This past week, all of the volunteers in country and several volunteers from Togo, Niger, The Gambia, Mali and Burkina Faso gathered at the Thies training center to participate in the West-African All-Volunteer Conference and share best management practices from the field. Volunteers had the opportunity to present individual sessions, participate in workshops and round-table discussions, and see a few of the “appropriate technologies” that have been introduced to aid in development efforts. As a new volunteer, it was a fantastic opportunity to hear about many of the current projects, what made them successful or not, and pick people’s brains from around the country. I must say, after weeks of sitting at site, not knowing what to do or how to begin, it was an extremely refreshing and motivating experience. I attended a workshop on grant-writing in the Peace Corps, a discussion on GIS use in the field, various smaller sessions on project sustainability and environmental management, and learned a bit about projects outside my sector such as literacy and sanitation.
Some of the more interesting points I brought away included how to collaborate with NGOs and use multimedia as tools both in and out of the field. I will make sure to write a more in-depth post on development from a PCVs perspective, but I can definitely see an expanded use of technology in the Peace Corps network to start building a base of institutional memory and improve or streamline training sessions. For instance, volunteers have started using video and audio clips to help refresh technical skills of volunteers and train counterparts while carrying out a project or aid in communication when language barriers present a problem. Many volunteers now have radio shows that are pre-recorded and edited in collaborations at regional houses or in local cities, and digital on-line dictionaries help volunteers keep up-to-date on local language terminology. Every year, it becomes easier for more volunteers to have internet at site due to the proliferation of cell keys for laptops, and netbooks increase the portability and ease of that information. Most of the larger, more successful projects are conducted by volunteer cross-sector collaborations, so the benefits of easy communication, documentation and resources are clear. Some volunteers believe that having access to technology at site impedes community integration, but I believe that if utilized with an awareness of the culture and individual community, it will continue to be a beneficial tool to aid in development work.
But enough of that rant. I am currently in IST; our stage in-service technical training. We spend two weeks at the center specifically concentration on technical skills and project development, so when I go back to the village, I will really have more of the knowledge and ability to start small projects and begin to build my credibility as a knowledgeable community member. I am motivated to learn about cross-sector projects and how to integrate knowledge from different areas to really get everything you can out of a project. If I spend a lot of time and effort growing and installing a live fence, for instance, what will the benefits be in terms of vegetables grown in the garden and how will that benefit the village in the long term? A quick training on healthy diets, for instance, would encourage the villagers to consume some of those vegetables rather than selling them all for profit, or a marketing lesson would allow them to sell some vegetables at a higher profit and allow them to buy materials to make an even more successful garden in future years.
While all this is occurring in Senegal, it is the holiday season back in the States. So happy shopping people! I can’t believe that this time last year I was preparing for finals, planning ski trips and bundled up in blankets and jackets. It’s still hot here. That’s what happens when you live in the dessert in Africa. Not that I should have to ask for this, but make sure you all take plenty of snowy pictures for me! I’m pretty sure that a few good magazine spreads of ski pictures will end up in my hut before the end of the winter.
Oh, and PS: Happy Hannukah!
~E
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