My name is Jennifer and I am a current Peace Corps volunteer leaving for Togo, West Africa, in September. It has been a long journey from the first moment contemplating service in the Peace Corps to now waiting anxiously for that departure date to arrive. Togo will be my new home from September 2011 until December 2013. Setting up this blog will allow friends and loved ones to follow me and be updated on what I’m doing.
One of the biggest questions I’ve been asked is “Why join the Peace Corps?” or in other words “What are you crazy?” Many people just don’t understand my desire to give up all the comforts of American life to live in a poor African country. In all, it has been difficult to explain the reasons behind my decision to take on this adventure, but I’ll give it a try.
Explaining what I am going to do in Togo might help people to understand why I’m doing it. From the Peace Corps Website: The Peace Corps has its volunteers work in various programs (Community Development, Agriculture, Health, and Education to name a few). I am going to be part of the Girl’s Empowerment and Education (GEE) Program under Community Development. As GEE Volunteers, our principal goal is to promote the education of girls and the idea that the education of girls is a worthwhile investment for a community. Furthermore, we work to provide girls with the capacity to actively participate in the development of their communities, which only becomes possible once a girl herself is educated. GEE Volunteers engage in a wide range of activities. Many volunteers work with schools teaching Life Skills classes or teaching English. Many others work with clubs of girl students and girl apprentices. Volunteers create Gender Equity Committees in their communities to take charge of the challenges of girls’ education after the departure of the volunteer.
Although I have a description about my job in Togo from the Peace Corps, it’s hard to picture sometimes. I often try to imagine myself living and working in my village. The only concrete thing I know for certain is that I will with working with young girls, which as a former Girl Scout leader is right up my alley. Overall, I’m pretty realistic. It’s unlikely that I will be able to alter a whole cultural belief system overnight, or even over my entire time in service. Despite this, I intend to persevere and stay true to my aspirations. I might not change the way women are viewed and treated in Togo immediately, but I can hope to sow the seeds of the future into the next generation. With all my heart I believe that I can make a difference. During my time in Togo, I aspire to encourage as many girls that I can to enrich their lives through education and empowerment.
When I think about living in Togo (which is often), I don’t think about it in terms of what I am giving up. Instead, I think about all that I am gaining. I don’t believe that you can be truly happy unless you live your life helping others. Of course not everyone needs to move to Africa to do that, but the Peace Corps is a calling for me. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I get to help people in real need and hopefully change myself for the better in the process. I want to do sometime worthwhile in my life.
So, how did this all get started? Growing up, I was always shown the value of helping and serving others from my family and my Catholic upbringing. Throughout my life I’ve learned that offering my time, energy, and love to others that makes all of my own life problems seem far away and unimportant. Service is a part of who I am and is a core part of my being. I knew that I wanted to become a Peace Corps volunteer following my mission trip to Banica in the Dominican Republic. I have always been involved in service and helping others, but my work in this poor community changed how I saw the world and my place in it. My eyes were opened to a whole new world where helping others gave me a sense of well being I had never experienced before. I traveled to help the people in Banica, and they in turn gave me the inspiration to want to do more. Banica has given me a glimpse of what it would be like to be a contributing member of the Peace Corps.
Togo is a country in West Africa on the coast. Its bordered by Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Benin. The official name is Togolese Republic or République togolaise. Although the official language is French the Togolese speak several Gbe languages such as Ewe, Mina, Aja, and Kabiye. The Capital is Lomé nad sits on the coast. Togo is a tropical, sub-Saharan, dependent on argiculture. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé has been the President of Togo since May 4, 2005. The currency is the West African CFA franc. In the north the land is characterized by a gently rolling savanna in contrast to the center of the country, which is characterized by hills. The south of Togo is characterized by a savanna and woodland plateau which reaches to a coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes. 
