My Peace Corps Projects

Chillin' at the gym with my workout buddy

When I tell people that I am in the Peace Corps, their first question is usually "what made you decide to join?" and the second question is usually "what exactly do you DO in Albania?" I often ask myself the latter, since being a volunteer in the Health Sector nowadays typically involves a fair share of creating your own job description. With so many areas in which to focus one's efforts, I feel it fun to actually share this with you all! So... What AM I doing here in Albania?? Here's a bit about some of my current "doings."

First off, I do want to preface this list by saying that being in Peace Corps is not all about being a human doing, but also existing as a human being. Simply being my genuine self as an American is one of the Peace Corps goals of service. We are to show our host country what it means to be American and to share with them the culture of the USA. We do this in all sorts of ways - having coffee and chatting, discussing different work styles with counterparts, modeling behavior in the community, and allowing people to ask us questions and really get to know us. Believe me, some days it can be quite hard to want to open up (we call that living "in the fishbowl"), but I do try my best to stay engaged with my community. That being said, there is a lot that I do DO... (can I say that? haha) Anyway, here's the list (as of this week).

At the fun and fabulous Kampi Pa Emer

0. YOUTH CAMPS - KAMPI PA EMER, OUTDOOR AMBASSADORS & GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) Although the camps are more of a summer deal, I felt that it should get top billing here, since they are simply awesome, and I am still giddy from thinking about them. I LOVE SUMMER CAMP! I went for years in my youth and have great memories of my experiences there. Working with youth is such a rewarding (and sometimes exhausting) experience, but I am definitely a fan of the camps and with working with youth! I got to be a camp counselor for the first time this summer (twice actually!), and got to lead a self-esteem workshop for some of Albania's future leaders. Since it is Fall, things are pretty quite on this front for the time being, but will pick up again shortly. I'm so excited!!! I feel each camp deserves a separate post - so keep a lookout! :-D

We're all very Zen, at Outdoor Ambassador Camp

These camps are not just for fun, but also to instill in these young adults a sense of leadership. I see so much energy and passion in their eyes as they talk about their dreams. Gathering together helps them not only speak openly about their dreams, but also see a community of other Albanians who feel the same way.

1. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, LIBRAZHD - Community Health Promotions at the Department of Public Health in my home town of Librazhd. I work with my counterpart to teach health lessons (in Albanian language mostly) in our town of Librazhd as well as in the villages in the area. There are many villages surrounding our town, and many do not have access to health information, medical services, internet, or even phone service. We are prioritizing the needs of the villagers, and shifting to teach the majority of our lessons in these areas in order to maximize impact and benefit. Topics include: CPR, Hypertension, Diabetes, Breast Cancer, Mental Health, Drug/Alcohol abuse, Nutrition/Obesity, and First Aid, to name a few... Unfortunately our Directorate has barely any funds to support our outreach efforts, thus we are currently looking into collaborative efforts with other NGO's, as well as possible alternate funding sources (Grants, community funding, etc). This is where I focus most of my efforts.

Giving a lesson on Breast Cancer

2. TRAININGS-OF-TRAINERS/peer-based models of promotion - Training community leaders in various health topics to health spread information by word-of-mouth. In order to really reach the outlying village areas, we depend on the assistance of local points of contact. These can include nurses, teachers, community leaders, or even business owners. We are holding (usually) one Training-of-trainers monthly to educate these leaders on various practical topics. The last one we did was "how to do a self-exam for Breast Cancer." Again, with little/no budget, we really need to get creative here!

3. BARAZIA GJINORE COMMITTEE - Working with Peace Corps' Gender Equity Committee "Barazia Gjinore" to engage Albanian youth and general community on various issues relating to gender, gender equity, identity, race, leadership, and accepting differences.

4. COMMUNITY FITNESS PROMOTION - Promoting personal fitness in the community through modeling behavior and personal/group fitness instruction. There is one very small gym here in Librazhd where I work out and train folks. I am currently training with guys in the community in basic weight lifting, and focusing on how to use good form to reduce risk of injury. I will be taking my Personal Training Certification exam in the upcoming weeks. Wish me luck!


5. COMMUNITY FITNESS INITIATIVE - Developing a sustainable fitness initiative addressing the specific health needs of the community. It is slowly coming together, but the response has been tremendous. Folks here are ready for accessible fitness alternatives. We are hoping to have Zumba, Yoga, basic aerobics and other group activities running, giving priority access to people with limited/no financial means. This is my 'baby' and I really hope this materializes!

Me in my Red Cross Uniform

6. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS TRANSFER - Increasing capacity for the Public Health Directorate by working with the Community Promotions Office on various development skills - English language practice, presentation & speech preparation, alternate engagement strategies, developing new approaches to teaching health related material. 


7. LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS SUPPORT - Working with non-profits in Albania to address current social issues including LGBT rights. More on this soon!


8. SPEAKING TO YOUTH RE: PEACE CORPS - Speaking with students in the US about my experience in Peace Corps, engaging future generations to participate in service learning (usually via Skype). If you have an interested class, please let me know, and I would be happy to help!

9. LANGUAGE & CULTURE COMMITTEE - Sharing my observations of Albanian culture with folks back home through writings and participation with the Language and Culture Committee of Peace Corps Albania.

10. OTHER NGO COLLABORATIONS - Collaborate with other local non-profits (NGO's) such as Red Cross, World Vision, and MEDPAK (An Org. for families of children with developmental challenges) to increase capacity and provide technical assistance as needed in greater Librazhd area.

Okay, so that's a bit about some of the things I am working on. I can honestly go on at length about any of these topics, but will leave this list as is for now.

Of course, if any other interesting projects come my way, I always entertain them. Peace Corps is all about "Embracing the chaos." And I shall! 

GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) Albania - First National Conference

#LetItGLOW !

Minister Gjermeni giving her inspiring Keynote

DURRES, ALBANIA - This last month has been a great success, particularly with the GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) initiative here in Albania. The first national conference was held on September 11th-14th 2014 with Minister Eglantina Gjermeni as the inspiring keynote speaker in attendance, as well as US Ambassador to Albania, Alexander Arvizu and Peace Corps Albania Director, Earl Wall.

Ambassador Arvizu celebrating with the girls

GLOW is a Peace Corps initiative to teach girls about leadership, women's empowerment, and self-awareness/health through collaboration and peer-based learning. Although already well underway in other Peace Corps countries, GLOW Albania is celebrating its first full year of GLOW activities - Local GLOW Camps and the recent National GLOW Conference. 

ACT Award from the US Embassy to GLOW Albania!

Also a treat was the award surprise from the US Embassy to GLOW Albania. The ACT award came as quite a surprise to GLOW participants, who each received a certificate for their work in developing as future leaders of Albania. Needless to say, this was quite an honor, and the girls were so very happy.

As a member of Barazia Gjinore (translated from Albanian to "Gender Equity"), the committee overseeing the GLOW initiative for Peace Corps here in Albania, I was there in an administrative capacity (read "professional helper") as an official GLOW photographer. I got the opportunity to see the magic of the groups and workshops in action.

Me as a GLOW cheerleader

Although the girls individually already represent a driven, and motivated subset of the Albanian population, there is something wonderful that happens when they all converge and share that energy. They get to see that they are not alone, and that it is okay to dream big. In fact they should dream big! Although in many respects, Albania is still rather traditional with regards to the expectations of women in society, these girls are ready to break through any unspoken limitation and reach for the stars. They can see others who have done so, including Minister Gjermeni. I suppose another real treat from this experience has been that they can see that change can start with them - They need not wait for others to lead the way, because they are each, individually and collectively, changing the landscape of their society already.

To find out more about GLOW Albania and Barazia Gjinore, check us out on Facebook. And don't forget... #LetItGLOW !