"I always was curious about the world," said Cowan, who grew up in Plymouth. "I wanted to learn (about) the world and help people." Cowan studied psychology in college, hoping to "help people help themselves" as a psychologist. A Peace Corps representative visited her school and Cowan saw a brighter opportunity for her future. She applied for the Peace Corps and made a two-year service commitment, eventually being sent to Lasutu in Africa. "When she [was] first sent to Africa, I was in shock," said Cowan's mother Linda Cowan, who said she was concerned she would lose touch with her daughter and wanted to hide the letter telling Sheryl she was going to Africa. "Gradually we worked out little ways to communicate." "I lived in a one-room, round house with a thatched roof," Sheryl Cowan said. "No running water, no electricity." She was given an allowance of $300 a month and mostly lived in the village and "spent most of my time outdoors" as an agricultural volunteer after listing gardening experience on her application. Cowan received 15 weeks of training in agriculture and animal husbandry before working with the local people to teach them to grow their own food. "It was safer than most places in the U.S.," she said. "Once you become part of the community, these people become like family to you."
Lasatu RPCV Sheryl Cowan currently serves the country director for the Peace Corps in Benin
Local woman talks about challenges of her career in the Peace Corps
By ERIN PLUMMER
eplummer@citizen.com
Article Date: Thursday, May 8, 2008
From the mountains of Plymouth to the hills and villages of Africa, a locally-based woman has been making an impact on people's lives during her service in the Peace Corps.
Sheryl Cowan currently serves the country director for the Peace Corps in Benin, a small country on the western coast of Africa. She recently made a trip back to New Hampshire and told her story to Jennifer Anderson and Charlie St. Clair on the Lakes Region Public Access Show "Today in Focus" in an episode that will air in two weeks.
"I always was curious about the world," said Cowan, who grew up in Plymouth. "I wanted to learn (about) the world and help people."
Cowan studied psychology in college, hoping to "help people help themselves" as a psychologist. A Peace Corps representative visited her school and Cowan saw a brighter opportunity for her future.
She applied for the Peace Corps and made a two-year service commitment, eventually being sent to Lasutu in Africa.
"When she [was] first sent to Africa, I was in shock," said Cowan's mother Linda Cowan, who said she was concerned she would lose touch with her daughter and wanted to hide the letter telling Sheryl she was going to Africa. "Gradually we worked out little ways to communicate."
"I lived in a one-room, round house with a thatched roof," Sheryl Cowan said. "No running water, no electricity."
She was given an allowance of $300 a month and mostly lived in the village and "spent most of my time outdoors" as an agricultural volunteer after listing gardening experience on her application. Cowan received 15 weeks of training in agriculture and animal husbandry before working with the local people to teach them to grow their own food.
"It was safer than most places in the U.S.," she said. "Once you become part of the community, these people become like family to you."
Most of the people spoke English since Lasutu is a former British colony, though Cowan learned the local language of Sansutu to better communicate.
A bus would travel twice a day between the village and the nearest town and she would travel to the capital city once every three months. She kept in touch with world events by listening to shortwave radio and sent letters home that would be received by her family three weeks after they were sent.
"After two years I felt there was still more to do," Cowan said. "I decided to stay for a third year. They were thrilled because a third-year volunteer is so much more effective. After that I realized I really liked doing this, helping people and helping understand their mindset."
After her third year in Lasutu, Cowan returned to the United States and pursued a master's degree in International Management at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vt. Part of her study included serving an internship in Ghana and she later lived for five years in Nigeria.
Shortly afterward she returned to the Peace Corps as a staff member.
"I wanted to give back to the Peace Corps and help other people," she said.
Cowan is now the Peace Corps director of Benin and lives in the capital city. Cowan said Benin is a politically stable country with strong support for its recently elected president. She manages 100 volunteers in Benin and "we make sure they're well-trained" through a nine-month training session.
Around two percent of the population of Benin is affected by HIV and AIDS -- a small percentage compared to other countries, as numbers are kept low through AIDS education. Encouraging education is another mission, especially in a culture where children are needed to help take care of the farm.
A third of the volunteers have backgrounds in English education and help teach the language. Volunteers from the health care and environmental education fields are also in demand as are small-business volunteers who can help artisans and small-business owners.
Peace Corps involvement in a country is non-political and cannot be terminated for outside political diplomatic reasons unless the country becomes dangerous or hostile to volunteers or the organization.
Cowan said Benin has been largely safe for volunteers.
"Once every couple years a volunteer might get mugged in the capital city," she said, though this usually occurs when the volunteer is in a bad neighborhood at night.
Volunteers also receive $225 a month that accumulates in an account and is available once their two years of service are complete. Many colleges also offer scholarships and the United States government will offer one year of non-competitive eligibility for former Peace Corps volunteers.
Anyone from college age and up can become a member of the Peace Corps and Cowan said the oldest current volunteer is 80-years-old. All volunteers and staff members are required to leave the service after five years, including Cowan, who said her term as a staff member expires in three-and-a-half years. She said from there she will likely take another job in Africa with a nonprofit organization or similar group.
In the meantime, she receives four weeks of vacation a year and visits New Hampshire once or twice a year.
"She's made it a point to keep in touch with all the technology we have," Linda Cowan said.
While a letter exchange was a six-week process and phone calls cost upward of $2.50 a minute when her daughter first joined the Peace Corps, now "we have Skype and we can do that with a computer. There's always a little thought in the back of my mind, 'Is she safe?' You have to let your kids go. This is something that's very gratifying for her. She walks the talk and everybody who knows her admires her."
