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!