Ecuador RPCV Charles Phillips teaches agriculture and forestrywith his wife Dawn in the Nagua River watershed, Dominican Republic



In the 1960s, Charles Phillips was inspired to join the Peace Corps after a local newspaper featured volunteers from his community. In 1966, he joined and went to Ecuador. Five years later, he married Dawn Maurer, and together they became Church Wold Service missionaries to Peru for eight years. In 1980, they returned to the U.S. with a family of five and lived in Lewistown. Charles Phillips worked at Lewistown Hospital for 25 years. Their children followed in their parents’ footsteps: their daughter Marcia serves in Honduras and their son Juan in Namibia, both with the Peace Corps. Currently, the Lewistown couple teach agriculture and forestry with the Peace Corps in the Nagua River watershed, Dominican Republic. But agricultural improvement is not the only need in the eight communities they serve. After moving to the area, the Phillips became aware on the need for a new medical clinic. The present clinic has provided care for more than 1,800 people for 13 years. But due to its deterioration, there has been no doctor at the clinic for five months. There is no security or water in the clinic, converted from a house made of palm trees, Charles Phillips wrote in an e-mail to The Sentinel. “The clinic is important because the communities that it serves are very isolated,” he wrote. Four communities do not have roads, and the other four have dirt roads, he wrote.

Ecuador RPCV Charles Phillips teaches agriculture and forestrywith his wife Dawn in the Nagua River watershed, Dominican Republic

Local couple aids those in need

By Micaiah Wise, Sentinel reporter, mwise@lewistownsentinel.com

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Ever since Charles Phillips joined the Peace Corps in 1966, he and his family have served communities around the world.

From Peru to the Dominican Republic to Lewistown, Charles and Dawn Phillips found ways to serve.

Currently, the Lewistown couple teach agriculture and forestry with the Peace Corps in the Nagua River watershed, Dominican Republic.

But agricultural improvement is not the only need in the eight communities they serve. After moving to the area, the Phillips became aware on the need for a new medical clinic.

The present clinic has provided care for more than 1,800 people for 13 years. But due to its deterioration, there has been no doctor at the clinic for five months.

There is no security or water in the clinic, converted from a house made of palm trees, Charles Phillips wrote in an e-mail to The Sentinel.

“The clinic is important because the communities that it serves are very isolated,” he wrote. Four communities do not have roads, and the other four have dirt roads, he wrote.

The clinic not only serves immediate health needs like infections, heart attacks or diseases, but also provides prevention methods through educational health material and vaccinations for babies and children.

Through the Peace Corps, the Phillips are raising money to buy the necessary cinder blocks, cement, rebar and zinc roofing for a new clinic. The communities will provide the land, tools and labor.

“Any donation is accepted and appreciated,” he wrote.

The Peace Corps Web site links individuals who would like to contribute with volunteers who are working on a project.

To help with the health clinic project, visit www.peacecorps.gov, click on “Donate now,” then on “Volunteer projects,” then by country look for Caribbean and click on “Community Medical Clinic, Phillips D.”

For the project to be approved, approximately $10,000 must be donated by November. If the deadline is met, the communities could finish the center before the Phillips leave in May 2008.

The couple applied to the Peace Corps in 2004. And after “many bumps in the road,” including having to appeal denials for approval, they received an invitation to the Dominican Republic agriculture and forestry program.

The couple was disappointed at first, because they hoped to return to South America, he said.

When people asked what they would do, Charles Phillips replied, “I don’t know, but maybe we will be planting coconuts on the beach.”

But after arriving in the country in February 2006, the couple changed their minds.

“We are very happy to be working here,” he wrote.

At half the size of Pennsylvania, the Dominican Republic has four mountain ranges with mountains three times as high as those in Pennsylvania. Altitudes vary from 330 feet to 1,500 feet above sea level.

Due to the wide variety of elevations, there is some place in the country suitable for almost any crop grown in the world, Charles Phillips wrote.

Within the watershed, there are eight communities in the Septentrional Mountain Range on both the north and south banks of the river.

Charles Phillips spends much of his time visiting cacao plantations or researching cacao on the Internet. He also meets with farmers to talk about cacao and the distribution of new trees.

The region’s principle crop is cacao trees, from which chocolate is made. The soils are very fertile, and in between the cacao, the farmers plant crops such as African yam, taro and plantain for their families.

The Phillips experience the local diet, eating plantain covered in molasses and drinking chocolate milk made from local cocoa beans for breakfast.

Dawn Phillips takes care of their garden and helps other families start their own gardens. She and her husband also teach literacy and English classes at a local school.

“The people are hard working, charitable, gentle and loving,” he wrote. “The people are rich in many ways but are cash poor.”

The average family monthly income is a little more than $100.

In the 1960s, Phillips was inspired to join the Peace Corps after a local newspaper featured volunteers from his community.

In 1966, he joined and went to Ecuador. Five years later, he married Dawn Maurer, and together they became Church Wold Service missionaries to Peru for eight years.

In 1980, they returned to the U.S. with a family of five and lived in Lewistown. Charles Phillips worked at Lewistown Hospital for 25 years.

Their children followed in their parents’ footsteps: their daughter Marcia serves in Honduras and their son Juan in Namibia, both with the Peace Corps

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: August, 2007; Peace Corps Dominican Republic; Directory of Dominican Republic RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Dominican Republic RPCVs; Peace Corps Ecuador; Directory of Ecuador RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Ecuador RPCVs; Older Volunteers

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