The first goal of the Peace Corps Mission states:

1. To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.

This is the part of the Peace Corps that is seen most by people in the world. After being sworn in, volunteers are placed all over their country of service in order to serve as best they can within their sector.

My sector is Education, and my specific primary project is Secondary and Upper Primary Education Project (SUPEP). The main goal of SUPEP is to provide primary and secondary schools with volunteer teachers to assist with teaching subjects and facilitating projects.

I was assigned to a primary school in which I teach English and natural science to grades 6 and 7 and I supervise the reading periods to all upper primary grades (4-5).

The first goal of the Peace Corps is the easiest to explain because it is what volunteers sign up to do. During the application process, potential PCVs see the available countries and programs within those countries and most people apply for the sector for which they have the most experience.

I did not have any formal teaching experience, but I do have a lot of experience working with young people and facilitating presentations and trainings with my peers. I learned a lot during the training period and even more about teaching middle grades from my first seven months of teaching so far, so now I feel that I can best serve my school and my community as a teacher.

That’s about it when it comes to the first goal of Peace Corps! Trained men and women are sent to communities that request a volunteer in order to serve as best as they can within their sector. Sometimes volunteers work on projects that overlap with other sectors, like when I assisted my principal in giving a workshop on early childhood nutrition and development as a small secondary project, but for the most part, we focus on our primary projects.

Next time, I will talk about the differences between primary and secondary projects in the Peace Corps!