Archive - August 12, 2024

  A volunteer explains—with poetry—why teaching physics to girls in Guinea, west Africa is so important to her. . . . Defending Girls’ Right to Learn by Lisa Einstein (Guinea 2016-18) I sat on the porch in my village of farms, When a young girl approached me, a babe in her arms. We started to talk, though a lot went unspoken. Her words were Pular and her French, it was broken. I asked her what grade she was in and she scoffed. “Failed the Brevet so dad married me off. The class all must pass this exam to continue To high school. I didn’t, in take 1 or take 2. Mon mari, il est vieux, an old man I don’t see. And now with this child? Pour moi, c’est fini. I think of that girl, alone and forlorn. We are the same, but the day I was born I won the lotto . . .

  by Awoko Publications By ophanieltgooding@yahoo.com   Freetown, SIERRA LEONE:  Six new Peace Corps trainees were officially sworn in as volunteers on Friday, August 9, 2024, at the Kambia Training Site, marking the culmination of an intensive 10-week training program. Known as “Salone 12,” the group includes four education specialists and two health experts, all poised to make a significant impact in Sierra Leone. U.S. Ambassador Bryan David Hunt opened the ceremony with a powerful endorsement of the Peace Corps’ enduring legacy in the country. “Our partnership with Sierra Leone spans over six decades, built on deep friendship and cooperation,” Hunt stated. He praised the more than 3,900 American volunteers who have served in Sierra Leone since 1962, highlighting their transformative contributions to the nation’s education and health sectors. “This collaboration has been a game-changer for Sierra Leone. We are committed to continuing this vital work,” Hunt affirmed. Peace Corps Country . . .