She never knew how effective that program had been, and she left the country wishing she could have done more. A few years ago, after a long teaching career on the North Shore, she decided to try again. She has since made several trips to Pakistan to do teacher training workshops. She has helped start a scholarship fund for girls and raised money for earthquake relief. She's now trying to put together $10,000 to repair schools damaged by last summer's devastating flood.
Barbara Janes served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Pakistan from 1961 to 1963
Pioneers in the Peace Corps
50 years after Kennedy proposed the Peace Corps, some of the earliest volunteers look back with pride
[Excerpt]
Barbara Janes, 71 Pakistan, 1961-63
Before Barbara Janes was sent to Pakistan, she spent a few weeks in Puerto Rico in a sort of tropical boot camp. She learned to stay afloat in the water for hours, rappelled down the side of a dam and spent a night alone in the jungle, sleeping in the glow of bioluminescent plants.
It might have seemed like strange preparation for a teaching job, but it was in keeping with the indomitable spirit that infused many of the early Peace Corps volunteers.
"When I graduated from college, we thought that the adults had ruined this world," she said. "'Get out of the way, give us six months and we'll solve all your problems.' What I realized several years later is that it's not going to happen. You just pick your niche and try to influence it, and you do the best you can in that small area. If enough people do that, more change will happen."
She taught biology and science at women's colleges and designed a program that trained students to become teachers, instructing rural villagers in health and sanitation.
She never knew how effective that program had been, and she left the country wishing she could have done more. A few years ago, after a long teaching career on the North Shore, she decided to try again.
She has since made several trips to Pakistan to do teacher training workshops. She has helped start a scholarship fund for girls and raised money for earthquake relief. She's now trying to put together $10,000 to repair schools damaged by last summer's devastating flood.
Even though Pakistan is viewed with suspicion and alarm by many Americans, she said, she is confident that her Peace Corps experience and recent travels showed the true heart of the country.
"They're really good people," she said. "There are (terrorist elements), but most Pakistanis want to live their lives just the way we do. I try to help people understand that."
