Category Archives: Agriculture

Kenneth Karem in Chile

Country of Service: Chile
Service Type: Community Development & Agricultural Extension
Dates in Service: 1966-1968

Keywords: Agriculture, Community Development

Accession Date: September 30, 2020
Access: Reproduction and copyright information regarding this collection is available from the American University Archive & Special Collections.
Collection Size: 2 digital files

Digital Surrogates

 

John Caracciolo in the Philippines and Colombia

Countries of Service: the Philippines and Colombia
Service Type: Socio-Economic Studies and Research (in Colombia)
Dates in Service: July 25, 1975-August 6, 1977 (Philippines)
September 30, 1977-January 3, 1980 (Colombia)
Keywords: Agriculture

Accession Date: November 30, 2021
Access: No restrictions
Collection Size: 0.25 linear feet

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Reports

Finding Aid

  1. Personal Correspondence (hand-written letters) sent by Donor and addressed to Donor’s late Father (Henry Caracciolo) during the period of Donor’s two U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer tours of service in the Philippines (July 25, 1975 – August 6, 1977), and Colombia (September30, 1977 – January 3, 1980) 
  2. Completion of Service – Description of Peace Corps Volunteer Service in the Philippines and Colombia. 
  3. Miscellaneous photographs and images  

Dan Peed in Malaysia

Country of Service: Malaysia
Dates in Service: 1968-1969
Keywords: Agriculture, Community Development, Education, Environment, Health, Literacy

Accession Date: May 7, 2021
Access: no restrictions
Collection Size: .01 linear feet (located in small collections)

Document Types

  • Film/Video
  • Memoir

Finding Aid

  1. DVD: “Malaysia-19 Video” 
  2. Memoir/Short Stories: “Snake Adventures” and “Training in Paradise” 

Stephanie Weise in Ecuador

Country of Service: Ecuador
Dates in Service: 1984-1986
Keywords: Agriculture, Architecture, Community Development, Environment, Urban Planning

Accession Date: April 16, 2021
Access: no restrictions
Collection Size: .25 linear feet (located in small collections)

Document Types

  • Photographs

Finding Aid

  1. Negatives, no date 
  2. Photographs of Bullfighting, no date 
  3. Slides: Costa Rica (1984), San Clemente Beach (1984), El Rosal 
  4. Slides: Galapagos, Latacunga 
  5. Finding Aid for Slides Housed at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (4300 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105) 

John S. Jacoby in Nepal & South Africa

Country of Service: Nepal; South Africa
Place of Service: Bastipur (Nepal)
Service Type: Teacher at Bastipur High School in English (grades 6 & 7), Science (grade 6-8), & Math (grade 6); Peace Corps Country Director for South Africa
Dates in Service: 1970-1972; 2011-2014
Keywords: Agriculture, Architecture, Business, Community Development, Education, Environment, Health, HIV/AIDS, Information Technology, Libraries, Literacy, Sports, Urban Planning, Youth

Accession Date: April 4, 2021
Access: no restrictions
Collection Size: .5 linear feet (located in small collections and map room)

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Photographs
  • Reports
  • Publications

Finding Aid

  1. Correspondence, November 11, 1969-April 10, 1972 
  2. Negatives, Scans and Originals 
  3. Personal Documents and Training Materials (Passport, Description of Service, etc.) 
  4. Documents Pertaining to Jacoby’s Time as Peace Corps Country Director for South Africa, 2011-2013 
  5. Map Room, Drawer A9: Poster, no date 

Christopher A. Lindberg in Burkina Faso

Country of Service: Burkina Faso (Also: USAID work in The Gambia; Peace Corps Technical Training in Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Senegal, Mali, Tunisia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Kenya, Niger, and Chad)
Service Project Title(s): Agroforestry Specialist, Peace Corps African Food Systems Initiative Design, Peace Corps Agroforestry Feasibility Study
Dates in Service: 1978-1981
Keywords: Agriculture, Community Development, Education, Environment, Health, Information Technology, Urban Planning, Youth

Accession Date: February 3, 2021
Access: no restrictions
Collection Size: .1 linear feet

Document Types

  • Slides
  • Photographs

Digital Surrogates

  • Digital scans of slides

Finding Aid

Box 1 

  1. Photographs; Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Kenya, South Carolina, Alabama, Senegal, Niger, Mali, Liberia 
  2. Photographs, Cameroon and Kenya 
  3. Photographs; The Gambia, Niger, Mali 
  4. Photographs, Peace Corps Technical Training (Epes, Alabama and St. Helena Island, South Carolina) 
  5. Photographs, Cameroon and Chad 
  6. Photographs, Liberia 
  7. Slides; Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Kenya, South Carolina, Alabama, Senegal, Niger, Mali, Liberia 

Box 2 

  1. Slides; Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, The Gambia, Kenya 
  2. Slides; Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, The Gambia, Kenya 
  3. Slides, Various Locations 

Carmine Grasso in Kiribati

Country of Service: Kiribati
Place of service: Onotoa
Service Type: Community Health Worker
Dates in Service: 1979-1981
Keywords: Agriculture, Community Development, Education, Environment, Health, Urban Planning, Youth

Accession Date: January 27, 2021
Access: no restrictions
Collection Size: .25 linear feet

Document Types

  • Reports
  • Publications
  • Training Materials

Related Items in Other Repositories

Finding Aid

  1. Training Manuals 
  2. Training Materials 
  3. End of Service Document + Miscellaneous Reports & Publications 

 

Helene Dudley in Colombia, Albania, and Slovakia

Country of Service: Colombia; Albania; Slovakia
Place of Service: Barranquilla (Colombia); Presov (Slovakia)
Service Type: Urban Community Development (Colombia); Training (Albania); Small & Advanced Business Development (Slovakia)
Dates in Service: 1968-1970 (Colombia); 1997 (Albania); 1997-1999 (Slovakia)
Keywords: Agriculture, Architecture, Business, Community Development, Education, Information Technology, Urban Planning

Accession Date: January 27, 2021
Access: no restrictions
Collection Size: .5 linear feet

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Photographs
  • Reports
  • Publications
  • Articles
  • Newsletters

Finding Aid

  1. Ballman, Helene A.
  2. Correspondence, September 16, 1968-January 8, 1969 
  3. Correspondence, January 9, 1969-March 28, 1969 
  4. Correspondence, April 5, 1969-June 6, 1969 
  5. Correspondence, June 10, 1969-November 30, 1969 
  6. Correspondence, December 6, 1969-April 20, 1970 
  7. Correspondence, April 28, 1970-October 22, 1970 
  8. Photographs, 1968-2000 
  9. Photographs & Ephemera, no date 
  10. Reports & Publications, 1969-1970 
  11. Correspondence, March 12, 1997-December 31, 1997 (Albania & Slovakia) 
  12. Photographs & Ephemera (Slovakia) 
  13. Publications & Reports, 1997-2002 (Slovakia) 
  14. Training Materials & Status Reports (Slovakia) 

Character Reflections from Kambia, Sierra Leone

In 1983, Jim and Carolyn Hitter left a notebook in the Peace Corps Rest House in Kambia, Sierra Leone, as a way to remember the work of their fellow volunteers. Scrawled on the inside cover of the faded notebook: “Dedicated to us, the PCV’s, VSO’s of Kambia. Twenty years of Volunteers have been here and left no record, no footprints…With this small beginning maybe our successors will know us by our deeds and misdeeds.” 

Once the first journal filled, other PCVs added another in 1988. Many of the entries are a bit of gossip, others are firsthand reflections and memories of their time in Sierra Leone.

Here are some entries from the two notebooks:

Dewey- N. Carolina

Econ major at UNC? Aggie [Agriculture] at Bapinga 1980-1982. Extended to fisheries winter of ’82. Lived with Pa Laurin. Seemed to get along well with farmers. Speak languages well. Mr. Generosity. Dewey gives things away!

Extremely conservative politically. 

Married Sierra Leonean, Regina Durwig, at Pt. Loko on 9 July 1983.

No; Dewey’s father came to S.L. to convince him that this was not a wise thing so Dewey’s wedding apparently turned into an “engagement party.” 

In fact, Dewey went home without Regina and apparently with an agreement that he would never come back, nor send for her.

Page from Jim Hitter’s Notebook, Jim Hitter Collection, Peace Corps Community Archives.

Logan 72-74

History at Kolenten. Had a masters in World History and a BA in African History. (Orland was in his Form III Class). There was a riot at school because all the history students were getting poor grades. “Logan must go or die” was chalked on the streets. According to Orlando, “he resembled Jesus and he never laughed.

Jim Hitter, 1982-1984 Kambia
…”Lived” (in a matter of speaking) through 2-3 extensive beer droughts. Saw the price of STAR [beer] go from $.80 to $4.00.

…Never taught before this experience and never will again. In fact I expect never to work again. My background for this was some years as an engineer in the aerospace industry, VISTA (in a veterans project in Seattle) and 10 years retirement. I would have been long gone if it hadn’t been for the support/love/and good humor of Carolyn, my wife!

Martin Seviour, 
1980-1982, Sewafe/Kono
1982-1984, Kambia

I’m leaving this country tomorrow after 4 years, and it does seem a day too long! I’m a VSO. I taught secondary English in Sewafe for two years and came to Kambia to work in the KELT Primary English Project.

I dislike Kambia only slightly less than Jim Hitter and know only slightly more Temne…I would like to deny all rumours that I extended only to avoid the draft for the Falklands War. 

Hopefully, I will be the first of a long line of VSO’s using the Kambia Rest House. I would like to express my thanks to all the PCVs who have strived at all time to let me not feel inferior. Special thanks should go to Douglas whom I’ve only known for a short time but who has been a good friend (Keep the toilet clean Dough!) and to the Hitters who have put up with my verbal ramblings late into the might and have cooked wonderful meals and given me lots of encouragement and advice…”

Carolyn Hitter
1982-1984, Kambia, Primary Workshops

…The Hitters lived in the “suburbs” –on the fringe of Kambia at Kolenten. The greatest thing thaat happened in Kambia was finding Kemokoh, an excellent cook, an honest man, and the only Sierra Leonean to complete a job on time…

Jim and Carolyn, old enough to be the parents of other Kambia volunteers (47 and 45) showed their age by drinking more beer than most. All those years of practice, you know!

Jim and Carolyn Hitter, 1982. Jim Hitter Collection, Peace Corps Community Archives.

[Added by another volunteer:] “Pictured above in typical form. Great people who are well worth visiting should anyone pass through Seattle.”

And in the second journal…

Bernadette
“I succeeded Chris Lavin in Bayonde village. I have enjoyed living with the Jimbra people, and tell God “tenki” everyday that I was not placed in Temne-land; Bayonde is a “seke-free zone.”

…Unlike the other Kambia PCV’s and VSO’s, I was not particularly fond of Kambia, mostly because of the rude, obnoxious, ruff bobos that hung around the rest house, whose hobby was to taunt me…

Anyway, back to Bayonde and my Peace Corps “work.” I think all of us PCV’s have realized that we are not here for the work we do; we are here as cheap P.R. for the American government. I guess that’s not so bad as long as we realize that, and also realize that we are not going to “develop” this country. As I’m sure you’ve heard a zillion PCV’s say: It’s not the work that counts so much, it’s enjoying the people and the culture where you will get the most satisfaction. At least, this has been true in my case…

I am a living example of why the Peace Corps has decided to bag the motorcycles. I broke my ankle in a Honda spill and was unnecessarily sent back to D.C. (a Salone doctor wanted to operate–yikes!) Even though an operation was unnecessary, I tell Peace Corps plenti plenti tenki for that wonderful holiday!”

Bernadette on her motorcycle in Sierra Leone. Featured in her entry in the second notebook. Jim Hitter Collection, Peace Corps Community Archives.

After the program in Sierra Leone disbanded in the ‘90s, the journals made their way to the United States. In his own notes about the journals, Jim explains: “In 1994, when rebel activity became too much, the Peace Corps was ordered out of the country. The diaries (and the large US flag that hung on the Resthouse wall) were rescued by the Catholic fathers and sent to the US.” 

Another RPCV preserved the journals until 2002, when they were ceremoniously revealed at the Friends of Sierra Leone annual meeting and 40th Peace Corps Anniversary Celebration in Washington, D.C.

Jim Hitter in Sierra Leone

Name: Jim Hitter
Country of Service: Sierra Leone
Place of Service: Kambia
Dates in Service: 1982-1984
Keywords: Agriculture, Community Development, Education, Environment, Health, Youth

Accession Date: March 5, 2020
Access: No restrictions
Collection Size: 0.25 linear feet (located in small collections)

Document Types
• Photographs
• Diaries

Digital collection

Finding Aid

  1. “Kast of Kharacters: Kambia” Journal with entries from PCVs in Staging in Sierra Leone, 1980-1988 
  2. “Kambia Cast of Characters: Part II” 1986-1991