How am I going to set up a program that actually helps the people in my village in Guinea?
Today at school, I met the Africa Regional Director for Peace Corps, Henry McKoy. An RPCV and I were able to ask him a few questions about setting up PC placements and he had some very interesting responses. To begin, Charley (RPCV Tanzania) and I asked him how PC assesses the needs of a community before they send a volunteer there. Mr. McKoy said that PC meets mostly with big-wig gov't officials to assess the needs, and because PC is invited into a country, they can't do much more. A single two-week session of meetings with the Foreign Minister and the Ministers of Agriculture or Education or whatever, and PC is good to go.
So, we concluded that PC does not really do any type of research about the needs of a community. I followed up with a question about training volunteers to do accurate needs assessments once they get to their site. He said that volunteers are taught to do an "informal" needs assessments when they get to site, whatever that means. He gave me some examples and told some good stories, but he really didn't convince Charley or I that PC focuses on the real people and not only the government's wishes.
I was somewhat surprised the PC doesn't focus more on finding the true needs of the community or at least rigorously training a volunteer to do so. I mean, do government officials in Guinea know what things their constituents actually need? I was reminded by Charley afterwards that PC is political - involving both the US and the foreign gov't heavily. I guess I just always try to put that fact out of my head. I really want to set up projects that address the actual felt needs of my community, and I am not really sure I will be able to do that.
Sometimes when I start to overthink it all, I just have to say to myself "Forget it, Amy. Just go over to Guinea and have a good time."
It's Friday - I am not going to think about it anymore. I am going to finish up work, go to the Peace Corps event at 4 (which I will hopefully write more about), and then start the weekend!
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3 comments:
Thats somthing that I've heard alot recently from RPCVs i know... "Just have a good time, don't get your hopes up with that 'impact on the community' bit". Kind of depressing, no?
Wow, I really thought there was more site involvement than that. And I've also heard the same kind of thing--"the volunteers who go out to change the world get burnt out" and the like. But, on the other, happier hand, I've heard a lot of success stories too. Maybe not on the level of changing the community, but helping a few people--I mean, you guys are in SED, if you help a group of women figure out how to market their crafts and make money, that kind of thing stays and spreads. I'm doing helath, I can't believe absolutely no one will plant a garden or start boiling water. So small scale, not hopeless.
Can you two remind me of this once we get to our sites? I tend to form high expectations of myself and I think I will be prone to this PCV burnout we are talking about.
Isn't it sad that even important PC people like Henry McKoy don't expect any more of us?
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