November 29, 2004: Headlines: COS- Belize: The Marion Star: Katy Redd left on her mission with the Peace Corps and is living in Belize in Central America

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Belize: Peace Corps Belize : The Peace Corps in Belize: November 29, 2004: Headlines: COS- Belize: The Marion Star: Katy Redd left on her mission with the Peace Corps and is living in Belize in Central America

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-141-157-13-244.balt.east.verizon.net - 141.157.13.244) on Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 1:12 pm: Edit Post

Katy Redd left on her mission with the Peace Corps and is living in Belize in Central America

Katy Redd left on her mission with the Peace Corps and is living in Belize in Central America

Katy Redd left on her mission with the Peace Corps and is living in Belize in Central America

Harding grad moves to 7 Miles El Progresso

Katy Redd works to build strength and health in Belize

By KATY REDD
For The Marion Star
Photo
Courtesy of Katy Redd

Editor's Note: This weeks edition of The Marion Star's Your Story takes a slightly different form as Marion native Katy Redd shares her story. Redd left earlier this year on her mission with the Peace Corps and is living in Belize in Central America.

People often ask me why I joined the Peace Corps. I've resigned myself to the truth, "I just couldn't think of anything else to do." And it's true, after college I wasn't sure if I wanted to immediately enter "the real world" and settle into a 9-5 job. Working and living in a foreign country seemed like a natural transition.

The United States Peace Corps, a governmental volunteer organization sends its volunteers to more than 70 different countries to work in various fields in order to empower the community for positive social change. The goal is not to make rural villages into little Americas; on the contrary, volunteers work as catalysts for changes within the cultural context of the particular community.

After a lengthy application process I found myself in mid-April of this year with an invitation to serve in Belize. I greeted this opportunity with excitement and of course nerves - Peace Corps is a two-year commitment and I wasn't sure how being so far from home would agree with me.

As it turns out, with the help of a three-month training and encouragement from family and friends, the transition from multi-tasking college woman to enjoying my jungle home was not too difficult.

My village, called 7 Miles El Progresso, is located in the heart of the Cayo District in Belize. It is nestled into the mountains and surrounded by lush tropical jungle. The 500 residents are from Guatemala and El Salvador so even though English is the official language of Belize, I speak Spanish in my village. There is no electricity or indoor running water in 7 Miles. I have gotten used to hauling my water in buckets, using my outhouse, and reading by lanterns at night.

My job title is rural community development officer with an agricultural focus. It is necessarily ambiguous. I will be living in 7 Miles for the next two years and during this time will figure out what my community needs and how I can address those needs. Peace Corps should not be confused with mission work. It is a governmental organization completely non-affiliated with religious activities. I am not here to build churches or pass along religious words; I'm here to build a stronger, healthier community.

I began my transition by helping in the school. One of the teachers has 46 students, all 4-6 year olds, and was a bit overwhelmed. I was first struck by the lack of things in the school, no matching textbooks (they take what they can get leftover from U.S. schools), certainly no computers, no reading books in the classrooms. The Belize government dropped by the yearly supplies of teaching equipment: a ream of paper, a roll of masking tape, and two markers for each teacher. But the teachers work with what they do have and end up spending a lot of their own money.

My next project was to begin teaching English to the adults. I held meetings, interviews, and finally decided on five different classes during the week. It is a challenge because many of the villagers are illiterate and learning a new language for them proves difficult.

My most recent project is a school organic garden. The men in 7 Miles are mostly all farmers and are using pesticides and fertilizers that are harmful for the earth. By working with the schoolchildren to teach them about the advantages of organic, perhaps when they are farmers they'll think twice about the pricey fertilizers they're using. I have more projects in line for the future but for the two months I've been at my site, I've gotten a start.

Because there are no televisions or even light during the night, entertainment usually comes in the form of whatever the Gringita (their pet name for me) happens to be doing. I usually always have children and adults alike just sitting in my house watching me cook or clean or read. They cannot understand why a 22-year-old woman would want to live alone or for that matter why a 22-year-old woman is not married. Most villagers start their families when they are between 14 and 20 and end with about 10 children, so I am practically a spinster by their standards.

Like any experience where we're forced to look at our overly-indulgent life and question what we actually need, my tour so far has given me insight into my own values. There are many more stories, many more things to share, but to write them all would require much more print space. If you have any questions, I certainly welcome them: katy@belizemail.net

Katy Redd is 22 and a graduate of Valparaiso University in Indiana. She graduated from Marion Harding High School and is the daughter of Marion residents Gary and Sandra Redd.

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Originally published Monday, November 29, 2004





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Story Source: The Marion Star

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS- Belize

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