“Currently, community members either have to rely on the limited materials at the local community center or have to venture outside of the town to access information, including newspapers. The new library will promote self-learning and literacy through access to books and computer programs, in addition to imparting management skills to the teachers and students that will run and maintain the library.”

- Peace Corps Volunter Claire McManus, who is working with her Dominican community to build its first library

Students eager to learn English in Azerbaijan - 2010

A classroom in the Philippines - 2006

IMG_2423 on Flickr.

School girls in Jamaica

AIDS-Free Generation Photo Contest - First Place - Reducing/Eliminating Stigma and Discrimination 

Fatima’s Gift  by Peace Corps Volunteer Molly Green (Morocco, 2011–2013) 

A student in Morocco holds some of the ribbons that were distributed during a local music festival. Volunteers, a Moroccan HIV/AIDS organization, and local high school students conducted outreach and HIV testing. 

Peace Corps Business Volunteer Elisa Molina is working with her Costa Rican community to install and furnish a computer lab in the local elementary school. The lab will provide public computer and Internet access to members of her community and two neighboring villages. 

“The purpose of this project is to equip the classroom of an elementary school in a small rural community with computers and accompanying furniture. Generation after generation, students of this elementary school graduate without knowing how to use a computer and community members of a town of more than 600 people in the rural area currently have no public access to computers, word processing software, or the Internet.” 

(Source: peacecorps.gov)

We received 29 computers from a donor in Australia for the computer lab at one of our primary schools. Woody got a few of them set up in time to have an “impromptu” opening of the new computer lab after school just to allow the kids to check out the computers.

Unfortunately due to a wiring mismatch with the electrical sockets, we only had enough working outlets to be able to get two computers running. But, after letting a few kids into the lab to try out the computers, we soon realized that they were very excited to use the computers. We let them play typing tutor games and demonstrated to them where to hold their fingers on the keyboard.

For some of them, it was their first time even touching a computer.

Peace Corps Education Volunteer Robin Al-haddad

Students wave from the window of their Moldavian school.

Students at a Peace Corps Volunteer’s school in China commemorate World AIDS Day.