The General Rundown

So I am certain that I have not made it very clear what I am doing here, so I would like to explain what it is exactly that I am doing. So basically, I am a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru, and I have been assigned to protected areas and community based environmental management. Over the course of the next two years, I will be working and living near or in a national park with a small community. Some of the issues that I will be working on include solid waste management, reforestation and environmental education. My boss and director Diego, has outlined these three aspects as the major goals to which we work towards. By the end of two years, I am expected to complete the following: 1 large community landfill, plant at least 1000 trees, and teach at least 3 times a month. These are the minimum bottom line goals that I should expect to reach, but this is the absolute minimum. We are also expected to work on a whole host of secondary projects as well, which can range from community health programs to water purification techniques. In order to work effectively, we are assigned to work with specific community partners, whihc in my case will be either SERNANP or the national park service. Working with these structured entities helps provide support and direction to our programs, and gives us the opportunity to work with them on various programs as well. Although we have been given basic guidelines for specifics to accomplish, we will not completely know what other primary programs we can work on until we are living and integrating into our host community. One of the main guidelines of the Peace Corps is that we work as facilitators within the community, and establish programs in response to their concerns and needs. As a result, we must complete community diagnostic surveys in order to identify the needs, concerns and requests of the community. Other than those basics, I have been told by my program director that I will definitely be going to a national park due to my experiences. I am so excited to move to my site, but for now I am training in Chaclacayo until November 27th. After that, I move into my site and to live and work for the next two years. Excitement ensues.