Thoughts on Development

I’ve been thinking a lot about development practices – what works, what doesn’t, and how the Peace Corps fits in. At one point in particular, I remember feeling incredibly cynical. I was heading to our technical training after 3 months at site, not having done any real work. I’d been doing surveys/research and studying Pulaar, and I’d recently been told that you don’t learn all that much at technical training. Why was I here then? My language wasn’t coming along very quickly and it didn’t seem feasible that I’d be able to start any significant sustainable projects.  I kept wondering why they were paying a fresh college grad from the US, with no real knowledge, to teach the Senegalese how to sell things in their own villages. It seemed like a lot of wasted energy, when, to do the same thing, the Peace Corps could simply train Senegalese who already speak the language and know the culture. They’d be creating jobs, and they wouldn’t have to spend all that money on plane tickets, language training, and regional houses. It felt a little bit “white savior” – a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in the Peace Corps. That’s the last thing we want to be, but it’s easy to start thinking about the ways we perpetuate it.
                The Peace Corps has 3 goals (paraphrased below):
1)      To help developing countries who request help meet their need for trained workers.
-This goal covers all our primary work. Any time I teach anyone about business, or a health volunteer trains people on malaria prevention. Any technical training counts under this goal, and it’s what we tend to focus on.
        2)  To teach Senegalese about American culture.
- Any time we do a cultural event – like teaching how to cook an American dish, or celebrating an American holiday, this counts as goal 2.
        3)  To teach Americans about Senegalese culture.
- I actually report this blog on my “VRF” (a form we fill out every 6 months to show what we’ve been doing) because it contributes to goal 3. If I went back to America on vacation, I could actually get a vacation day back by giving a talk at a local school about Senegal and the Peace Corps.
A lot of volunteers  start to feel cynical about their goal 1 work at some point during service. It’s really hard to start long lasting projects that actually make a difference. Even before joining the Peace Corps, lots of people warn you, you’re not going to save the world. You’re not even going to save a village. You’ll do a few helpful projects and be on your way. And when we get frustrated with our goal 1 work, we always remind each other about goals 2 and 3. I also think that beyond goals 2 and 3, one of the best externalities of the Peace Corps is the volunteers that go home having learned about development. We have a lot to offer to businesses and nonprofits back home who are looking to do similar work. And of course, we can share with friends and family how to be culturally sensitive – something American seems to be needing right now.
There’s also a lot that I love about the Peace Corps approach to development.
-          It’s all about cultural integration. We learn the local language, and everything we can about the culture. We try not to make assumptions.
-          Projects need to be started, and motivated by community members, not us. We’re not here to tell the Senegalese what is best for them. We’re just here to help if they ask.
-          We focus on making the projects sustainable. For any grant to get funded, we have to explain how the project will continue once we’re gone. We also have to write this in our VRF every 6 months.
-          We stay for 2 years – longer than most similar programs from other countries. 2 years doesn’t seem long enough, but at least it’s enough to get a few significant projects off the ground. 2 Spanish volunteers actually came to Fanaye through a program very similar to the Peace Corps, but only for 3 months.  I adored them (despite feeling a little territorial…) – they were very motivated and genuinely cared about the culture of Fanaye. But it was quite a challenge for them to start any projects that would last. They did a great job for the time they had, but this reminded me that it’s a completely different thing to volunteer for a summer vs 2 years. I’m proud to be putting in the time to actually start something…. Now let’s hope I actually do.

So all in all, I’m currently OK with my role in development as a Peace Corps volunteer. It is a source of stress sometimes though when I think about how my Senegalese friends must see me. “This white girl showed up claiming to be able to help us… but what has she done in 6 months? … not much.” But I always remind myself how impressed everyone is that I’m learning Pulaar, and they seem to love me here. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be so kind. The best thing I can do is turn this doubt into motivation. I can’t wait to be able to hand off projects to my replacement in 2 years, and hopefully see their impact continue beyond that. 

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