Lesotho RPCV Brett Utian says Number of volunteers problematic
Number of volunteers problematic
I am a recently returned Peace Corps community health volunteer in Lesotho. I worked on a number of HIV/AIDS program initiatives in the country.
In Lesotho, we had close to 100 volunteers in a country the size of Maryland. I believe this has led to greater threats to individual volunteers, while at the same time having a negative impact on site/ job criteria.
Initially, I held the stereotypical view that I would be in the middle of nowhere, with no other volunteers nearby. But in Lesotho, except for a small minority of volunteers, we were clumped together near camp towns, sometimes in groups of as many as 12 or 13 volunteers. Instead of this offering security, it created a large group of potential targets. It also proved more difficult to become part of the local communities, as volunteers traveled and socialized in these groups.
In addition, because of the large number of volunteers, the Peace Corps staff has a difficult time acquiring appropriate sites and tangible jobs for the incoming volunteers. For many new volunteers, their jobs and sites are ill-defined and there is constant turnover, every two years or less.
Since volunteers are placed close to town centers, the security situation is actually worse than if they were placed in more rural environments.
Yet, in my two-year service, I had only one security issue and truly loved my time in Lesotho.
I hope you would in the future balance the negatives within the Peace Corps with many of its benefits, both for country nationals and volunteers.
Brett Utian Beachwood
