Libraries make information more accessible and provide places for people of all ages to read, study and learn about the larger world. They’re also valuable as community meeting spaces and technology hubs.

Meeting a deaf Peace Corps Volunteer convinced Francis Phiri, a young deaf man from Zambia, that international exchange was a possibility for him too.

“You teach English and mathematics? That’s unusual for Zambia,” a friendly man I met while traveling back to my site said the other day. 

My first day in the village, I went to the rural health center to meet the staff and observe some of what they do. 

Around the globe, Peace Corps Volunteers work with local counterparts to design and implement safe, affordable and sustainable water and sanitation projects.

About a year ago, Daniel Bevington was at the provincial house working on a Raspberry Pi. 

Where did my Peace Corps journey begin?

Growing up on the Pueblo of Acoma Tribal Reservation, aka “The Rez,” interactions with people consisted of my fellow tribal members and other communities around us.

In the mornings, I wake up between 5 and 6 a.m. to swiftly roll up my sleeping bag (it’s cold season), hammock, and mosquito net, and roll out the yoga mat for some stretching.

Lodged deep in the bush off a bumpy, meandering path, you come to a clearing.