The Great Debate

     What is community development? What is the goal of a Peace Corps Volunteer? What are we supposed to be doing here after all?
     This is something that we discuss frequently in our PCV circles. Officially, the PC would respond by saying that we have 3 goals:

• Helping people in interested countries to meet their need for trained men and women.
• Helping to promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
• Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

     But what does that all mean? How does that play out practically? Okay, admittedly, goals 2 and 3 are a little easier to define than goal 1. So for goal 1, what exactly are those trained men and women supposed to do?  And how the heck do you make it -the million dollar word- sustainable? What really is development?       For me as complicated as it can be, it's also very simple... I'm doing what I can to become a community member just like I would be back home, to actively share what I can, no matter how large or small that may seem. Sometimes I feel that as PCVs, we get caught up in the “Big Project syndrome”. We want to make the “Big Impact”. We want to solve the waste management issue, or bring in piped water for the first time, or eradicate illiteracy. So we come in, full throttle ready to use our skills.
     But why did I join the PC? Was it to make that Big Impact? Was it to be someone's hero? To inflate my ego? Or did I join the PC simply because it was the right thing to do? Because even if I'm not able to “make a difference” it's worth my best shot anyway. Plus, even if I don't have anything to offer them, surely the people here have loads to teach me. And that should be life everywhere, right? People living together, sharing, and learning from one another?
      Days before leaving the States, I had a conversation with my current PC supervisor in which she asked me what I hoped to accomplish while serving in Jamaica. I told her that for me, I just want to live and operate in a community (preferably a small one :)) in such a way that the community starts to see me as one of them. I hope to be happy with simply being part of a community -a positive and active part-, but just a part nonetheless. So my goal, isn't to eradicate illiteracy, or solve the waste management issue, or bring in piped water for the first time -surely all noble feats. But rather, my hope is that when there's a party in town, people expect to see us there, or that when they have leftover vegetables on their farm, they send them our way, or they don't look at us funny when we join the local shop debate on who should win Digicel Rising Stars this year, because they assume we've been watching it too.
     Besides, PCVs all across the world can tell of development projects that turned out to be a complete waste of energy and resources, many of which were even done by other PCVs. They weren't sustainable; natural disasters took a toll; the people who did care, left, etc. So then what really matters anyway?
Ann, one of our favorite PC staff, has been working with PCJ for a number of years. She once told us that the most sustainable thing she ever saw done was when an adult police officer wanted to do a safety lesson with Jamaican PCVs all because of the impact a former PCV had on him as a child. Which would lead me to argue that the most sustainable thing we'll ever do here has nothing to do with what we build, create, or bring in. It's the relationships we make.
     So I don't want to get caught up in this Big Project Syndrome. I mean, don't get me wrong. I don't view these two years as simply a vacation, if that's what you're thinking. Nor do I have any problems whatsoever with having real goals. And if while we're here, some of those Big Projects happen to fall into place, well so be it. We can feel great about that too. I just want to be perfectly content if, even despite my best efforts, the only person who has changed as a result of my Peace Corps service is me.

PCJ 103

Okay here's some more info on how things are broken down here in PCJ world:

• There's currently about about 85 PVCs currently serving on island.
•  35 of us are from g81. We all came in March 2010 and will finish our tour about May 2012. (For those of you who are keeping track, it's true. We've already lost 4 people from the orginal 39 that arrived 6 months ago. A sad and difficult reality of PCJ.)
• About 25-30 g80ers. They're here March 2009-May 2011.
• About 14 PCRVs. Peace Corps Response Volunteers. These guys have served as a PCV previously, and as such are able to work as a PCRV. PCRVs serve much shorter terms, and thus their 'assignments' tend to reflect this. Many PCRVs in Jamaica are looking at a 6 month tour (4 days of which was training).
• The other 5 or so are a random mix. Basically they consist of PCVs who have extended or transferred from another post.

     These PCVs are quite literally spread across the island from Negril to Port Antonio. Some PCVs live and work in a small bush community like ourselves, while others work in rather large tourist cities such as Ochi or Negril. This means that even within the same country, PCVs can have a VERY different experience than someone who might be located just a couple hours away.
     In PCJ world, most PCVs are assigned to work with/alongside an organization. For example, our good friend lives in a larger community in St. Ann, but is assigned to work with a residential deaf school within her community. As a result, her daily work looks very different than what Matt and I experience here in Accompong. We tend to operate and work in the way which seems to be the more traditional PC experience. The 'organization' we work with is the Accompong Maroon Council, the governing body of Accompong Town. They don't have an office, or a daily schedule. We don't have to report into anybody regularly (more because of the tone we've set for ourselves, than anything else). We can go to anyone on the council if we have questions, or need their support or something, and somctimes they'll suggest things they would like us to work on. But for the most part we spend our time mostly just living in our community and doing what we can to better it.

     And really, isn't that what we all should be doing everywhere? Just living within, and AS PART of our community -that's usually where many Americans seem to miss the mark-, and doing our share to better it?

ABC (Accompong Bicycling Club)

       Imagine whizzing down a hill on a bicycle, helmetless, at 35 miles an hour, dodging potholes and broken pavement with just enough loosely strewn gravel on the road surface to function as tiny ball-bearings just yearning to grease your tires out from underneath you while simultaneously, crazed taxi men in their white Toyota Corollas come flying around the inside of every other corner regardless of which side of the road it's on, constantly leaning on their horns as warning. When you need to shift gears (if you even have that capability), you stop your bike by dragging the bottom of your feet on the ground Flintstones style because more than likely you have no working brakes, and then pick up a small wedge-shaped rock and jam it in your derailleur to keep it in the proper spot for the gear that you want. You've now begun to get a small picture of what bicycling in rural Jamaica can be.

       Over the past few weeks, partially because of the inspiration offered by Julie's new Peace Corps bicycle and my (Matt's) interest in riding, regardless of how many damn hills there are, several of the local boys have begun to show some interest in getting together and riding with me beyond the limits of Accompong and out into the countryside and to neighboring villages. Many, many people here in Jamaica bicycle, but it's almost invariably men. Just the other morning I was out for an early ride and passed over 20 other guys riding their bicycles, probably all farmers going to their fields. Most of the boys who have shown some interest in getting out and riding have their own bikes, the quality of which I'll touch on later, and have been out riding some long before I came on the scene. I'm beginning to develop the embryonic idea of creating something a little more formal, like a bicycle club, ABC.


       The biggest hurdle to getting kids out on a regular basis here is the quality of the bikes, or lack thereof. Most of the bikes here are the cheapest Chinese junk available on the market, super low-quality with parts breaking constantly. Tires are another issue, most are bald, patched, taped and pieced together remnants. The ones that are worn all the way through to the tube have another segment of tire cut and spliced into them, and as a result go thump-thump-thump-thump-thump as they turn. Patch kits are unheard of. On the flipside, these kids and adults are so good at getting by with so little that they are ingenious at solving these issues (never would I think to jam a small rock in my deraullier to keep it in the right gear) with the materials at hand (enough to make David Helmer in Alaska proud, the King of Improvisation). So when I get out and ride with these guys, invariably some problem turns up that we stop and deal with, eventually continuing on our way.

       The area immediately surrounding Accompong is very hilly, with road grades that would make a mountain goat think twice. Accompong is at the top of the hill, so regardless of which direction we ride we invariably start out riding downhill when we are fresh and have the long hard climbs coming home when we are tired. And the heat... I used to get by with simply carrying water, but here the heat just eats you up and causes you to sweat out everything quickly. As a result I carry a homemade version of Gatorade... watered down Kool-Aid with table salt and baking soda added in an attempt to replenish electrolytes loss.

       Our longest ride yet has about 20 miles, with a degree of difficulty of 7.7 :) I'd like to eventually get the point where we can ride to the Treasure Beach, about 40 miles away, spend the next day swimming and eating, camp over night and then ride home the following day. Whooppee! Bicycling in Jamaica!

alphabet soup

Peace Corps posts worldwide provide different opportunities for volunteers to participate on a variety of committees. The major ones in Jamaica are VAC, PSN, and SPA.

Matt already blogged about VAC, Volunteer Advisory Council. In Jamaica, VAC consists of an executive board of 4 PCVs. These positions are chosen by the other PCVs on island through an election. VAC bridges the gap that often occurs between PCVs and PC staff. They try their best to represent us and advocate for our issues. This summer Matt was elected for VAC, and as a result has numerous other responsibilities outside of our community.

PSN stands for Peer Support Network. PSN exists to provide support for PCVs as they face the inevitable struggles that come with PC service. About 1/3 of PCVs are chosen for PSN, and are subsequently trained to create a strong support system.

Okay, enough about Matt, PSN, and VAC. Let's talk about something more important: Julie...and SPA. SPA stands for Small Project Assistance.

“The Small Project Assistance (SPA) Program provides support for small-scale, community grants....The program is a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Peace Corps.”

Basically, through USAID, and thus SPA, PCVs are able to apply for small grants to help fund projects they are working on. As we all would assume, resources and money are pretty scarce in the developing world. This can cause quite the roadblock for many development workers, including PCVs. SPA provides a direct link to USAID funds that are specifically set aside for PC.

Now, PCVs don't just snap their fingers, and BAM! money is available. As with any grant, they still have to write a proposal, get approval, fill out the proper paperwork, and oversee monitoring and reporting of their SPA project -among some other nitty gritty details...gotta love grants.

In Jamaica, we have a SPA committee that currently consists of a few staff members and 6 PCVs. The committee exists to decide what projects should be chosen for funding, and to provide support to Jamaican PCVs during the SPA process.

Needless to say, Julie was psyched to be chosen to sit on the committee. What a great opportunity to learn more about the interworkings of international development while playing a role in PCV projects islandwide!