The couple was told the last week in May they would be headed for Mali, he said. "They only had about five or six weeks to get ready," Mette said. "They wanted to be placed in the same area on the same assignment. They are assigned to the same village, but will have different jobs." Mette-Bory is training to become a health education volunteer; she will be developing programs to address health issues such as HIV/AIDS, according to Christine Torres, public affairs specialist with the Peace Corps. Bory is training to become an information technology volunteer; he will be planning community development through information technology. They had to pass two semesters of French before they could go ahead with their assignments, but will be immersed in the language and culture while living with a host family for three months, Torres said. After acquiring the language and cultural skills necessary to assist their community, the couple will serve for two years in the country. "They will be living in a manner similar to the people in their host country," Torres said.
Natalie Mette-Bory, 25, and her husband, Stephen Bory are living with a host family in Mali preparing for their volunteer service there
Edwardsville couple serving with Peace Corps in Mali
Former SIUE students will serve more than two years in West Africa
By Larry Ingram
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 8:48 AM CDT
They wanted to work with the Peace Corps.
Now two former Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students, Natalie Mette-Bory, 25, and her husband, Stephen Bory, of Edwardsville, are living with a host family in Mali, Africa, preparing for their volunteer service there.
The couple will be serving in Mali for 27 months, helping to improve conditions in the country.Mette-Bory, of Effingham, graduated from SIUE earlier this year, and Bory, a year earlier.
She earned a master of arts degree in sociology; Bory, of Stafford, Va., received a bachelor of science degree in computer science.
The couple met while Mette-Bory was a student at SIUE and Bory was serving with the U.S. Air Force at Scott Air Force Base.
They left for this mission July 7, to begin pre-service training.
Mette-Bory's father, Bob Mette, said the two started talking about the Peace Corps, and applied to serve with the agency, nearly two years ago, while students at SIUE. They knew they would be placed in a sub-Saharan country, and could request three countries for placement, Mette said.
The couple was told the last week in May they would be headed for Mali, he said.
"They only had about five or six weeks to get ready," Mette said. "They wanted to be placed in the same area on the same assignment. They are assigned to the same village, but will have different jobs."
Mette-Bory is training to become a health education volunteer; she will be developing programs to address health issues such as HIV/AIDS, according to Christine Torres, public affairs specialist with the Peace Corps.
Bory is training to become an information technology volunteer; he will be planning community development through information technology.
They had to pass two semesters of French before they could go ahead with their assignments, but will be immersed in the language and culture while living with a host family for three months, Torres said.
After acquiring the language and cultural skills necessary to assist their community, the couple will serve for two years in the country.
"They will be living in a manner similar to the people in their host country," Torres said.
The main mission in Mali is to confront imminent food shortages due to a rapidly growing population and frequent droughts, Torres said.
The two will be among 147 other Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Mali; there are currently 367 Illinois residents currently serving in the Peace Corps.
The application process for serving with the Peace Corps is comprehensive, Torres said.
"We want to find out as much as we can about them," she said. "There is also a medical evaluation. We want to make sure the volunteer is healthy."
Torres said Peace Corps volunteers mostly serve in developing countries throughout the world.
"They also serve in urban areas," she said. "We serve in countries where we have been asked to serve. Usually that is in developing countries."
The mission of volunteers is to transfer their skills and knowledge to the communities where they live, she said.
"They are trained to be able to improve the conditions of the people," she said.
Torres said the experience is also a cultural exchange for the Americans serving in the Peace Corps.
"They develop friendships while they are serving," she said. "When they come back, they talk about their experience."
Expenses and travel are paid for, but volunteers live at the level of the local communities, but with full medical and dental insurance.
When finished, volunteers receive $6,000 to help them transition to life in the U.S.
Since 1962, 7,287 Illinois residents have served in the Peace Corps; since 1971, 2,135 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Mali.
There are currently 8,000 volunteers serving with the Peace Corps in 74 countries; since 1961, more than 190,000 volunteers have served in 139 countries.
The Peace Corps began in 1961 after former president John F. Kennedy challenged students in 1960 to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries.
For more information, visit the Web site at www.peacecorps.gov.
