The Role of Microfinance
By Helene Dudley Peace Corps taught me to be comfortable in a diverse and interesting world. It taught me not to just tolerate differences but to embrace them. Peace Corps also taught me to care what happens in other countries, so when Colombia led the planet in murders, kidnapping and internal displacement 20 years ago, I joined Colombia RPCVs to seek a way to help – to really help – not just prayers and good wishes and a check, but to actually DO something. At an April 2000 meeting of displaced people, lawyers and social workers in Bogota, we learned
How Creativity Blossoms During Service Words and Photos by Alexandra Tracy
Never before in my life have I gotten to work so closely and so often with many artisans, indigenous crafters, seamstresses, and entrepreneurs. My Peace Corps volunteer service encouraged me to work with all sorts of people, but little did I know that my creative left-sided brain would kick-in full speed. I’m very grateful that I had the time and space to allow my creativity to bloom, especially to find and connect with my innovative entrepreneurial spirit. The following is a spotlight on a couple of projects I started, collaborated on, or supported along that ignited my creative side. Carnival
Talleres Por la Paz
By Maya Cross (CII-8, 2016-2019) This project began because of a friendship between Maya, a young Peace Corps Volunteer and Katy, a dedicated Colombian mother. Their connection was based on a shared dream: a dream of a town in peace. A dream of a town where children would feel listened to and safe to be their authentic selves. A dream of a town where adults would value the unique talents of every child and empower them to become the leaders of the future. That dream was the basis of what would become, Talleres por la Paz. If Talleres Por la
The Video Beam Project: An Early Success
Among the in-country projects funded by Friends of Colombia last year was the local purchase of 12 video beam projectors for PCVs to use in the field. No more old-style movie projectors! PCVs can now go higher-tech by checking out the available video beam projectors for use in classrooms, conference sites and other gathering places. This grant was managed by the ICT4D Committee in Peace Corps Colombia by Alyssa Galik and Maya Cross. We currently have distributed projectors to three geographical hubs (Barranquilla, Santo Tomas and Fundacion). Volunteers from two programs—Community Economic Development (CED) and Practical English for Success (PES)
New Opportunities for FUNDACION, Thanks to Partnersips
by Helene Dudley (Colombia-65) and Andrew Koch (CII-9) In Fundacion, it is all about the partnerships. Yarmila Altamar, a 46 year old single mother and entrepreneur created La Olla Milagrosa in 2015 to serve an impoverished Fundacion community. In November, 2016, when Andrew Koch, a Community and Economic Development Peace Corps Volunteer arrived on the scene, she was already looking for a way to make Olla’s services sustainable. As part of Peace Corps training, Andrew participated in an October presentation about TCP Global’s micro-loan program, which provides a funding stream for effective grassroots organizations like Olla Milagrosa. He connected Yarmila with
TEFL Immersion at Maureen Orth Foundation
by Michael Owen (CII-6) Serving as an education volunteer through the Peace Corps has its challenges, along with its perks. Last week (October 10th-14th), three current Peace Corps volunteers in Colombia had the chance to experience one of these said perks. PCV’s Alexandra Reed, Michelle DiIeso, and Michael Owen were given the unique opportunity to collaborate with both the Marina Orth Foundation and RPCV’s who served in Colombia during the 1960’s on a weeklong English Immersion experience for over 100 local teachers in the city of El Carmen de Viboral. This was the first time that the Peace Corps had
From Cartagena to Tena: How Peace Corps Service Opens Doors
by Katlin Decker (CII-4) Before I even applied to Peace Corps and graduate school, I remember hearing many people say how Peace Corps would open doors. I became a PC Masters International student back in 2011 because combining a graduate program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and PC service in an English teaching program seemed like an ideal step in my career path in the field of English language instruction. Without a doubt this combination has indeed opened doors for me, such as the opportunity to develop the English language program at a new university in Ecuador.
Small Change Makes a Big Difference
by Ashley Huebscher (CII-5) While finishing my teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I was invited to serve in Peace Corps Colombia. Joining the rapidly growing community of other volunteers who bravely ventured off into the world to serve a higher cause, I left with just two suitcases not knowing yet where this bold decision would lead me. My primary project was entitled Teaching English for Livelihoods which took me on an incredible life journey that has impacted me in ways I would have never expected. I learned valuable lessons about teaching and working with diverse constituents, about joining
Opening Night of my Exhibition in Brooklyn
by Sarah Shaw (CII-5) A few weeks ago, I boarded a Concord Coach bus in Portland, carrying a black portfolio filled with two years of drawings, photographs and plans to install my first solo show at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. It seemed almost surreal to hold two years of work in my hands. Thinking about those countless hours spent researching, sketching, drawing, and coloring, while trying to avoid drops of sweat from splattering on the pages, made me realize how they had become such an integral part of my experience in Colombia. At the end of January, when one
Adopting a “Cógela Suave” Attitude
-by Kelsey Minten (CII-4) The effects of two years living in Barranquilla, Colombia don’t fade easily. That’s what I’m learning almost a year and a half after returning from Peace Corps service and settling into my new life in New York City. The Puerto Rican or Dominican Spanish I hear on the subway floats just as naturally into my ears as el español costeño. The exorbitant prices for tropical fruits in my grocery store don’t stop me from buying a mango every once in awhile. The salsa music roaring from cars on street corners in my East Harlem neighborhood in the summer makes