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The logo seen here has an interesting history. The first Peace Corps Director, Sarge Shriver, sent small lapel pins to those PCVs who served during his directorship. The stylized hands in the design we have used were inspired by that pin. C Leigh (Purvis) Gerber designed the logo on this website from the original Shriver pin.

 

Bill and Annelise Schroeder designed our new website.
Greg and Brian Jones built the original website and continue to provide updates.
C.Leigh (Purvis) Gerber revised the design for the current website and also updates text.

Announcements:

FON News

FON Wants Articles on Nigeria

Have you access to interesting articles about Nigeria that most of us can't get? FON would like to know about them for use in our newsletter or on the website. We plan to prepare an annotated listing of such articles and even print some or all of some. Contact Andy Philpot, editor, at awphilpot@mountaincable.net.
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FON Letter from Mel Schnapper

And, now, after almost 40 years since I left my Peace Tour of duty in Ilorin, I've been to Nigeria 3 times to work - September, 2003 (Abuja), March, 2004( Abuja), August, 2004 (Kano, Abuja) and anticipate going back in the near future.  It's really a joy to work in Nigeria after all these years, as my Yoruba is still pretty good and has even improved because of my recent trips. What's really fun is to correct the Yoruba of non-Yorubas in Abuja who are just learning some Yoruba, especially as they say "good afternoon" before noon and I correct them with the proper greeting for "good morning". It was amazing enough back in 1965-67 as a 20 year old Oyinbo (white) kid speaking Yoruba, and it's even more amazing to people as a 62 year old!


Here's a few pictures of the new Kano wall, new Kano gates with old Kano beyond for those who lived there or visited.

...and me with drummers at a "turbaning" ceremony in Hadeija,  Jigawa State.


I've got more pictures for those who want to see the Emir of Hadeija's castle, and other scenes of Kano and the turbaning ceremony.



And, if anybody wants to renew contact with Nigerians they taught or worked with, just let me know, as I now have a newer Nigeria network.

About a year ago, because of a talk I gave at Peace Corps headquarters, I helped reconnect Ron Raphael with a former student of his, who has been living in the DC area for years, is a US citizen, is a DC Peace Corps staff member and whose daughter is a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa! I was there at the reunion and I was really moved by the ceremony and that I had played a role in getting them reconnected.

I was back in DC for five weeks, after a year of being out of the States, mostly in Afghanistan  for 8 months, 10 weeks in Nigeria, 6 weeks in Cairo (that's Egypt, NOT downstate Illinois, for those of you in Chicagoland!) and 4 weeks visiting my younger son in Shanghai. I’m now in Baghdad on a one year contract, for lots of money, but no life! Still learning about security issues and not sure what I am allowed to share regarding my existence here, so there’ll be no more about Iraq, for now. But do let me know if you want to know more about Nigeria.

Mel Schnapper
Washington, DC 20012
202-882-1066
www.schnapper.com
mel@schnapper.com

Here is Mel in Baghdad, in armor no less!

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FON VSO Pictures

>From the FON "Keep the lorries rolling" project with VSO:

Irma Fortuin, one of FON's targeted VSO workers in Nigeria, has a collection of interesting slides and photos online. Please take a few minutes to visit www.irmafortuin.waarbenjij.nu and immerse yourself in today's Nigeria. Irma works in Pankshin, on the Bauchi plateau and her captions are in Dutch. For example:

<- Pankshin Market



Lucinda Boyd
VSO project co-chair
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WikiFON

Friends of Nigeria is launching a project using the same tool that has changed encyclopedias from musty volumes in the library to the interactive, reader driven tool called Wikipedia. Browse to www.wikifon.org and see what a test group of users have recorded.  The sign up for a userid and record the history of your own group.  Translate the lore of our Peace Corps experiences many years ago into a narrative that can be read by ourselves, our families, our kids, grandkids, historians….

This new effort started as a history project suggested by Peter Hansen:

 ‘I envision the chapters as containing not only "the facts" -- places, names, dates, etc. -- but also the delightful anecdotes and Peace Corps lore that we re-tell whenever we come together at reunions and other gatherings.’

Ultimately, we would like to have the project result in a book.  But before we have a book, we need stories, information, and we need some smart eyes to fill in blanks, sharpen facts, and bundle the project into a cohesive narrative.  Various people suggested using a wiki as this first step, a community information collection tool.  We have tested the concept using a free site, and we are rolling WikiFON out on a professional site.

What is a wiki, and what do we want to collect on our wiki?  Here is how Wikipedia describes a wiki:

 ‘A wiki is software that allows users to create, edit, and link web pages easily. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites. They are being installed by businesses to provide affordable and effective Intranets and for Knowledge Management. Ward Cunningham, developer of the first wiki, WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as "the simplest online database that could possibly work".  One of the best known wikis is Wikipedia.’

One of the key ideas about a wiki is that any authorized user can contribute to any topic.  So, if someone says your group trained in Kalamazoo, and you know for a fact that your group trained in Ann Arbor, you can make the correction and provide additional information as appropriate.  Generally, there is an overall editor to prevent disputes from getting out of hand or users with an ax to grind disrupting the information collection process.  The editor can also strive to provide consistent formatting and style. We have several excellent professional editors in our FON community who have volunteered to help us sharpen our narrative, culminating, perhaps, in an actual printed book we can sit by the fire and read. Authors Bob Veatch (05) and Sarah Medvitz (27) have already volunteered, but if you would like to add your editing skills, please feel free to volunteer.

The goal of WikiFON is twofold.  First, we would like to gather information about individual training groups.  Where they trained, if there were in-country gatherings, any recent reunions. Second, each of us has anecdotes or recollections that could capture the flavor of Peace Corps service in Nigeria.  That box of letters and photos up in the attic your mother saved 40 years ago could be the source of some great stories.  As each of us presents our stories, they may spark recollections by others and evoke material none of us knew was there.

We have chosen to make WikiFON updateable only by people to whom we have assigned user IDs and a password.  This way we can track the usage and prevent malicious entries.  But what we create can be viewed by anybody on the internet.  Please sign up to be a WikiFON contributor.  Then you can review what other people have entered already, enter your own material, and interact with others on the site.  We hope to hear from you soon.

Access wikifon at www.wikifon.org.   Contact Greg Jones at gregory.j@comcast.net or Chris Collman at chris.collman@gmail.com to get a user ID.  Then you are good to go!  Thanks in advance for your efforts.

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Training Group Directories

As an outgrowth of the WikiFON effort, Len Lyons has contributed the Group X Training Group Directory.  We have not yet figured out how to upload the file format (.pdf) to the wiki site, so we are adding a link to it on this site.  Click here: Nigeria X Training Directory to get it.  If you have the directory of your own training group (or can find it in your parents’ attic) please consider adding it to our collection. Here is Group XX's Training Directory, courtesy of Bob Craycroft. Click here: Nigeria XX Training Directory to get it. Contact Greg Jones or Peter Hansen to submmit your own group's directory.

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General Announcements

Donation Sites

Members have suggested adding links that enable people to make charitable donations. Here are a few:

             

 

 

 

The Hunger SiteChild Health SiteBreast Cancer SiteRainforest SiteAnimal Rescue SiteStrike Out Hunger
Click below & help Dannon strike out childhood hunger.


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Websites for finding volunteer work in US and abroad

www.cie.uci.edu/iop/voluntee.html
internships, research opportunities, and jobs abroad.

www.idealist.org
At this site one can browse volunteer opportunities by country or one can narrow their search by filling out a profile identifying personal interests. There are also job and internship postings available.

www.crossculturalsolutions.org
Cross-cultural solutions is a not-for-profit international volunteer organization that operates volunteer programs is Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Peru, Russia, Tanzania, and Thailand. Volunteers work with local people on locally-designed projects.

www.servenet.org
Through SERVEnet, users can enter their zip code, city, state, skills, interests, and availability and be matched with organizations needing help. SERVEnet is also a place to search for calendar events, job openings, service news, recommended books, and best practices. SERVEnet has over 5,700 registered non-profit organizations and over 35,000 volunteer opportunities available. It provides the largest database of volunteer opportunities in America.
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NPCA Advocacy Network:

For those interested in taking action to support various causes, the NPCA Advocacy network offers a training guide and other support. The legislation for the New Peace Corps and other issues need supporters. Dave Hibbard (Nigeria 1) was recently appointed to the NPCA Board to help increase advocacy efforts.

To register as an advocate go to www.rpcv.org/pages/survey.cfm?id=33.

To see the training guide go to www.rpcv.org/pages/sitepage.cfm?id=730.
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Grassroots Empowerment Network

We are an NGO working with street children, victims of child labour and trafficking. We are developing a regional rehabilitation centre in the Niger Delta region to accomodate returnee victims, victims of organised and gender based violence, AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children in the region. The purpose is to aid the rehabilitation and reintegration needs of victims and their families. We are looking for volunteers and NGOs working in the field of advocacy, low cost housing, agriculture and vocational training to work with our volunteers on the project and would appreciate any help from your organisation in facilitating contacts with prospective NGOs and volunteers likely to be willing to work with us Thank you.

Israel Ekanem
Grassroots Empowerment Network, 49 Ibong Road, POB 328, Ikot Ekpene,
Akwa Ibom State, Nigeia
Phone: 234 85 400268
Fax: (650) 223-2199 4418
Email:
gen.org@onebox.com
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A RPCV from Mozambique needs your help

<- Playing with a Pot

My name is Blake H. Schmidt and I am a RPCV from Mozambique. I was a volunteer from 2001-2003 and taught English at a secondary school. Near the end of my service I began to put in place a project known as The World Through My Eyes (
www.theworldthroughmyeyes.org) and after my COS in December I returned to Mozambique to lead this project. I taught photography to 13-18 year olds for 4 months and it was an enjoyable learning experience for all involved. Please visit www.theworldthroughmyeyes.org to find out more about the work we did and hope to continue early next year.

Please forward this to any friends, RPCVs, etc. to tell them about this wonderful project. Also if you can please put links to your RPCV sites and or personal sites that would be awesome. We need your help to get the word out on this worthwhile project to see that it doesn't stop in mid-stream. Also photographs taken by the kids are available for sale on the site in our "sales gallery".

Thanks for your time and help,

Blake H. Schmidt, RPCV, Mozambique 2001-2003
& Project Leader for The World Through My Eyes.

PS I am a member of the Columbia River PC Association.
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Seeking Nigerian Language Interpreters to support medical community

Pacific Interpreters is a primary provider for many hospitals in the United States and due to recent expansion are in need of several African language interpreters to provide telephonic interpreting services on a contract basis. We are currently seeking bilingual phone interpreters in several African languages including Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa. We will test for medical knowledge for those who have no medical certifications but medical knowledge.

Who is eligible? Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents (eligible to work in US with valid work permit). Certified or applicants with prior interpreting experience will take priority. Contractors of Pacific Interpreters work and are paid as independent contractors (unless otherwise specified), therefore the number of assignments offered depends on the need for each language. We support the medical community so this job requires the ability to interpret between foreign patients and English speaking doctors.

Rates for these languages start at $.75 per minute for telephonic interpreting.

Please note that phone interpreters can be located anywhere in the US.

We are currently recruiting interpreters for the US only.

Interested parties may reach Sandy Banister at sandrab@pacificinterpreters.com or contact me directly at 1-800-311-1232 or (503) 445-5644.

Thank you!

Sandy Banister
Diversity Staffing Manager
Pacific Interpreters
520 SW Yamhill STE 320
Portland, OR 97204
(800) 311-1232 Ext. 5644
(503) 445-5501 FAX
(
www.pacificinterpreters.com)
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Call for Recipes

Dear RPCV's: We need your help with our Peace Corps Cookbook.

Many of you have already heard of the efforts to establish a Museum of the Peace Corps Experience in Portland, Oregon. The Committee for a Museum of the Peace Corps Experience (CMPCE) is involved in these efforts and is currently seeking funding to proceed with the project. One of our ways to do this is to develop a cookbook made up of recipes from countries of service sent in by RPCV's. Once we prepare this cookbook we will sell it and use any profits for the museum. Please help us with this goal. If you are not familiar with our work please look at our website for further information: www.peacecorpsmuseum.org

Museum artifacts.

Part of what made your service in your host country special was the food you encountered. Share recipes for some of those special dishes with the rest of us so we can get a glimpse of your experience and share a bit of the culture of a different part of the world. We plan to compile a cookbook that will enable thousands of Americans to experience some of what you encountered; along with your stories telling about the role this food played in your experience of the host country. This cookbook, tentatively entitled A World of Food: the Peace Corps Experience, will then be published, and as mentioned above, the proceeds will benefit CMPCE's efforts to establish a Museum of the Peace Corps Experience.

Along with each recipe please share some background information so the reader will gain better understanding of the food item and its place in your experience. Please explain any uncommon ingredients and suggest how to obtain them. Be sure to give us your name, country and years of service. Also classify each dish as to type, e.g. appetizer, beverage, dessert, soup, main dish, main starch, vegetable, or side dish. Be clear about amounts, times and temperatures. If an ingredient is very difficult to obtain can you advise about a substitute or the impact of omitting it? By sending us this recipe you agree to permit us to use the information you send for the Museum cookbook at no charge. No personal information will be divulged to others for any other purpose.

Send your recipe and accompanying information to: pcmuseum@comcast.net

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NPCA Microenterprise Program


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Guinea Worm Eradication

The Carter Center is updating a database of interested candidates for short-term consultancy positions in Guinea Worm endemic countries.

Duties:
assist host governments to implement national eradication program, increase capacity to identify, contain, manage, and report cases, conduct health education and social mobilization activities, and support ongoing supervision of eradication efforts.

Qualifications:
BA/BS, MPH (preferred);
local language skills from any of the following countries
(Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Togo); French highly desired;
overseas experience implementing health programs, preferably in Africa.

Honorarium provided. Send CV and availability via email to Aryc Mosher at: awmoshe@emory.edu.
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The Bight of Benin

Life in West Africa portrayed in recently published The Bight of Benin: Short Fiction


 WASHINGTON, DC, October 15, 2007 -- Kelly J. Morris takes the reader on
a tour of four West African nations with the publication of "The Bight of Benin: Short Fiction," available for purchase at Atacora Press (
www.AtacoraPress.com) at Lulu.com. Sixteen short stories take place in the West African countries bordering the Bight (or Bay) of Benin: Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria and span the years from 1969 to the present.


"When people in the United States hear that I have lived and worked for many years in West Africa," Kelly says, "their frequent response is: 'that must be .... interesting.'" Indeed, the colorful quilt that is the peoples and cultures of West Africa is more than interesting; it defies succinct definition. These stories, however, will 'open a few windows' and allow the reader to peer into life in the region through the lives of the characters.

The resourceful policeman, the apprentice truck driver, and the Water
Witch are just a few of the colorful figures whose tales have been beckoning to be told for many years. Kelly claims that the stories emerged "gradually at first, and then with increasing insistence they made their way out of my head and on to paper."

ORDER ONLINE AT:  Atacora Press
<http://www.AtacoraPress.com>

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelly J. Morris is an independent consultant and writer with over 30 years of international development experience, including 19 years with Peace Corps and 10 years with the World Council of Credit Unions. He lived in West Africa for 14 years and traveled frequently to Africa when based in the United States. He graduated from Duke University and is a Certified Credit Union Executive.

ABOUT ATACORA PRESS
Atacora Press presents books -- both fiction and non-fiction -- about Africa. Like the Atacora Mountain Chain that links Ghana, Togo, and Benin together, Atacora Press books embrace African peoples in both the underlying unity and the great diversity of their cultures, their history, and their languages.

ABOUT LULU
Founded in 2002, Lulu.com is a premier online marketplace that provides a platform for people to create, buy, sell and control digital content on demand. See
www.lulu.com