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Manuals and Guides

1-20 of 139 results
Above and Beyond (M0052)
In 1987, Peace Corps' Information Collection and Exchange (ICE) division produced a manual to help Education Volunteers start what were then called "secondary projects," activities the Volunteers could organize during school recesses when they were otherwise unemployed. The manual discussed the philosophy of secondary projects and provided guidelines for their execution. Chapters dealt with such topics as situational analysis, needs assessment, feasibility studies, project planning, problem solving, evaluation, and documentation
Government, Civics, & Community Engagement
A Complete Handbook on Backyard and Commercial Rabbit Production (R0041)

Utilizing rabbit, as an alternative protein source and its by-products as an income-generating activity, has been the campaign of dedicated rabbit raisers for many years. We have seen many backyard, commercial, and nutrition education rabbit production projects succeed and fail, although successes have so far surpassed the failures. From observation and evaluation of these past and ongoing ventures, the following criteria are offered as guidelines to insure success in your project.

Agriculture
Adapting Environmental Education Materials (M0059)
Peace Corps Volunteers and others who conduct environmental education activities in schools, environmental education centers, parks, and communities are faced with a dilemma. On one hand, environmental issues need to be addressed through education, but locally developed materials either do not exist or are of low quality. On the other hand, environmental educators often have a variety of materials available to them but were they developed in other countries or regions.
Environment
A Few Minor Adjustments (M0099)
The subject of this book—cultural adjustment—is a daily necessity and, arguably, the central reality of the Peace Corps experience. While Volunteers work in a wide range of programs and hold down a variety of jobs, the key challenge for you and every other Volunteer—and the cornerstone of effective service—is the ability to adjust successfully to the host country and its culture. This book identifies some of the kinds of adjustments Volunteers make overseas and outlines strategies for successful adjustment. There is no foolproof formula for successful adjustment.
Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)
Agricultural Extension (M0018) (M0039) (M0040)

For Peace Corps, development centers on building local capacity and self-reliance among those who need it most. Accordingly, Peace Crops promotes approximately 35 agricultural extension programs reaching small-scale farming families world-wide.

Agriculture
Agroforestry In-Service Training: A Training Aid for Asia & the Pacific Islands (T0016)
The Forestry/Natural Resources Sector (no longer in existence) in the Office of Training & Program Support of Peace Corps conducted an Agroforestry In-service Training Workshop in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The workshop design combined both technical presentations with appropriate "hands-on" experiential learning sessions.
Environment
A Manual for Trainers of Small Scale Beekeeping Development Workers (T0029)

This manual provides a guide for those who are helping future Peace Corps Volunteers to acquire basic beekeeping skills. The program is designed to help Trainees develop the skills they will need to work and live in another culture as beekeeping extensionists. This is a skills training program; thus, some further in-country training or orientation is presumed.

Agriculture
A Microenterprise Training Guide for Peace Corps Volunteers (M0068)
A Microenterprise Training Guide for Peace Corps Volunteers is designed for the self-directed adult learner. Self-directed does not imply a solitary learning experience, but rather that the learner takes responsibility for mastering the knowledge, skills, and attitudes. This self-directed approach is based on the “experiential learning” process, which is the way adults are most likely to learn.
Economy, Economic Development, & Business
A New Beginning: The Child Health Manual (T0102)
The central purpose of this manual—and of any pre-service training (PST) based on it—is to replicate in training, as nearly as possible, the experiences of a Peace Corps Volunteer conducting health work in a village or community. The manual takes the Trainees through the same sequence of events that Volunteers go through so that Trainees may develop the same skills and knowledge that they need to carry out the most common health assignments.
Health & Wellness
Animal Traction (M0012)
This manual is a practical guide to the use of draft animals and animal-powered farm equipment. It is written primarily for use by Peace Corps Volunteers and agricultural extension personnel working in animal traction development programs, but it can be used by farmers who are teaching themselves to use these techniques.
Agriculture
Animation Skills (M0055) (M0060)
The manual was written to be used by Peace Corps trainers who seek to train Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and other extensionists in the use of nonformal education and animation techniques-especially in guinea worm endemic countries. By using the manual, trainers will also instruct their students on guinea worm and its prevention. The manual is also to be used by Peace Corps Volunteers and extensionists to prepare animations for field activities.
Health & Wellness
Appropriate Community Technology: A Training Manual (T0028)
Basic to the purpose of this program is the belief that appropriate community technology represents as much a process as a philosophy. The process begins when people take an active role in their own education; it continues as they identify not only their needs, but also the resources, abilities and methods that will help them make decisions and address their problems in ways that are both sustainable and locally appropriate.
Economy, Economic Development, & Business
Aquaculture: A Training Manual (T0057)
This manual is not intended to be a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to aquaculture training. Training is a dynamic process, constantly evolving, and always needs to be tailored to the unique circumstances of each program. This includes the needs of the trainees, the objectives of the aquaculture projects, and the personalities and styles of the training staff. The technical sessions described here are meant to serve as guidelines.
Agriculture
A Training Manual in Combatting Childhood Communicable Diseases: Volume II (T0039a) (T0052)
The Combatting Childhood Communicable Disease (CCCD) Project is a major collaborative effort of Sub-Saharan African nations, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Peace Corps, the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and other donor nations to red we morbidity and mortality in children under five years of age.
Health & Wellness
A Training Manual in Combatting Childhood Communicable Diseases: Volume I (T0039) (T0051)

The Combatting Childhood Communicable Disease (CCCD) Project is a major collaborative effort of Sub-Saharan African nations, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Peace Corps, the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and other donor nations to red we morbidity and mortality in children under five years of age.

Health & Wellness
A Volunteer's Guide to Community Entry: Learning Local Environmental Knowledge (M0071)

The purpose of this guide, therefore, is to provide you with a simple way to learn about the biophysical, economic, and social aspects of your host community during your first several months of service. The method will help you explore and discover how community members perceive and relate to their local natural resource base. As you learn about your host community’s relationship with the local environment, you will find yourself increasingly “community-literate” about local practices and livelihood strategies. In other words, you will become a more valuable community asset for development.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)
Basic Techniques of Blacksmithing: A Manual for Trainers (T0021)
This manual is a guide for trainers who are helping Peace Corps Volunteers to acquire basic blacksmithing skills. The training is designed to give Volunteers a knowledge of metals and metalworking that will help them support rural communities in their efforts to produce tools for agriculture and cottage industry.
Agriculture
Beyond the Classroom: Empowering Girls Idea Book (M0080)
Dreaming, discovering, and growing is a life-long process. Volunteers can provide opportunities and serve as catalysts for this growth. Whether interacting with young women through schools, in communities, or in day-to-day exchanges, Volunteers have the potential to help girls change their lives for the better. This booklet provides a collection of ideas and activities from Volunteers around the world to be used as a resource in the valuable work of empowering young women.
Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)
Case Studies in Models of Financing and Sustaining Community and National Volunteer Service Programs

This report and case studies address the different models of funding for community and national service programs globally. The illustrative practices in resource mobilization and resource allocation seek to help community/youth volunteer programs, service-learning school/university-based programs, and national service corps programs strengthen their start up and sustainability strategies.

Volunteer Life, Service, & Programs
Classroom Management Idea Book (M0088)
This book was written in response to feedback from Volunteer teachers. They report that managing a classroom in a new cultural environment is a primary challenge. Many feel that the time spent dealing with classroom management issues detracts from the time spent actually teaching content. Sensitive and complicated questions, such as how to teach in a school that condones corporal punishment, surfaced frequently.
Education