We are all in this fight together
To get to an HIV-free generation, work must be done now.
Meet some of the people who make my Peace Corps service so special! First and foremost, nke dimbaya (my family), the Kamaras. Without the incredible family I live with here in The Gambia, my service would not be as rewarding as it is today. My family does everything they can to make The Gambia feel like home and my younger brothers make it impossible to make it through an entire day without laughing or cracking a smile.
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Peace Corps Namibia Volunteer Andrew works closely with local business, Karakulia Weavers, teaching them how to market their one of a kind hand woven rugs.
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“…I can’t believe they expect me to leave this place!” - Peace Corps Fiji Volunteer Elizabeth.
Meeting with my A2empowerment group. These are girls who have received a scholarship to continue studying. Tonight we meet and talked about our goals and how we can accomplish them. Madina said “work as hard as you can, and then work harder.” My girls are inspiring and always positive. They are the best part of my week.
That time I sat down for a full 45-minute class about the letter U with a first grader wearing a bear costume.
Volunteer Nikole in Peace Corps Senegal rallied the women of her village to transplant over 150 tree saplings around the perimeter of their garden. Every single woman from the village showed up and Nikole took the opportunity to discuss the importance of trees to the environment, and the importance of vegetable gardening to a nutritious diet and healthy lifestyle.
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Hands up if you think mango season is the best season!
Peace Corps Costa Rica Volunteer Amanda has a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Club to get kids in her community interested in science and the arts. In this photo, they’re learning how to weave! Amanda loves weaving and enjoys the opportunity to impart her knowledge to her students. Projects like this are also a great way of getting students involved in extracurricular activities.
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Peace Corps Armenia Volunteer Darlene with her host tatik (grandmother).
Me teaching about the materials that go into organic compost and digging and filling our compost pit with help from the students at Si, A La Vida (a non profit that works with at risk youth and developmentally disabled youth)
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“This photo was taken on my last morning at my training site in Indonesia. I shared this magical sunrise with a friend from a nearby village. This photo serves as a reminder of the wonderful times I had there and of the possibilities that lie ahead.”
These fantastic women are my cousin (Uma) and our neighbor (Juna), who were good friends growing up and who studied together in elementary school, dancing and enjoying the Teej celebrations at our local mundir (temple) a few months ago!
Preparing for graduation is a lot of work. There’s so much food to cook and usually this work is left to the female teachers and students. Male teachers will stop by to chat but many were never taught how to cook as children. One of the temporary teachers, Simon, stopped by and it took me by surprise when he sat down and started peeling the small mountain of onions. With him there, other male students took notice and started helping as well.
Simon is lucky because his mother taught him how to cook. We need role models like Simon for boys to see that men are capable of doing “woman’s work”. It seems like when we talk about gender equality we focus too much on woman/girls and not enough on men/boys. The fight for equality cannot be won with just one side fighting. This requires both sides to come together and work towards a better future.
Tupo pamoja (We are together)