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Initial support for Encore! has been provided by The UPS Foundation and The
W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
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Voices of Our Volunteers |
| ALSO CHECK HERE FOR PROFILES OF A FEW OF ENCORE!'S WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS |
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| WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT |
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5/19/08
Dear Susan,
Yesterday I joined ENCORE! -- I submitted the basic application form to work with Encore in the future. Today, I already modified my application a bit.
I also wanted to forward to you my resume, in a better format than through the comments box of the application (See attachment below).
It was such a pleasure to have located ENCORE! about 4:00 AM yesterday morning. Since an RPCV/Turkey reunion in Portland, Oregon in 2005, I've realized that RPCVs, particularly seniors with pensions and few obligations, and most of all, a lifetime of service, are a true asset. "There ought to be an organization" for using this great resource.
There are many other organizations on the web that combine the desire-to-serve, and desire-to-travel of so many, and they create pseudo, or quasi-volunteer opportunities that are really just disguised eco-tourism, at best.
What was so immediately evident with ENCORE! was the vision, mission and values statement, as well as the Founders Letter linked to the fact that it is all Peace Corps Volunteers and Staff that have created this organization. Their credibility is profound.
I am convinced that an ENCORE! assignment would be a real task, and not just make-work.
Like other RPCVs, I have no patience or interest in make believe altruism.
At that 40th reunion in 2005, I realized that this was a group of people in which I was proud to call myself a member. Today again, I am proud to have joined ENOCRE! I hope that I will have an opportunity to serve.
Thank you for what you are doing.
Sincerely,
Jack Boatright
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| Q & A WITH TERRI STIFFLER, ENCORE! VOLUNTEER, JHANSI, INDIA |
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Terri Stiffler (RPCV, Zimbabwe 99-00) worked with Development Alternatives (DA) and their holistic watershed project in villages in the Jhansi area.
The following was taken from Terri's Project Report.
E!: How were the living and working conditions?
Terri: I lived with a wonderful older Hindi couple whom I called Aunty and Uncle. I shared dinner with them and 2 other male colleagues of mine who also stayed there. Each day I walked with my colleagues one mile to the bus stop where DAs small bus picked up many of us at 8:30 a.m. each morning to the DA campus was a wonderful place to work.
E! How would you assess the overall project?
Terri: I do believe that I was able to assist the host partner to accomplish the project goals and objectives. Another program in DA asked me to forward them my work so that they could model their program after mine I was flattered.
E!: Are you glad that you went?
Terri: This program was truly a great experience allowing me to return to volunteer service in a rural area! After finishing Peace Corps many years ago, I knew I wanted to do international work, but did not think I would ever have the opportunity to actually live and work in a different culture again.
By helping the DA staff to become more structured in this project, things will, hopefully, move forward in a more organized manner and get done before the final year is completed. I do feel that true capacity-building occurred.
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| Q & A WITH DIRK VANDERLOOP, ENCORE! VOLUNTEER, JAKARTA, INDONESIA |
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Dirk Vanderloop (RPCV Malaysia 79-81)is an organizational development expert, and he was excited when he was asked to return to an area he knew well as a Peace Corps Volunteer 20 years before. Dirk helped United Way offices tasked with distributing Tsunami Response Funds.
The following was taken from his Project Report.
E!:What were some of the ways you prepared for your trip?
Dirk: At first, I was overwhelmed with thoughts of everything I could or should do to get ready. My priority list was trimmed considerably and I felt more comfortable and confident after attending the Orientation. I went to my local county Department of Public Health for immunizations. Along with all the area-specific precautions and info, the nurse suggested I get an influenza vaccination. In retrospect, this may be one of the best things I did to prepare. Staying healthy throughout the assignment was a blessing that made the experience more pleasant and allowed me to be as productive as possible.
E! How was the adjustment?
Dirk: I was surprised how my language skills came back after 22 years. In some ways, it seemed like I spoke better Bahasa than before. This may be attributed to increased age or confidence. Whatever the reason, it was a pleasure to use the language again and have it open so many doors and levels of social interaction.
E! Was there any joy or inspiration?
Dirk: At least a dozen people looked me in the eye and offered heartfelt thanks for the Aceh rebuilding efforts. The first time this occurred, I felt the need to give a detailed explanation of how the money was raised and distributed. The next time, I shortened my spiel. Finally, I realized that all these folks wanted to do was to thank someone, in person, for the generosity and remembrance of outsiders in a time of need. From then on I accepted their thanks with a simple, "You're welcome." Each one seemed relieved with this ritual.
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| Q & A WITH KEITH SUNSHINE, ENCORE! VOLUNTEER, TAMIL NADU, INDIA |
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Keith Sunshine (RPCV Senegal/Guinea 1996) is an engineer and was asked to provide capacity-building to United Way funded projects in Tamil Nadu, and in particular housing and schools that were built for victims of the tsunami.
The following was taken from Keith's Project Report.
E!: How would you assess your assignment?
Keith: I feel that I was very helpful to Sevai, Hope and UWM and that true skills transfer was accomplished. These skills will improve their capacity to manage ongoing tsunami-related and other construction projects. I also feel that I accomplished the ENCORE! goal of fostering international tolerance and understanding through living, working and sharing with the various people and communities I visited.
E!: How was your adjustment to India?
I was able to quickly learn the local greetings and enough Tamil to get by and then a little Hindi when in Mumbai. Learning the Indian culture also came quickly with many similarities to my prior Peace Corps experience and other places that I have visited and lived since. I was very comfortable with local transportation and living and working facilities. I also enjoyed the local food and eating by hand. There is no doubt that this has been a very rewarding cultural experience.
E!: What would you say gave you joy and/or inspiration?
Wow, that is a big question. Just like my original Peace Corps experience, being an ENCORE! volunteer has impacted me in ways that I can hardly describe. I was once told that when volunteering, it is often the volunteer who gains the most. This is especially true of Peace Corps and international volunteering. I have grown both technically and culturally and most importantly as a person. I will continue to grow from my ENCORE! experience as I share my experiences back home and abroad. This experience has inspired me to continue to volunteer abroad and I look very forward to continued international service.
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| Q & A WITH ROBERT LEE, ENCORE! VOLUNTEER, JAKARTA, INDONESIA |
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Bob Lee (RPCV Uzbekistan, 04-05) is an organizational development expert, and was asked to assist in the administration of the United Way's Tsunami Response Fund in their Jakarta office.
This was taken from Bob's Project Report.
E!: Were the staff ready for you to be there?
Bob: They provided extensive support from the time I cleared Customs in Jakarta and until I flew out of the country. Staff members would work late to make revisions in documents so that the new versions would be available the next day. The director's assistant set up appointments for us, and all the staff made their computers available so that we could check e-mail (although time was scarce, forcing us to restrict our time at someone's desk).
E!: Were you satisfied with your capacity-building efforts?
Bob: Yes, I think that true skills transfer and capacity-building took place. We not only had an impact on the executive director, but we also impacted board members and the staff. To his credit, the director frequently had all staff members attend our meetings so that they participated in our deliberations step by step. This was not a situation where the director would make decisions and then simply announce them to his staff.
E!: Would you recommend this experience to others?
Bob: I deeply enjoyed learning about Indonesia and its many cultures. In the States, Americans hear so much about Muslim hatreds and terrorist notions. My experience in Indonesia as in Uzbekistan reinforced my fundamental belief in the goodness of mankind.
I was evacuated from Uzbekistan as were all the PCVs. At the time, I said I wanted to have another international volunteer experience. This assignment gave me that. The problem is that now I want more and more such experiences!
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| Q & A WITH SARA FELDMAN ENCORE! VOLUNTEER, MUMBAI, INDIA |
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Sara Feldman (RPCV Micronesia 80-82) used her expertise in organizational development to assist staff at the United Way office in Mumbai, providing workshops and training in a variety of subjects.
E!: How did you hear about this volunteer opportunity?
Sara: I am a member of Microbuds, a Yahoo group for RPCVs from Micronesia. The announcement was posted there.
E!: What is one of your best memories of your time in Mumbai?
I met lots of interesting people, some at an NGO that was an hour rickshaw ride across town from UWI's office. Among other activities, this non-profit women's media group provided video cameras to women in the far north of India to document their lives and those of other women in the area. Discrimination in that part of India continues to be a huge issue. Some of the footage is then shared with local television outlets. I also found my work with three young women at the Mumbai UWI office especially rewarding.
E!: We know it takes a lot of effort (and some expense) to serve as an ENCORE! Volunteer. Was it worth it?
Sara: Definitely, and I recommend that others take advantage of future ENCORE! trips that give persons with similar interests the chance to once again apply their own professional skills overseas, where they are seriously needed and appreciated.
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| Q & A WITH DON CHAULS, ENCORE! VOLUNTEER, JAKARTA, INDONESIA |
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Don Chauls (RPCV Philipines, 62-64) has 25 years experience as a trainer-advisor, and helped United Way staff in Jakarta with the administration of their Tsunami Response Fund.
E!: How did you find out about this opportunity?
Don: General email from E!
E!: What surprised you about Indonesia?
Don: The extent to which Jakarta has grown since I was there a decade earlier. The most obvious symptoms are an unbelievable amount of construction coupled with an unbelievable amount of traffic.
E!: What is your favorite memory of the trip?
Don: Friendly people and Padang food.
E!: What is the mood of the people who experienced the tsunami, three years after the disaster?
Don: I only experienced the mood second-hand, since I never got to Aceh. It was disappointing although not overly surprising to discover that most Indonesians do not like to work with Acenese, and that organizations that had been perfectly willing for patriotic and altruistic reasons to try to help their fellow-Indonesians immediately after the tsunami hit, are now trying to end their involvement because of the many frustrations they have endured.
E!: Would you do it again? Would you recommend to others that they do it?
Don: Of course; everything about the experience was enjoyable.
E!: Any disappointments? Frustrations?
Don: Three weeks with YMM was far too short. My main frustration was not getting to Aceh. I also had an opportunity to visit the national family planning program with which I had worked for nearly a decade, and to renew friendships there. I discovered a perplexing problem directly related to the transition that Indonesia has undergone from dictatorship to democracy: family planning was a high governmental priority in the old days, but it is politically less powerful in a democracy, and the program has suffered considerably as a result.
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| Congratulations to ENCORE! on celebrating your first year anniversary! |
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12/4/06
Dear Friends at ENCORE!,
Congratulations on celebrating your first year anniversary of this promising organization. What a wonderful opportunity for returned PCVs to continue providing their skills and expertise to the needy countries that we all served; the opportunity to make a difference - again.
I for one, welcome such opportunity as a means of utilizing the skills that I took to Peace Corps, as well as the many skills that I have acquired since completing my two Peace Corps assignments. Having passed the torch from my wife and myself (my wife was a two time volunteer in Sierra Leone and Liberia as well) to our daughter (PCV in Jamaica), we both have longed for the opportunity to make a difference again. Hopefully, we will be able to satisfy that longing through your organization.
Again, congratulations and I appreciate your keeping me updated on developments within the ENCORE! arena.
Jim Alexander
RPCV Sierra Leone (1965-1968) and Liberia (1973-1975)
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| Q & A WITH JENNIFER JONES, ENCORE! VOLUNTEER, IQUITOS, PERU |
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Jennifer Jones (RPCV Dominican Republic, 02-04) volunteered for two weeks with the Association Promoting Education and Conservation in Amazonia (APECA) in Iquitos, Peru as an organizational development expert. Jennifer continues to help APECA, working with their US based counterparts.
The following is taken from Jennifer's Project Report:
E!: How would you assess your work with APECA?
Jennifer: There is no doubt that I was able to accomplish what I was asked to do during the two weeks. In fact, as I write this report, it is clear to me that we far surpassed our original goals. I was afraid that my Spanish had not survived the two-year gap between the Dominican Republic and Peru but, fortunately, the language arrived with me in Peru, intact. Once in the airport at Lima, Spanish easily and quickly became my primary language. Beyond the necessary addition of Peruvian vocabulary, I was absolutely fine.
E!: What would you say was your joy and inspiration?
Jennifer: Being an active part in global development is important to me, and it was an honor to participate in the history of an organization such as APECA. I will share my experience with classmates in my Nonprofit Leadership and Administration Masters Degree program. The lessons I have learned will stay with me throughout my career.
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| Q & A WITH PATTI BORTMAN, ENCORE! VOLUNTEER, YEREVAN, ARMENIA |
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Patti Bortman (RPCV Romania, 01-04), is a licensed clinical social worker, and traveled to Armenia for three weeks to work with Warm Hearth and Mission Armenia. Prior to her departure, Patti said: "I'm totally excited to be doing this! I never could have done it if I hadn't been a PCV. I learned that when out of my comfort zone and with things beyond my control that somehow the "universe" will provide."
The following answers are taken from Patti's Project Report.
E!: What is your overall assessment of the the project?
Patti: I think I was able to assist Friends of Warm Hearth in accomplishing the goals and objectives that are within my area of expertise as a clinical social worker. I do think that skills transfer and capacity building took place and hopefully they will be sustainable.
E!: Do you have any recommendations?
Patti: The only recommendation that comes to mind for future projects would be to provide more funding for the volunteers. I believe this is already happening in current and future projects.While I wouldn't trade this experience for the world and would do it again in a heartbeat,it was a bit of a financial strain.And I think that the expense would prevent some very qualified volunteers from serving.
E!: What impact did this experience have on you personally?
Patti: While at times it felt like I was dropped on another planet and had to hit the ground running,it was enormously satisfying to realize that I could make an impact in such a short period of time.
It also reminded me of what I loved about being a Peace Corps Volunteer-living in the moment, relying on my own internal resources, feeling a part of the world community, using the skills I have to truly make a difference . I definitely want to be able to keep having these experiences in the future. Count me in!?
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| PROFILE OF MAHLON BARASH, ENCORE! VOLUNTEER, IQUITOS, PERU |
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Mahlon Barash (RPCV, Peru 65-67), was dispatched as the first-ever ENCORE! volunteer to Iquitos, Peru, working with the Association Promoting Education and Conservation in Amazonia (APECA). Barash viewed their progress building a new staff and volunteer dormitory and other projects throughout the Loreto region of the Amazon.
As all great pioneers do, Barash encountered his share of surprises. APECA had work well underway on the dorm, even before his arrival (in fact, they were actually ahead of schedule!) The finished dorm would house APECA volunteers and researchers.
Mahlon's experience as a PCV in Peru, his subsequent employment there, and his Spanish fluency served him well. Mahlon was able to provide important capacity building support to APECA, and also, it turns out, to ENCORE! His feedback as our first volunteer out in the field helped us immeasurably.
Thank you, Mahlon!
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| RESPONSE TO ENCORE! KICK-OFF, SUMMER 2006! |
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Since debuting at the National Peace Corps Association meeting in Chicago in August 2004 more than 940 RPCVs and former Peace Corps staff members have joined the ENCORE! talent pool. We've established some terrific partnerships and are developing a diverse range of volunteer project assignments. We're also generating tremendous support and interest! Read what folks are saying:
"I am so glad that you are getting projects off the ground! Please keep me posted on future projects! I can't do these [projects] in 2006 (because I will be in Niger, West Africa, where I was a PCV), but am definitely interested for the future. I'm also going to share this with other RPCV friends."-- Pamela White (Niger, 1969-1970)
"This all sounds exciting, sort of a throwback to the heady days when we left for Peace Corps training...Once you get the volunteer bug, it's hard to cure." -- Ed Lynch (Ethiopia-Eritrea, 1963-65)
"I would love to be involved. My experience in Peace Corps shaped who I am now and what I want to be in the future." -- Sara Wehter (Lesotho, 2000-02)
"I'm very flexible, few obligations and many interests! This seems like a great idea." -- Linda Muir (Jamaica, 1993-95)
"I think that ENCORE! is a wonderful idea and I hope to be able to participate... Go for it!" -- Marlyn Klee (Cote d'Ivoire, 1962-64)
"My wife and I joined The Peace Corps after retiring in 1995. I had been an aeronautical engineer and she had been an elementary school teacher. We both taught English in Ukrainian public schools. We have traveled back to Ukraine five times since completing our Peace Corps service in 1997. We are both interested in getting involved with short term, Peace Corps type service." -- John & Tommie Soileau (Ukraine, 1995-97)
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