When I turned around to say goodbye to my mother and before I could utter a sound, she turned and ran away, crying. I started to chase her, but my brother, Demba, told me to let her go.
The COVID-19 pandemic tested health systems worldwide. Senegal, while initially demonstrating a robust response to and management of the pandemic, the underlining fact and parallel reality was soon revealed; the nation’s already fragile health system and infrastructure were stretched and strained beyond measure.
The COVID-19 pandemic tested health systems worldwide. Senegal, while initially demonstrating a robust response to and management of the pandemic, the underlining fact and parallel reality was soon revealed; the nation’s already fragile health system and infrastructure were stretched and strained beyond measure.
The first group of Peace Corps Volunteers landed in Senegal in February 1963. The group included athletic coaches, and specialists in rural development and well digging. With US-based training under their belts, the early groups of Volunteers could hardly imagine what awaited them in Senegal. Over the years Peace Corps training has shifted from stateside training to exclusively Senegal-based. These first Volunteers were trailblazers and set the stage for years to come. Read their first-hand accounts of Peace Corps Service in the 1960’s.
The first group of Peace Corps Volunteers landed in Senegal in February 1963. The group included athletic coaches, and specialists in rural development and well digging. With US-based training under their belts, the early groups of Volunteers could hardly imagine what awaited them in Senegal. Over the years Peace Corps training has shifted from stateside training to exclusively Senegal-based. These first Volunteers were trailblazers and set the stage for years to come. Read their first-hand accounts of Peace Corps Service in the 1960’s.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in the spring of 2020, I was weighing decisions about graduate school while working a variety of jobs, from child care to ride-share driving.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and in the absence of Volunteers, Peace Corps Senegal strives to support our program partners. Master Farmers are an important partner, and our Agriculture and Agroforestry teams are hard at work supporting them.
The remaining staff members and I began looking at one another, with blank faces, feeling empty and alone. I think it’s safe to say we were all in shock at what had occurred.
“She looks beautiful!” I heard them say as my mother dressed me that morning. I’m only about a week old and prior to today, no one in the community knows my name. It’s a secret.
