felt like a warm spring day so like perfect and the sun was warm and there were palm trees. I instantly knew I was in a good place. It took a while for the 40 of us to get through immigration so once that was completed and all the bags were accounted for the rest of the airport was cleaned out except for the near parade route of Peace Corps staff, current Peace Corps Volunteers and whoever else may have wanted to cheer for a bunch of stinky Americans after their 36 hour travel.  We were greeted with a traditional fried dough treat which was essentially a doughnut and some juice which mind you was not the apple/grape/orange/fruit punch like in the states they also threw in mango, guava, and some other color no one really knew. Of course we inhaled it.

A majority of the group has taken on the mentality that we never know when our next meal is so when food is presented we eat it all without question so far though we have been fed really well and for some of us this whole “Peace Corps diet” thing we thought was going to happen, has not yet. Please stay tuned for the starvation chronicles.

While were on the subject of food, I am sure everyone is curios what weird food I have had to eat in the past week. The answer: nothing weird, just delicious. Maybe they are just easing us into it but while every meal is meat based with a carb and a vegetable it is generally really tasteful. The vegetable might be a slice of cucumber and tomato but everything at the hostel place so far has been homemade (because we literally watch them make it outside of our room door). The meat always tastes good, we were served hot dogs for breakfast with our toast and fried egg. I could totally get used to hot dogs. The only down side right now is no fresh fruit and the coffee is instant. I made the mistake of listening to the suggestion of only two baby scoops in my cup and I drank coffee flavored water which I desperately needed more of soon after while falling asleep during a session.

So now you are probably wondering what I am doing all day. I wish I could tell you that I am taming wild animals and enriching the minds of all the Namibian students that I have but actually right now we are going through intense medical, security, cultural, and diversity training. All these efforts are to ensure that we will be able to be the best Peace Corps Volunteer we can be while at our site further away from everything. So for example, the doctors want us to call at any hour of the day in the event of an emergency, however a broken condom is not an emergency. Okay but seriously it is useful stuff and we have an awesome medical kit that we get to take with us. I feel like I can be a certified doctor with all the medical material I have (not really though)…. Other sessions on security informed us of the most common crimes such as theft and burglary, how to prevent them, and what to do in the event that it does happen (We call security man Joey).

Oooohhh let me talk about the weather. First of all, its winter here and let me tell you this is the best winter I have ever had. It drops to like 30 at night so its like freezing and the sun goes down at about 6pm and then in the morning its slightly chilly like a cool spring morning and then it gets HOT well not like Africa in summer hot but like 70 hot so in like 4 hours the temperature jumps like 30 degrees and its crazy and I love it. Can you tell I kinda love it? Its just perfect here. I’ll describe more later but that is about it in a nut shell.