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National Peace Corps Association > News > Community News > Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Samoa, Tanzania
Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Samoa, Tanzania
By JoAnna Haugen on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
BOTSWANA
In early 2009, environmental educator Bronwyn Mitchell (94-96) became the executive director of the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE). The organization promotes environmental awareness by working with teachers, nature center employees, grantors and business people. MAEOE recently moved into the EnviroCenter, a completely green office building that reflects the organization’s mission and values. Mitchell’s background includes work on wetlands issues in Botswana, American Samoa and Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Nancy E. Glass (90-91) helped launch Pigs for Peace through the nonprofit organization Great Lakes Restoration in 2008. It is a microfinance program for women based on pigs instead of actual cash. The concept of the program is this: When someone makes a $50 donation, Pigs for Peach loans a pig to a Congolese family and provides a pen, veterinary support, mating opportunities and education about pig farming. Eventually the family will give two piglets back to Pigs for Peace—one from each of the first two litters. The other piglets are kept as meat or sold for money. Beyond the scope of the basic microfinance program, Pigs for Peace also provides support and education to the families regarding health, rape prevention and gender equity. The money raised from the pigs is used to plant new crops, raise other livestock, access clean water, purchase mosquito nets, finance businesses and pay for school fees.
ETHIOPIA
Michael McCaskey (65-67) has been the chairman and CEO of the Chicago Bears since 1999. He is also actively involved with the Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago (ECAC), a non-profit charitable organization that serves the cultural, psychological and socioeconomic needs of refugees and immigrants in and around metropolitan Chicago. McCaskey has helped start computer training and education programs for ECAC. He has also raised funds to get computers into classrooms and kick start an entrepreneurship training seminar.
GUATEMALA
Allyson Snell (06-08) has been hired as a Peace Corps recruiter for New Hampshire and Massachusetts’ North Shore. She earned her master’s degree in international community economic development from Southern New Hampshire University.
KYRGYZSTAN
Lorenzo Buchanan (07-09) recently joined the West Virginia Dance Company and performed with the company in its annual fall concert. He was hired by the company while serving overseas as a Peace Corps volunteer.
MALI
During her Peace Corps service, Nicole Warren (94-96) was introduced to midwifery, and upon return from her service, she pursued training in nursing, midwifery and public health. In 2002, she became a nurse-midwife, and though she struggled with some aspects of the job, she recognized that the auxiliary midwives (matrones) she’d met in Mali had significantly less training and support than she did. As a result, in 2006, Warren formed Mali Midwives, an organization to support matrones in Mali in receiving continuing education. The pilot project of the organization, which occurred in 2009, was a continuing education event for matrones in Koutiala, Mali. In addition to managing Mali Midwives, Warren is an assistant professor in the department of community public health at the John Hopkins University School of Nursing.
SAMOA
Laura Hanks has collected a variety of medical supplies and clothing to send to those affected by the tsunami that recently hit Samoa and neighboring islands. She is currently a pre-medical student at the University of Virginia.
TANZANIA
Since returning from her Peace Corps service, Mary Batterman has been busy raising funds to help the village she served in, Kilolo, Tanzania. The most recent project on the books for the Kilolo Village Fund is the building of a house at the health center for the local nurse. Batterman has been speaking to community groups about her experience and collecting donations for this and future projects for the fund.
Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo is a very beatuiful picture.