It’s no secret that women and girls have access to different, and often fewer, opportunities, and in many parts of the world, their rights and education are limited.
As a “seasoned” educator close to retirement, I often heard those questions when I shared my Peace Corps plans with professional colleagues, friends, and family members. Usually, I responded with my own question:
My name is Angell Kim, and I am a Korean-American born and raised in Texas. I served in the northern coast of Colombia as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Education and Community Development from 2016- 2018.
At the beginning of the school day, before classes start but while plenty of students have arrived, I lead a school-wide collective English class in the courtyard that uses songs and videos to teach entry-level English phrases.
Being a community economic development Volunteer is an abstract position with a range of services varying on a case-to-case basis for the American men and women serving in the Peace Corps.
Pass through any coastal pueblo in Colombia at the brink of dawn and you will see woman sweeping porches, raking rubbish and generally straightening up the house before another scorching day.