An Unexpected Journey

DISCLAIMER: The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps. Talk to any Peace Corps volunteer and the word "sustainable" is bound to come up a more than once.  We are always looking for ways to make the work we do transferable to others, who we hope will continue with its upkeep after our departure.  One of the reasons I joined Peace Corps was to get more of an understanding of good (international) development work.  I was excited to be placed at my current site because it focuses on development work and is in a place where I can network more of my skills to a broader audience with a large NGO presence.  It was my most ideal volunteer situation because I was coming to do exactly what I had set out to learn. As you know, it took me awhile to get into my volunteer groove.  The main reason being burnout, yes, but I also needed to take extra time to really assess the situation.  Dev...

During the first week in May, I was at an HIV conference in Lusaka, Zambia.  Volunteers from Botswana, Cameroon, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Swaziland, South Africa, and Zambia came together to further discuss the HIV impact in their countries of service.  This conference had some of the most engaging sessions of my Peace Corps service and covered topics from gender based violence to understanding the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). I had no idea what I was getting myself into by attending this conference and had even prepared myself for the worst, but my expectations were blown away.  Most of the information we learned was new, relevant and could be applied to what current volunteers are already doing in their communities. I had not been doing any HIV-related activities because I was not sure what to do or how to even get started with any idea.  This conference gave me the confidence to share basic HIV information and to be ...