Matthew Lauer was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on July 27, 1994 and was assigned to serve as an Environmental Sanitation Extensionist in the village El Hoyazo, Province of Santiago.

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Dominican Republic: Peace Corps Dominican Republic : The Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic: Matthew Lauer was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on July 27, 1994 and was assigned to serve as an Environmental Sanitation Extensionist in the village El Hoyazo, Province of Santiago.

By Admin1 (admin) on Sunday, July 01, 2001 - 2:11 pm: Edit Post

Matthew Lauer was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on July 27, 1994 and was assigned to serve as an Environmental Sanitation Extensionist in the village El Hoyazo, Province of Santiago



Matthew Lauer was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on July 27, 1994 and was assigned to serve as an Environmental Sanitation Extensionist in the village El Hoyazo, Province of Santiago

Matthew Lauer was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on July 27, 1994 and was assigned to serve as an Environmental Sanitation Extensionist in the village El Hoyazo, Province of Santiago.

DESCRIPTION OF PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER SERVICE Matthew T. Lauer Dominican Republic

Matthew T. Lauer entered Peace Corps training on May 4, 1994 at Entrena, S.A. in Santo Domingo and completed an intensive 12 week training program. Courses of study included Spanish language; Dominican culture, history and politics; development theory; cross-cultural orientation and adaptation; and technical training in water system design, which included the construction of a gravity-flow water system for a rural school.

Mr. Lauer was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on July 27, 1994 and was assigned to serve as an Environmental Sanitation Extensionist in the village El Hoyazo, Province of Santiago. Located in the lush, northernmost mountain range of the country, with a population of 525 people, El Hoyazo is a remote, subsistence agricultural community with no amenities.

Primary Activity: Project Coordinator and Technician, Water and Sanitation Project

Mr. Lauer helped the community carry out an extensive water and sanitation project which culminated in the completion of five gravity-flow systems. These systems serve 400 persons with 47 tap stands and have a overall pipeline length of 9.5 kilometers. In the course of this effort, Mr. Lauer worked with a local water committee in four areas: group organization and training, fund-raising, planning and construction, and water system maintenance and administration.

? Group Organization and Training Upon arrival in the community, Mr. Lauer encountered an underdeveloped human infrastructure. No individual or group existed that had the capacity to successfully carry out a water and sanitation project. Mr. Lauer's first task was therefore to organize and train a functional group that would have the necessary abilities to successfully complete such a project. Collaborating with two highly motivated community leaders, Mr. Lauer in a period of six months, helped establish a local water committee. Throughout the process, Mr. Lauer emphasized the acquisition of new skills and self-confidence on the part of the members of the committee in order that they work more independently in the future. Through informal teaching methods, such as role-plays and discussion of pictures, he facilitated learning about leadership qualities, successful communication in meetings, election processes, protocol and organization of meetings. At the end of six months, a functioning water committee existed which had a democratically elected board of directors and 20 members. The committee has subsequently evolved into a multi-interest community group that is focused on solving other community problems in addition to administering the water systems.

? Fund Raising Through a letter writing and office visit campaign, Mr. Lauer and the committee successfully funded the US$10,000 project through a combination of local and international funding sources. The committee raised 10% of the cash costs from within the community itself. In order to solicit the funds, Mr. Lauer helped the committee develop a project plan which included problem and objective statements, project calendar planning and a budget.

? Construction Mr. Lauer helped prepare the technical designs and helped oversee the hands on construction of the water systems. Local technical knowledge was incorporated whenever possible. Over a period of 12 months, he and the water committee carried out a topographical survey, produced technical profiles, made tank designs, and generated a detailed budget. During the construction phase, they coordinated the daily work of 54 community members who worked in five brigades. Five separate gravity-flow water systems were built, in order to provide water to all parts of the geographically dispersed community.

? Water System Maintenance and Administration Each of the five systems had 2-5 able community members designated as plumbers. Throughout the construction, these members were intensely involved in the construction in order to gain detailed knowledge of how the water systems functioned. Mr. Lauer's goal was to inculcate a feeling of ownership and pride among these designated plumbers so that they would maintain the system on a voluntary basis. Additionally, at the end of construction, Mr. Lauer gave a two day workshop to the system plumbers on basic water system design, maintenance, and watershed protection. Furthermore, Mr. Lauer helped the water committee develop a system to collect a minimal quota from each beneficiary so that a fund could be created to buy supplies for future maintenance of the water systems.

Secondary Activities

? Lorena Stove Workshop Working with a women's group, Mr. Lauer organized and taught a three day workshop on the proper construction of lorena stoves. A group of women were guided through the construction of a lorena stove with a focus on proper shape, chimney placement, and stove repair. Education on appropriate and efficient cooking habits, like covering pots with lids, was also provided. Subsequently, more stoves have been constructed in the community by the trained women.

? Assistance with Peace Corps Training In April, 1996, Mr. Lauer hosted the Peace Corps water and sanitation training group in his community. In collaboration with Peace Corp's contracted trainer, Mr. Lauer assisted in the three week long, gravity-flow water system construction training. Mr. Lauer also organized and taught a two day community development workshop at La Cabirma Training Center to the Peace Corps Trainees. Mr. Lauer received a rating of excellent (a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5) in an evaluation by all six Trainees for his community development workshop.

Pursuant to Section 5(f) of the Peace Corps Act, 22 U.S.C. 2504(f), any former Peace Corps Volunteer employed by the United States Government following his Peace Corps service is entitled to have any period of satisfactory Peace Corps Volunteer service credited for purposes of retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave, and other privileges based on length of Government service.

This is to certify, in accordance with Executive Order No. 11103 of April 10, 1963, that Matthew T. Lauer served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His service ended on August 28, 1996. His benefits under this order extend for a period of one year after the termination of service, except that the employing agency may extend the period for up to three years for a former Volunteer who enters military service, pursues studies at a recognized institution of higher learning, or engages in other activities which, in the view of the employing agency, warrant extension of the period.

Signed: Michael H. Hirsh Date: August 27, 1996 Country Director Peace Corps Dominican Republic





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Story Source: UCSB

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

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By Anonymous (213.232.78.163) on Thursday, September 14, 2006 - 12:18 pm: Edit Post

Dear sir/madam,
Please can you send me details about trianing on the gravity water system?I have interest on the course as I am doing it in practicals in my organization.


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