2007.07.16: July 16, 2007: Headlines: COS - Cape Verde: Uniontown Herald Standard: Daron Christopher recently left to spend 27 weeks in Cape Verde with the Peace Corps
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2007.07.16: July 16, 2007: Headlines: COS - Cape Verde: Uniontown Herald Standard: Daron Christopher recently left to spend 27 weeks in Cape Verde with the Peace Corps
Daron Christopher recently left to spend 27 weeks in Cape Verde with the Peace Corps
Christopher said he traveled in college, including the Semester At Sea program, where he went to places such as China, India and Kenya, and an internship in London. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April with a degree in political science. He said he believed investments in organizations like the Peace Corps would help anti-America sentiments in other countries. "It puts a good face on the country," Christopher said. "I think it's a good way to serve your country because it's something that reflects positively on America, and it helps other people here get a better understanding of other places. I just think it's a way to help positively represent your country." Christopher said that while a person can pick the region where they're heading, they can't pick the specific country, and that patience and flexibility are two of the biggest things recruiters look for. Originally, Christopher was to leave for Tanzania, but the group was split up because of staffing issues. "They just called me up and asked, 'Would you mind going to a completely different place?'" he said.
Daron Christopher recently left to spend 27 weeks in Cape Verde with the Peace Corps
Area native serves with Peace Corps
By Andrea Laurion, For the Herald-Standard
07/16/2007
Updated 07/17/2007 12:06:03 AM EDT
Caption: Daron Christopher is pictured with some villagers while in Kenya.
McClellandtown native Daron Christopher recently left to spend 27 weeks in Cape Verde, Africa, with the Peace Corps.
More than 187,000 volunteers have served in the Peace Corps since 1960, when then-Sen. John F. Kennedy challenged University of Michigan students to live and work in developing countries as a way of serving their country, according to its Web site.
Christopher said he traveled in college, including the Semester At Sea program, where he went to places such as China, India and Kenya, and an internship in London. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April with a degree in political science.
He said he believed investments in organizations like the Peace Corps would help anti-America sentiments in other countries.
"It puts a good face on the country," Christopher said. "I think it's a good way to serve your country because it's something that reflects positively on America, and it helps other people here get a better understanding of other places. I just think it's a way to help positively represent your country."
Christopher said that while a person can pick the region where they're heading, they can't pick the specific country, and that patience and flexibility are two of the biggest things recruiters look for.
Originally, Christopher was to leave for Tanzania, but the group was split up because of staffing issues.
"They just called me up and asked, 'Would you mind going to a completely different place?'" he said.
Christopher said that Cape Verde is a series of islands off the west coast of Africa, a couple hundred miles from Senegal. He said it isn't what most think of when they think of Africa.
"I always thought of giraffes and hippos, and that's what Tanzania is like," he said.
Of the seven or eight islands, some are more developed than others, he said.
"There's one (island) with a lot of tourists and a resort, and others that don't have the Internet, electricity and running water," he said.
Christopher said he wanted to go to Africa because now is an interesting time in its history, and people are aware of the problems more than ever.
"The statistics are so depressing about the amount of AIDS and poverty. I really don't think this would happen anywhere else," he said. "If this would happen in Europe, I don't think the rest of the world would tolerate that."
Christopher said that a country must ask to receive volunteers, and "the fact that so many countries ask for volunteers speaks well of the organization."
"For the most part, it's really self-motivated, you have to take your own initiative because you're going to be working with local people," he said.
Christopher is in the community development program, but first there are three months of training before what they are doing is definite.
"Your first few months are basically for training - you learn the language, the job. They won't place you until they have a better understanding of what your skills are, but a lot of people in community development do education programs or they might help local governments write grants to get new roads or help small businesses come up with new ideas. It really depends on what you're good at and the needs of the community," he said.
Christopher said he started a blog at http://christopherpeacecorps.blogspot.com/.
"I feel that when I do get to use the Internet, it might only be at an Internet caf? for 20 minutes. I think that might be easier than trying to e-mail a million people," he said.
Christopher said that the most important part of the Peace Corps is getting people interested.
"A lot of people feel it will take a lot of time away from their career," he said, "but I think that most people that I've talked to who came back said it really benefited them in giving them a new perspective that has really helped them in whatever job they ended up doing."
When he returns, Christopher said, he would like to work in government, and believes this is a good way to help him do so.
He said, "I'm really interested in doing something in government, and I'm really interested in helping communities."
"There's one thing people always say, 'Why don't you help people in America? Why do you have to go all the way over there?' And I don't think its an 'either or' question. I just think it's a way to get more skills and get a better understanding of how small governments work, maybe why our way of doing things is better, and maybe some things we can learn from other countries," he said.
Christopher is a son of David and Sharon Christopher of McClellandtown.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: July, 2007; Peace Corps Cape Verde; Directory of Cape Verde RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Cape Verde RPCVs; Pennsylvania
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Story Source: Uniontown Herald Standard
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