“Three brick
layers were asked what they were doing.
The 1st said: I am laying bricks.
The 2nd
replied: I am building a wall.
The 3rd said: I am constructing a
Temple.”- Anonymous
Going through stacks of training materials
that have been collecting dust over the last few months, I was compelled to look through a few as I
sorted my “keep or trash” piles.
As I was
reading the manual “Roles of the Volunteer in Development” some things stuck
out, in my last few post I have mentioned “projects”. Reading this manual
reminded me of some very basic tenets which easily become jumbled in final reports
and resume updating.
“Development is
a process, not a project. People cannot be developed; they can only develop
themselves” - Julius Nyerere
In the scope of Peace Corps, the term development is used in the sense of the human capacity building framework (working with
people and communities). This definition is a process that promotes the dignity
of people and their capacity to improve their own lives. Helping people learn to identify what they
would like to see changed, by using their own strengths and learn skills to
achieve what they believe is most important.
Sustainable,
meaning a community is able to continue on it s own without outside support, a
process where people learn to build on their own strengths and take charge of
their own lives.
My call to
explore the world of international development has been a catalyst for
obtaining a greater understanding and expanded knowledge base of the world of community
development on many levels. Although I had previous dwellings in the area of
community development through my work as a mental health therapist and case
manager, my roles in those communities were quite different than that of a Peace
Corps Volunteer.
Words cannot
fully capture what has occurred within, around and through me in the past
27-months, however I can say that I am affirmed in the notion to return back to
the states with even more dedication and motivation to continue my work in the
area of service, my desire has only increased during this experience.
~Sometimes there
is just as much to gain from the return as in the departure~
“If your only
tool is a hammer, pretty soon all the world appears to be a nail”- Mark Twain
