Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007 - (Page 17)

I I worked as a rural industrial oﬃcer in Ngamiland District of the Okavango Delta, prepared me for southern Sudan. I worked with the San people, the Bushmen, teaching them to run their own businesses and services and to get them oﬀ of government drought relief. I have spent 15 years working in Africa, Iran and Azerbaijan working for aid and international development agencies, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations, with added short-term contracts in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America. Many of these assignments have come through ACDI/VOCA, a private agency that has for many years worked in agricultural, ﬁnancial and community development projects. Everything in Rumbek is basic and the volunteer needs to bring a hat, reading materials, medications, walking shoes, insect repellant and sun screen. Home is a tented camp or trailer, hopefully with toilet and shower in close proximity. We could expect three meals a day and clean, bottled–and expensive–drinking water. E-mail services are available in town. Unauthorized and unaccompanied travel outside of Rumbek was not recommended because of an abundance of unexploded landmines on roads and farms. My trailer home was excellent. In fact, the best accommodation I’ve had in many a place and superior to a hammock between two trees in the Kalahari or a sleeping bag at the bottom of a canoe in Borneo. Better than some hotels, too. If the air conditioning went out, it could be a problem: you could open the windows but mosquitoes will feast on you. A few small power outages occurred. Tasty and plentiful food was prepared by a Lebanese chef, buﬀet style, and his desserts were delightful. One of the managers had recent DVD movies, so after work back to your room for the show to begin. remember our ﬁrst group meeting well. Would my students speak English? I didn’t have an interpreter. ey were all men between 20 and 60 who had survived a long and bloody war and had probably not had many women instructors. Collectively, they wanted to learn how to make farming a business, both for the farmers they served and for the crops they produced. And they were more than curious about me. L Why would my husband let me go so far away, one asked. Didn’t my children object? My children should be taking care of me, with no need for me to work. During our ﬁrst tea break, Barnaba Magok Mabor wanted to be sure of my name. “Your name is Beth?” he asked. “Yes.” “Beth, like in Shakespeare’s MacBeth?” “Where did you read MacBeth?” I asked. “In school many years ago,” he said. Abilities varied greatly. Some had excellent vocabularies and could read the handouts. Others had problems reading but were great at math. I had been cautioned that not everyone came from the same tribe and arguments would occur, but none did, largely because I have learned about conﬂict and post-conﬂict environments in other assignments. We worked in a computer room which had a couple of windows, one fan, tables and chairs. ere was a blackboard and a ﬂip chart. e Sudan heat demanded an early start to the workshops. About 10 minutes after beginning the day, I was dripping sweat. Tea break at mid-morning, back in class until a one-o’clock lunch. Back for two more sessions divided by another tea break. You really start to lose it at about eleven; e heat is akin to an unrelenting sauna. Not only the teacher notices this, but the Sudanese, too. Our primary focus was agribusiness and the market. e neighboring competition was paramount in our discussions: So many goods were coming in from Kenya and Uganda and the Sudanese need information technology to match their competition for quantity and price. But I saw real determination on their faces as they rapidly assimilated new concepts like ﬁxed and variable costs, keeping records and determining a proﬁt without straining the imagination. We discussed transportation of goods, which is so critical and, for most of them, so unavailable. Only oxen were being used. No horses or donkeys. Personal lives entered our conversation. Most of the men had more than one one wife and asked for my suggestions. I had achieved status with them because I have raised six children, launched an aviation business in Mississippi and built a toy store in Vail, Colorado. In both enterprises, I was the underdog and I succeeded by virtue of guts and innovation. ey could relate to my story and proﬁt from my tactics. et me oﬀer some advice to boomers and the over-50 crowd. Going overseas to work has deﬁnite advantages. Age is a AGENTS OF CHANGE A sampler of organizations looking for a few good boomers for a needy world by Sarah Singletary The following is a list of some of the many international organizations that provide opportunities for overseas volunteer work, both skilled and unskilled. While all welcome boomers and older volunteers, some are particularly interested in those with speciﬁc and lengthy career experience. This list offers a resource to launch further research. Some organizations have religious, language, health or other requirements not listed here. Beneﬁts such as life insurance and health coverage may be subject to restrictions. Many opportunities that require skills offer a modest stipend or per diem and travel expenses, but others charge a fee or ask the volunteers to pay their own way. Speciﬁc project availability may change over time. Nevertheless, these programs are a starting point for anyone seeking a return to international service. Consult their web sites for details and the application process. ACDI/VOCA This private nonproﬁt brings skilled volunteers to almost 40 nations around the world to promote economic development. Volunteers with 10 or more years of professional experience typically serve two to four weeks in agribusiness, enterprise development, ﬁnancial services, community development and food security. Beneﬁts: airfare, travel-related expenses, lodging, meals & incidentals, insurance. www.acdivoca.org. Art Corps Artists in all disciplines, with strong interpersonal and leadership skills, travel to Central America for 11 months. Volunteers supplement the development work of local host NGOs, using art to inspire community members to work towards social action. Beneﬁts: airfare, food, lodging, insurance, WorldView 17 http://www.acdivoca.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007

Worldview - Fall 2007 Contents Presiden'ts Note Lafayette Park Introduction Interview Commentary Editor's Note Letter from Rumbek, Sudan Listings Letter from Yekaterinburg, Russia Letter from Codaesti, Romania Letter from Catia La Mar, Venezuela Letter from Gumare, Botswana Letter from Ridder, Kazakhstan Letter from Rincon, Cape Verde Letter from Port Au Prince Another Country Community News Giving Back Opinion

Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007

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