Right now, Naffziger is working on a few different projects. One involves planting trees called 'paradise trees,' known for their nutritious values. "They are packed with vitamins and minerals, and we are making a powder from the leaves to sell that can help fight against malnutrition," Naffziger said.
Chris Naffziger serves as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso
Ambassadors for a cause
BSU alumni travel continents to benefit global community
Caitlin VanOverberghe
Section: FEATURES
Originally published: 9/15/09 at 1:27 AM EST
Last update: 9/15/09 at 1:26 AM EST
On Oct. 14, 1960, then Senator John F. Kennedy stood on the steps of the University of Michigan Union at 2 a.m. He was there to sleep, fresh off a long day of campaigning, but he took a moment to speak to the students that had assembled there. In his speech, he asked these able-bodied men and women to serve, not only their own country, but the rest of the world as well.
Since March 1, 1961, when the Peace Corps was officially established, 195,000 volunteers have served in over 139 countries around the world, according to the organization's Web site.
Along with the thousands of people serving, Ball State University alumni have also done their part.
"I feel like Kennedy's call to 'ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country' still rings true, perhaps even more so today," Ball State University alumnus Chris Naffziger said. "I wanted to feel like I was doing my part."
Naffziger graduated from Ball State in 2003 with a journalism degree and received his master's from the university last spring. After graduation, Naffziger joined the Peace Corps and is currently serving in Burkina Faso in Africa until the winter of 2010.
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country located approximately 200 miles from the Sahara Desert. The country has suffered numerous military coups since its independence in 1960. Naffziger said the land is relatively barren and so dusty that "people wear surgeon's masks over their mouths when they are driving their motorbikes or riding their bikes."
"In the large cities," he said, "there is a lot of trash all over the place because there isn't any organized trash service. They just burn their trash, if they even do that."
Along with the trash problems, Burkina Faso has a high population, low resources and the second highest illiteracy rate on the planet, he said.
The Peace Corps has three main goals: To help the people of underdeveloped countries gain the assistance of trained men and women, to help people of other countries understand Americans and to help Americans understand the people of other countries. The volunteers are stationed in countries that are in the most need of assistance in areas such as health, education and agriculture. Right now, Naffziger is working on a few different projects. One involves planting trees called 'paradise trees,' known for their nutritious values.
"They are packed with vitamins and minerals, and we are making a powder from the leaves to sell that can help fight against malnutrition," Naffziger said.
Naffziger is also working with two schools in the area to paint maps of the world to hang on the walls of the schools.
"I'm corresponding with a kindergarten class in Illinois," Naffziger said. "The teacher and I are trying to work it out where they can do a map too, and we will share pictures of the process back and forth so the kids in both countries can see what the other is doing."
