People Ask “Why did you join the Peace Corps.”

Years ago as I was filling out the Peace Corps application all I knew was that I had always wanted to join the Peace Corps, beyond that I couldn’t express why. Never did make it through that application process. Two years ago at age 58 I did finish the application process and receive my invitation to serve in the Peace Corps I still couldn’t answer the question “Why.” Today I think I can.

Recently a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer said he joined the Peace Corps to become a better person. As most of us I too struggle with the good and evil within myself. After 25 years in the business world my good self could use a good pep talk along with some new points of references. The Peace Corps was guaranteed to do that. It will be interesting going home and testing out my new perspective. Since I am still in the changing phase I only have some idea what those new perspectives are.

A lot of reasons for joining the Peace Corps have to do with my nature. My hopes and dreams never did match my father’s advice to me in high school which was to take shorthand so that I could have a skill to support myself in case something happened in my marriage. With this advice my future looked grim. Luckily I did not take his advice. My life goals, successes and dreams have never been motivated by money or security. As an Aquarian my thoughts tend to first go locally than globally.

I came to Mali my vision of what I wanted to do was to tap into the community organizing skills I used in the 70’s when we organized the community by starting a food coop, a woman’s clinic, and a day care. A lot of that organizing time was just hanging out with people in the community. Meetings only happened when an idea arose that was worth while following through on. I gave a lot and got a lot during this time.

The same goes with having foster children. Having foster children gave me an extended family with outreach into the community. The kids were and are amazing every single one of them. There is a moment I remember with my daughter that I will never forget, she thanked me for having foster children and said it enriched her life. She put into words things that sometimes I have a hard time saying. Again as in my community work in the 70’s I gave a lot and got a lot.

The times of organizing the community and having foster children were the times when the good in me shone through, times of meeting and working with great people. Before coming to Mali I had no idea that these skills would transfer to being a Peace Corps volunteer. Even in the beginning as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa I was skeptical that with cultural and language barriers the skills I learned doing community organizing and raising foster children might not get anything done.

Luckily I was wrong. Koro my Malian counter part and I networked from Ghana to the Ivory Coast to Segou and Bamako in Mali. We met great people saw their work and even received some help along the way. We learned about their production, skills and marketing programs. Koro and I became the best of friends. We met each other’s families and have become family to each other over the last two years.

Meeting members of the community here in Koutiala, Mali and participating in activities such as the Collective des Femme a Koutiala, the Union of Associations of Artisans of Koutiala (UAAK), and the twenty five professional associations that are members of the UAAK have given me endless resources and projects to work on. My host family where I live has been welcoming and supportive.. There are so many others I can’t list them all.

Now with less than a week here in Mali I can say I did tap into my community organizing skills. The Bogolan Association has new products, new production skills and new math skills to further develop their business. Many artisans have attended literacy classes, the women’s association has acquired the skills to start a soap production business, and recycling has been introduced with the skills to make some products out of the recycled material as an incentive.

Peace Corps offered great support in the way of technical training, language classes, medical coverage and the encouragement to be a part of the community where we live. And because of this there are so many friends that I will be taking back to America in my heart never to be forgotten. What a gift.