A Volunteer for the Community

I've tried.

Those are the words that come to mind when I think of my host organization at the moment.

I've tried.

I arrived at this organization at a time when my Peace Corps-designated 'supervisor' was on his way out to pursue politics. There was a lack of planning and preparedness with regards to the transition over to a new program coordinator, and a lack of staff.

I did my best to assist the staff who had remained, advise them on how to move forward. But when the person set to take the leadership position of the organization was neither willing nor able to move forward, it was up to the board to right the ship.

I've tried.

Since arriving here last August, I have consistently advised the organization's board members to effectively change the organizational culture and to hold regular meetings, at least monthly, to ensure that they can guide the organization appropriately. While they have held a few 'executive' board meetings with often only 3 or 4 of the 12 members of the board, they have been only held at times of absolute need.

I've tried.

As staff dwindled to none, I did my best to attend meetings, to represent the organization, even though my work should be done in conjunction with people, not solo. I trusted the chairman of the board, I felt that the will was there, that we could right things. My hope was before leaving, staff would take over. In the meantime, my efforts could bridge the gap, keep the organization relevant within the community.

I've tried.

I moved around the community with my counterpart, presenting ourselves as volunteers of the organization, actively building relationships and planning out new projects which could help the community.

I've tried.

When election's arrived, and all of us Peace Corps volunteers were consolidated away from site for a couple weeks, I fielded many calls and emails from increasingly suspicious governmental/donor agents in charge of our one funded projects since we had no staff. I coordinated with the board and my 'supervisor' to provide the agents with information to try and prevent the loss of the contract.

I've tried.

With my 'supervisor' having returned to the organization after losing his election, I immediately called him to arrange a meeting with him and the chairman of the board to discuss current and future projects, as well as the overall direction of the organization. After a couple false starts, we had a good discussion on what we've each been working on. And we discussed what projects we could work on together, promising to keep each-other apprised of work. I tried to set a time to begin work, he couldn't saying he was too busy at the time.

I've tried.

Since arriving here, I have constantly tried to keep communication open. To let the board, the staff, and my 'supervisor' know what I am doing, to discuss what must be done in the best interest of the organization, and to ask about their work and how specifically I can help. Rarely have I been contacted, and only for basic needs like a lost key to the office. It has all been very one-sided.

I've tried.

When the last person staffing the office left the organization, I opened the office regularly on my own when I didn't have other work within the community. But finally, I decided that this gave the board a false impression that all was okay. If the office is open, things can't be all that bad. So I decided to leave the office closed.

My counterpart recently told me he met one board member who cited the reason why they haven't met is due to a lack of a 'sitting allowance' for members of the board. I've previously discussed my thoughts on the culture of 'sitting allowance', inferring an effort above expectations. The will to improve the organization from the board just isn't there.

My office would be outside within the community as a whole, which it generally has been anyways. I told the chairman of the board that I have effectively left the organization. I am ready and willing to help them in any way I can, to work alongside them, but I am done chasing them around. My time is too short, I need to collaborate with people who are ready to work themselves. If the desire to move forward is not present within the board of the organization, there is nothing that I can do.

It's their turn.

After over three weeks straight of the office being closed, the chairman held an executive board meeting on April 22nd. The chairman wasn't present as he is stretched thin, volunteering with many different organizations, and is now looking to step away from the organization. Only two board members and my 'supervisor' were present.

I asked to address them during that meeting, and laid out for them everything I've been doing outside of the organization. I explained that my primary responsibility is to assist the community I've been placed in. If my host organization is not ready to work, then it is necessary for me to work with other community members to be productive, especially considering how I only have two months left.

I again gave my thoughts on what has gone wrong in the organization and recommendations on how they need to move forward, namely opening up communications and taking active roles in the organization. I told them that I am ready and willing to work alongside them to help the organization, but they need to reciprocate my effort.

To their credit, the board acknowledged some of the issues I raised. But the first board member to address me asked 'you're doing work with all of these different groups. You're making an impact with them. But what you should ask yourself is what can you do for our organization? What will you leave for us?'

I felt my blood pressure rise...

I responded that I don't think its fair for them to expect me to respond to that. I can't work alone. I've tried to talk to you all, give advice, chase people down to meet and work together. But if the organization isn't ready to work, I can't do a thing.

I've tried.

My 'supervisor' talked a lot about issues within the organization and the board, how they are moving forward, adding new people, addressing some of the issues I brought up.

He then talked about what they expect of me, using the first Peace Corps Volunteer at a nearby organization as an example of what a good PCV should do. He said that despite having to leave early due to unfortunate circumstances, the PCV wrote a proposal 'all by himself' which gave the organization a five-year funding grant to help them start up. (This account, by the way, turns out to be false.) He inferred that that is what is expected from me. They talked of me linking the organization with friends outside to get them contracts.

It seems clear that what they expect from me is not to work together, but for me to work on my own to secure funding for them. As far as I'm concerned, nothing could be further from what a PCV should be doing. I'm pretty sure John F. Kennedy, when pitching the idea of the Peace Corps, did not once mention the words 'all by oneself', 'funding', or 'proposals'.

I told them that they should not look at me as a source of funding. PCVs work alongside members of the community to build capacity. I can help with planning a project, even perhaps writing a proposal. But it should always be a sustainable project idea, and it should never be my own.

As I have done throughout my service, I talked of my development philosophy, that any outside funds should be used for sustainable projects. To either teach new skills or establish a sustainable income-generating activity. It is income-generating activities that raise money from within the community that should sustain an organization and their outreach activities, not outside funding. But my 'supervisor' disagreed, any income-generating activity is there simply to supplement their main source of income, proposal writing, in hard times.

Bottom line, I asked the board about the way forward. If you all want to work with me, then set a date for us to sit down and plan together what projects we can do. My 'supervisor' couldn't give me a date, but said he'd let me know. I also asked him to keep me apprised of any new developments regarding the dykes and flood management, as this is work the organization has historically done and I had planned to be a part of. He promised he would.

I've tried, it's their turn.

Since that time, I know of a couple meetings related to such projects that have taken place, yet my 'supervisor' never once gave me any notice. In a latter meeting with the donor agency funding both their main project and eventually my Bubamba and Buongo school lunch projects, both my 'supervisor' and I were in attendance. He actually presented two new proposals to them, one of which was for an income-generating activity, the type of project I had always suggested, and he had fought me on. Not once did he consult me, inform me, or reach out to me even at or following the meeting. It has become evident that he has no desire to work with me. To him, I am a source of funding. Requesting a PCV was his only responsibility, now it is my responsibility to bring in the money.

'Wamekata.' They have declined.

I refuse to work that way. I refuse to compromise my ideals. I refuse to sustain a culture of dependency. And therefore, until my host organization contacts me and makes it clear they are willing to work with me, I am a volunteer for the community of Bunyala as a whole, not of any one organization. I have left my host organization, and will continue to work together with the community, with the principles of the Peace Corps and sustainable development behind me, to improve the community I've grown to love.