Conference #1: "PDM" Project Development and Management

Aside from teaching, most PCVs like to get involved in other projects around their communities. Mozambique already has a couple of well-established secondary projects that volunteers can get involved in (like REDES), but sometimes the community has a specific need, and Peace Corps volunteers have several tools at their disposal to help those types of projects happen.

My community has been begging me to help them open a computer lab. Our school got its first (and only) computer earlier this year, and it stayed locked up in the secretary's office until someone stole the power cord two months ago -- now no one uses it for anything. Many of my students have never seen or used a computer before.

Alcídio

That's how it came about that I traveled to Nampula with Alcídio, one of the other professors at my school.  Alcídio is an Art & Design teacher, and one of the few people other than me who has a laptop in Mavudzi-Ponte. For two days, we participated in a conference callled "Project Development and Management," where we learned about how to create sustainable community projects and get funding for those projects. We brainstormed about our computer lab, came up with a rough plan, and sketched out a budget. Next year, I'll be teaching less hours of English so I can have time to get Aulas de Informatica (computer classes) up and running.

There was a slight hitch in the conference when we talked about responsibilities with our counterparts. The session facilitator explained that the volunteer is there to guide and help the process along, but in the end, it should be a community effort, and not the volunteer by themselves. The responsibility should ultimately lie with the counterparts.

"That's silly," said Alcídio, "That's what the volunteer is here to do, to help develop our community. Everyone else already has a job. In the end, the responsibility should lie with the volunteer."

Errrrr.... yeah, Alcídio and I will be discussing that in much greater depth before we actually start putting this computer lab together.

The rest of the conference went well, though. A lot of great ideas were thrown around, and we got to give each other feedback on the various project proposals.

Working hard (with counterparts)

Working (with fellow volunteers)

Not working

Naturally, being a large gathering of volunteers, not all our time was spent working. I was originally supposed to go to Chimoio (the central capital) for this conference, but because I'm participating in Books for Africa (much more on that in my next post!) I ended up doing both conferences in the northern city of Nampula. I got to see a bunch of my friends from the north that I hadn't seen since we left training 9 months ago. I was originally hesitant about feeling out of place without my Central peeps, but I needn't have worried -- I had so much catching up to do with Hannah, Maggie, Casey, Stephen, Mafe, and others that the time passed much too quickly.

Playing.

Coming up next post:

"LEIA!" a.k.a Books for Africa - an early grade reading program to promote literacy in my community.

Me and my team, Páscoa and Alcídio!