2006.09.05: September 5, 2006: Headlines: COS - Paraguay: Agroforestry: New Jersey: From September 2002 to December 2004 Leo Redmond served as an agroforestry volunteer in Paraguay
Peace Corps Online:
Directory:
Paraguay:
Peace Corps Paraguay:
The Peace Corps in Paraguay:
2006.09.05: September 5, 2006: Headlines: COS - Paraguay: Agroforestry: New Jersey: From September 2002 to December 2004 Leo Redmond served as an agroforestry volunteer in Paraguay
From September 2002 to December 2004 Leo Redmond served as an agroforestry volunteer in Paraguay
"I worked primarily in the areas of wood lot management, forest enrichment, small scale reforestation projects as well as in citrus production. Wood lot management and forest enrichment entail the inventory of forest lots to determine what tree species exist and the quality of the trees in order to develop a short and long term management plan, which ones need to be pruned, what are we going to save for the future, is there space to plant new seedlings, etc.," Redmond said.
From September 2002 to December 2004 Leo Redmond served as an agroforestry volunteer in Paraguay
Peace Corps is his calling
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
BY MICHELE HOWE
Star-Ledger Staff
By the time you read this, Leo Redmond will probably be back in Paraguay with the Peace Corps.
In May 2002, after earning a dual degree from Georgetown University in linguistics and international business and minoring in Spanish, Redmond decided to become a Peace Corps volunteer.
"When you apply, you qualify for different programs depending on your area of expertise," said Redmond, 26, during an interview at his parents' home in Rockaway. "I was a Boy Scout, an Eagle Scout and participated in New York City's Outward Bound, then at Georgetown took part in the outdoor education program as a wilderness instructor. This gave me enough background to be considered for a position in agroforestry."
Technical training for an agroforestry volunteer includes the study of tree nursery and seedling production techniques, land management and assessment planning, wood lot management, citrus and mango grafting, soil conservation, and other farming skills.
The Peace Corps service commitment is for 27 months: three months of in-country training followed by two years of service in a designated community.
From September 2002 to December 2004 he served as an agroforestry volunteer in Paraguay. He continued his service this year, working from February to July as an agroforestry crisis corps volunteer in Guatemala.
"I worked primarily in the areas of wood lot management, forest enrichment, small scale reforestation projects as well as in citrus production. Wood lot management and forest enrichment entail the inventory of forest lots to determine what tree species exist and the quality of the trees in order to develop a short and long term management plan, which ones need to be pruned, what are we going to save for the future, is there space to plant new seedlings, etc.," Redmond said.
In between assignments, he traveled throughout South America, came home to spend time with family and friends, and worked in Costa Rica as an outdoor wilderness lead instructor for BroadReach, an outdoor adventure and education organization based in Raleigh, N.C.
The three-months-long in-country training is a rigorous, community-based cycle with technical, linguistic and cultural components. In Paraguay, Peace Corps trainees live with local host families during the entire three months. Trainees study both Spanish and the indigenous language Guaran, which is the primary language of more than 90 percent of the population.
Language classes are taught by Paraguayan language professors.
The site in Paraguay, San Vincente, a community of subsistence sugar cane farmers, is home to 60 families totaling 300 people.
Redmond's daily schedule was the same as the farmers' with whom he lived and worked. "Up and in the fields by dawn, work to mid-morning, return home for lunch and an afternoon siesta as temperatures would be well over 100 degrees, then return to the fields by mid-afternoon until dusk," he said.
During his two years there, Redmond lived in a small wooden house with a grass thatched roof and dirt floor. He had electricity but no running water, so he got water from a well down the hill from where he lived.
"It usually worked out to a 5-gallon bucket of water a day, except when I would hand-wash my laundry. That would take two more buckets of water," he said.
While in Guatemala, Redmond worked to coordinate the post-Hurricane Stan reforestation and recovery efforts in a dozen communities along the Mexican border.
"When I first thought about volunteering, I asked myself, 'How do I want to live?' And I'm finding the answer in service to others," Redmond said.
While back in Paraguay, he will train the next group of agroforestry volunteers.
Prospective volunteers should log onto www.peacecorps.gov
When this story was posted in September 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Chris Shays Shifts to Favor an Iraq Timetable In a policy shift, RPCV Congressman Chris Shays, long a staunch advocate of the Bush administration's position in Iraq, is now proposing a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops. How Mr. Shays came to this change of heart is, he says, a matter of a newfound substantive belief that Iraqis need to be prodded into taking greater control of their own destiny under the country’s newly formed government. As Chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, he plans to draft a timetable for a phased withdrawal and then push for its adoption. A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War who said that if drafted he would not serve, Chris Shays has made 14 trips to Iraq and was the first Congressman to enter the country after the war - against the wishes of the Department of Defense. |
| Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process. |
| Gates charity races to spend billions Warren E. Buffett’s gift of $31 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation means that for tax reasons, starting in 2009, the foundation must distribute $3 billion annually, or a little more than twice what it distributed last year.
PCOL Comment: The Foundation says that "preventing the spread of HIV is the most durable long-term solution to the AIDS epidemic, and a top priority for the foundation." Peace Corps Volunteers and Returned Volunteers have been doing just that in AIDS Education for the past 15 years. Why not consider a $100M annual contribution to the Peace Corps to put 2,500 additional volunteers in the field to expand AIDS education worldwide? |
| The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace. |
| Changing the Face of Hunger In his new book, Former Congressman Tony Hall (RPCV Thailand) says humanitarian aid is the most potent weapon the United States can deploy against terrorism. An evangelical Christian, he is a big believer in faith-based organizations in the fight against hunger. Members of Congress have recently recommended that Hall be appointed special envoy to Sudan to focus on ending the genocide in Darfur. |
| PC will not return to East Timor in 2006 Volunteers serving in East Timor have safely left the country as a result of the recent civil unrest and government instability. Latest: The Peace Corps has informed us that at this time, the Peace Corps has no plans to re-enter the country in 2006. The Peace Corps recently sent a letter offering eligible volunteers the opportunity to reinstate their service in another country. |
| Chris Dodd considers run for the White House Senator Chris Dodd plans to spend the next six to eight months raising money and reaching out to Democrats around the country to gauge his viability as a candidate. Just how far Dodd can go depends largely on his ability to reach Democrats looking for an alternative to Hillary Clinton. PCOL Comment: Dodd served as a Volunteer in the Dominican Republic and has been one of the strongest supporters of the Peace Corps in Congress. |
| Peace Corps stonewalls on FOIA request The Ashland Daily Tidings reports that Peace Corps has blocked their request for information on the Volkart case. "After the Tidings requested information pertaining to why Volkart was denied the position — on March 2 — the newspaper received a letter from the Peace Corps FOIA officer stating the requested information was protected under an exemption of the act." The Dayton Daily News had similar problems with FOIA requests for their award winning series on Volunteer Safety and Security. |
| PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come. |
| History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help. |
| RPCV admits to abuse while in Peace Corps Timothy Ronald Obert has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor in Costa Rica while serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. "The Peace Corps has a zero tolerance policy for misconduct that violates the law or standards of conduct established by the Peace Corps," said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. Could inadequate screening have been partly to blame? Mr. Obert's resume, which he had submitted to the Peace Corps in support of his application to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, showed that he had repeatedly sought and obtained positions working with underprivileged children. Read what RPCVs have to say about this case. |
| Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject. |
Read the stories and leave your comments.
Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
Story Source: New Jersey
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Paraguay; Agroforestry
PCOL34322
41