The 2019 North Bank Region (NBR) retreat was held at Kunta Kinteh Roots Camp, which is across the River Gambia from Kunta Kinteh Island (commonly known as James Island). We had a short Volunteer Advisory Committee (VAC), enjoyed a delicious fresh fish lunch, and some of us took a boat trip to tour the ruins on Kunta Kinteh Island.
“North Bank Best Bank” is our… ....READ MORE | 3 Comments
The 2019 Media In-Service Training (IST) was facilitated by James Dillon, Caitlyn Winders, Harry Dwinell and myself for eleven PCV attendees. The 3rd annual Media IST had a diverse group of participants, who shared their previous media experiences, and helped each other develop new skills.
The first day of the workshop was spent in the classroom covering the topics of social media ethics, storytelling techniques, still photography… ....READ MORE
Agriculture PCVs Helena Oldenbourg and Corey Bruecker facilitated the North Bank 2019 Tree Trek, and visited schools and communities to talk about the importance of trees. They came to my school in Farafenni last week, and my counterpart Jatta assisted them with their presentation to the 7th grade students. The session was held in the school garden, where the compost the students made earlier in the year, was… ....READ MORE | 1 Comment
I attended an outstanding “Men Are Partners” workshop with eight other PCVs and nine Gambians. Anna Rains, a second year Health volunteer, organized this event with Kaddy Wadda, Ousennu Gai, and Mr. Wan. Kaddy Wadda is Anna’s #1 counterpart, a farmer, and mother’s club member. Ousennu Gai is a school accountant, head of his villages water committee, and owns a bitik (a small store). Mr. Wan is a… ....READ MORE | 1 Comment
Peace Corps sent me to Rabat Morocco for dental work. Rabat is the regional hub for West African PCVs who need medical care that can’t be provided in their country of service. I needed a root canal and crown replacement, and received excellent care. Except for the time I spent in the dental chair, this adventure was like a paid vacation, with PC covering my airfare, lodging, and… ....READ MORE | 3 Comments
I attended my second All Volunteer Conference (All-Vol) in April at the Massembeh Training Center – see previous post about All-Vol 2018. One of the highlights of this event is dressing asobee fashion with PCVs from your region or site. Asobee is the tradition of wearing clothes made from the same fabric and is common for many events. Pictured above are
In April six students completed the Roots Tribe Yoga (RTY) program at my school. Visit my previous post about the RTY training and camp I attended last year, to learn more about this outstanding program for Gambian youth. The RTY program was one of the highlights of my PCV service, even though I was frustrated with all of the interruptions from the… ....READ MORE | 1 Comment
I’m finally getting around to writing about my vacation to Spain in late March – my second European trip since moving to the Eastern Hemisphere. My granddaughter was visiting a friend in Madrid and invited me to join her. I began my Spain vacation with three days in Barcelona, and finished it with a twenty-two hour layover on the the island of Gran Canaria. We spent eight days… ....READ MORE | 5 Comments
My project as an Agriculture Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa is to teach gardening and tree planting methods to students in grades seven through twelve. My school is near a large town in the North Bank Region, and not all of the students come from farming families. Many people in my area make their living as merchants, work in transportation, staff government offices, teach… ....READ MORE | 2 Comments
February was GAD (Gender and Development) month, and PCVs from each region compete to see which region has the most GAD activity points to win a monetary prize. This post will highlight some 2019 activities by PCVs throughout the country, who graciously allowed me to use their photos and commentaries.
Volunteers from all sectors – Education, Health, Agriculture – collaborate to address GAD… ....READ MORE | 1 Comment