Winter 2006
 In this issue...
Greetings from Our New President
2005 Hurricane Response Activities and RPCVs in Action
Calling All Lesotho Volunteers!
What’s Cookin’?
Maharagwe: Spiced Red Beans in Coconut Milk, Kenya
Kudos to Miki!
2006 TGIF / TGIS Survey Results
Notes on the West Regional NPCA-affiliated Groups Meeting
in Eugene, OR
Donating General Library and Medical Books
RPCVs Call for Change in Agricultural and Trade Policies
Welcome! Marhaba! Bienvenidos! Karibu!
Upcoming LARO Events – Recruiting
Future Generations
Around Town…
Greetings from Our New President
Hi, I'd just like to take
this opportunity to introduce myself to the hundreds (I'm
told there are hundreds) of you I haven't yet met. My name
is Skye Wallace, and unbeknownst to you, I've recently been
elected the new president of RPCVLA.
 A
little bit about myself: I'm 24, a recent graduate of UC
Santa Barbara, and a very recently returned PCV from Bacau,
Romania. I served as a teacher at a fantastic bilingual high
school there and spent most of my spare time at my school--starting
up a Center for English Resources with my counterparts, pushing
my kids to roll up their sleeves and get involved, and sponging
food off their mothers, who were always trying to show their
appreciation to me in mass quantities of schnitzel and homemade
pickles. Hey, the "Posh" Corps may not have required
that I hack out my existence in some remote African village,
but I have dealt with my fair share of communists (they're
still quite abundant).
That being said, though my hand may have
been...uh, shall we say a little forced(?)...at the beginning,
I'm very excited to have received this honor. I look forward
to meeting (m)any of you in the future. Please let me know
if you have any suggestions about possible activities--either
RPCV get-togethers or ways RPCVLA can become more involved
locally.
Jennifer Skye Wallace
president@rpcvla.org
2005 Hurricane Response Activities and
RPCVs in Action
As you know, Hurricane Katrina brought
unprecedented devastation to the Gulf Coast and an along
with it, an extraordinary need for support services. In response,
Peace Corps’ Crisis Corps was deployed domestically
for the first time. RPCVs provided logistical support to
Federal operations as well as provided direct services to
hurricane evacuees. Some of their work is described in this
article, Crisis
Corps Volunteers Help Open Disaster Recovery Center in New
Orleans.
Hilary Stevens assists the
residents of the 9th Ward in New Orleans
In a shocking hurricane season that saw
27 named storms (all 21 names plus 6 Greek letters), the
most in the 154 years that records have been kept, Crisis
Corps was also called up in response to Hurricane Stan that
hit Guatemala in October. Crisis Corps Volunteers are working
along side current PCVs to help rebuild devastated areas
in the western highlands and southern coast. Read more details
in Crisis
Corps Volunteers Head to Guatemala.
.
Through Crisis Corps, Volunteers re-enroll in Peace Corps for short-term assignments
ranging from three to six months. Crisis Corps maintains a database of RPCVs
interested in Crisis Corps work. For more information on applying, current
openings, and recent projects, please visit http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.former.crisiscorps.
Calling All Lesotho Volunteers!
Jim Mueller served in the Solomon Islands
1997-99 and Lesotho from 2002-04. Jim was originally recruited
out of the Los Angeles Regional Office.
He sends us this message:
 “I
am the Friends of Lesotho contact for newly invited Peace
Corps Volunteers to be. If you have any members who served
in Lesotho or Southern Africa who might be interested in
contacting someone going to Lesotho, I would connect them
up if they are willing to provide information and experiences.”
Jim’s contact information:
Email: jandkmueller@yahoo.com
Phone: (301) 270-1686
Note: Jim is located in the Eastern Time Zone. Please note the 3 hour time
difference if you call him.
What’s Cookin’?
Maharagwe: Spiced Red Beans in Coconut Milk, Kenya
A favorite recipe of many of our Kenya
RPCVs. Submitted by Joan-Claire Kleihauer.
 Maharagwe
Ingredients:
1 cup dried red kidney beans
2 medium-size yellow onions, chopped
1-2 tbsp. oil
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. turmeric
3 chile peppers, ground into a paste (or 1-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper)
2 cups coconut milk
Directions:
1. In a large pot, cover the beans with
water and simmer until they are just tender.
2. Sauté the onions in oil until golden brown.
3. Add the onions and the remaining ingredients to the pot. Simmer another
several minutes until the beans are very tender, and the tomatoes are cooked.
4. Serve over rice or a stiff porridge.
Serves 4-6.
Click
here for a print-friendly PDF version of this recipe.
Kudos to Miki!
A great big thank you to our outgoing president,
Miki Shaler! Not only do we think she’s great, but
she was also featured in the current issue of the Friends
of Romania newsletter! Here’s a tidbit from the Member
Spotlight in the February 2006 issue.
“It’s been a busy few years
for FOR member Miki Shaler. After returning from Galaţi,
she teamed up with close friends Nicole Evenhuis and Kirsten
Taylor Hall, to create Zen Baby, a video that inspires, relaxes,
and captures the simple beauty of infants interacting with
nature.  “We
set out to create something we felt celebrated the beauty
in the world around us and created a feeling of peace and
well-being in the home that both child and parent could enjoy." … The
trio has plans for two more videos and possibly ancillary
products, including books. Check it out at www.zen-baby.com!
Miki’s ‘day job’ is a
challenging one. She serves as the development director at
A Place Called Home, a non-profit youth center in South Central
Los Angeles. (www.apch.org) Its mission is to provide at-risk
youth with a secure, positive family environment where they
can regain hope and belief, earn trust and self respect and
learn skills to lead a productive lifestyle free of the gangs,
drugs and poverty that surrounds them.
Visit the Friends
of Romania website to view the full article.
2006 TGIF / TGIS Survey Results
Once again, we surveyed our readers to
find out if they preferred the monthly dinners on a Friday
or a Saturday night. Here are the results out of 82 responses...
8 people preferred Friday night.
45 people preferred Saturday
night.
29 people said either night
was fine.
We'll keep the results in mind as we plan
future TGI dinners. Thank you for the great response. If
you'd like to participate in future surveys, be sure to join
our mailing list if you haven't already.
Notes
on the West Regional NPCA-Affiliated Groups Meeting in
Eugene, OR
January 14, 2006
Gabriella Maertens (CRPCA) and Bob Findlay
(West representative to NPCA board)
Attending were WSPCA (VP David Bane and
NPCA liaison Paulette Thompson), CRPCA (Gabriella Maertens),
Olympia area PCA (Bob Findlay), West Cascade PCA(Pres. Beryl
Brinkman, VP Wayne Thompson, Michael and Shannon Kresko,
Jim Cloutier, Lori Matthew, Joe Hindman, Dorothy Roper and
Pennie Moblo) and Idaho RPCVs (Pres. Sam Greer). Electronic
communications were received from NorCalPCA (Stephen Watkins
and Pete Johnson) and Anchorage RPCVs (Alison Mall).
Group Updates
In a round of group reports, it was interesting to hear about efforts of our
groups to reinvigorate their membership by interviewing and surveying members
in order to recalibrate their groups purpose and activities, and by waiving
local group fees in order to enhance membership in both local groups and
in NPCA. The sharing of these experiences, and the venue for mutual help
among our groups, is often the most valuable part of our thrice-annual regional
meetings.
NPCA Report
Findlay cited the extensive and effective lobbying efforts of NPCA to re-separate
Peace Corps volunteering and military service, a link that was parenthetically
added to a military spending bill over two years ago and only appeared on
the radar screen when the military touted the program in its recruiting efforts.
This lobbying effort on the part of NPCA staff was NPCA at its best, working
for the Peace Corps community.
In the contentious area of NPCA services
for members and affiliated groups, a number of proposals
are coming forward from a membership study committee (in
which a number of our regional group leaders participated)
and from NPCA staff and board executives. The proposals will
soon be sent to group leaders and will be on the table at
the upcoming board meeting in Austin TX in early February.
At the extremes, they range from changing membership to free
and universal to developing a more robust package of services
with correspondingly higher fees. Most proposals are for
more moderate changes in practices aimed at reducing group
leader and NPCA staff efforts such as all-electronic membership
renewals at reduced cost and annual group re-affiliation
at reduced or no cost. The reduction in costs is associated
with enhanced electronic processing of memberships and re-affiliations.
Given the recurring problems at NPCA in
processing both, including monthly fund transfers, it was
difficult to assess the credibility of the proposals at this
meeting. A periodic broadcast of NPCA accomplishments (perhaps
a synopsis of the monthly report to the board) and noticeable
improvement in electronic services to members and groups
would enhance perceived value within the organization and
provide a basis to assess procedural changes.
A proposal for universal and no cost membership
was favorably received at this meeting as it had the potential
to eliminate the accounting and recording burden on NPCA.
It also was agreed that NPCA as spokesperson for all RPCVs
and former staff (acknowledging that only about half would
be identifiable) would be more credible than speaking for
only 5% of returnees who paid a $25 membership. NPCA funding
would come from grants, contracts and donations, as it now
does, but with donations from a considerably larger pool
of members.
In other business
Copies were distributed of the Arrowhead Declaration, a statement on U.S. foreign
policy developed by the first PC Volunteers to serve in Liberia (62-64).
Groups are encouraged to review the declaration and to add their endorsement
through the NPCA Group Leaders Forum. Further information is available from Sam
Greer. Greer also distributed draft templates for City or State proclamations
of Peace Corps Week.
Upcoming 2006 Regional
Events
March 5: The Peace Corps at 45: A Legacy of Service at Home and Abroad: Peace
Corps/NPCA Open House in Portland (a PC 45th Anniversary event), 1-5pm at the
Smith Center, Portland State University, www.CRPCA.org.
May
West Region NPCA-affiliated Group Leaders Meeting and annual PC/WSPCA nomination
event in Seattle, http://www.rpcv-wa.org.
August 3-6
Summer of Peace 2006, RPCV West Region Campout (another PC 45th Anniversary
event) at Dworshak State Park, near Orofino, Idaho. Hosted by the Idaho RPCVs, www.CRPCA.org/campout.html.
Sept 15-16
Peace Corps 45th Anniversary Celebrations in Washington, D.C. NPCA annual meeting,
Group Leaders Forum, and board meeting.
January 6, 2007
West Region NPCA-affiliated Group Leaders Meeting and annual post-holiday pizza
party at the Lucky Lab in Portland with the CRPCA.
Donating
General Library and Medical Books
 There
are many organizations who manage book donations overseas
and domestically. Below are just a few. –Ed.
American Library Association: Sending
Books to Needy Libraries: Book Donation Programs.
Directory
of Book Donation Programs. Compiled by the University
of Albany, last updated in 2004.
ALA
Hurricane Katrina Library Relief Fund: American Library
Association information how to support libraries that were
affected by hurricane damage.
Book
Aid International: Opening Up the World Through Books.
Book Aid International works in 18 countries in sub-Saharan
Africa and Palestine, providing over half a million books
and journals each year to libraries, hospitals, refugee
camps and schools.
Books
for Africa: Since 1988, BFA has shipped more than 10
million books. Books donated by publishers, schools, libraries,
individuals and organizations are sorted and packed by
volunteers who carefully choose books that are age and
subject appropriate.
Books
for International Goodwill: This project is hosted
by Annapolis, MD, area Rotary Clubs. They include shipping
books to PCVs. Learn
how to help.
Donating
Medical Books and Journals to Iraq: Most needed now
are basic and specialty medical, surgical, nursing, pharmacy,
dental, and veterinary texts, no more than one edition
out of date (nothing published before 2000). If you have
further questions about what may be needed or want to know
the best address for your particular donation, please contact dgifford@hot.rr.com for
more information.
Medical
Libraries and Hurricane Katrina: information on donating
library needs at hospital and medical centers affected
by the hurricane. In addition to books, computers, printers,
are ink cartridges are needed.
RPCVs
Call for Change in Agricultural and Trade Policies
 Washington,
DC, November 14, 2005 – Fifteen Returned Peace Corps
Volunteers traveled from eight states to Washington, DC last
week to team up with leaders of rural communities in West
Africa. Together they spent three days receiving advocacy
training, meeting with members of Congress and their staff,
and educating others about the impact of current agriculture
and trade policies on rural communities here in the U.S.
and around the world.
The diverse group of participants ranged
from small farmers to a US-resident originally from Mali,
West Africa. All shared in common a deep commitment to support
rural communities here in the United States as well as in
developing countries, such as those they served in during
their Peace Corps service.
The group traveled to Washington on Nov.14th
to mark both the four-year anniversary of the so-called “Doha
Declaration” and the one month countdown to the next
gathering of World Trade Organization members. The Doha Declaration
called for trade liberalization that promised to benefit
developing countries. However, no deadlines to implement
the declaration have been met over the last four years. The
upcoming gathering of World Trade Organization members is
a critical opportunity for developed countries to uphold
the promises made in Doha.
At the heart of the negotiations are agricultural
policies. As a result of huge US and EU agricultural subsidies,
the price of products such as cotton and rice have been lowered
on the world market, forcing millions of farmers in developing
countries into dire straits. Meanwhile, here in the US, subsidies
unfairly favor large corporate farming interests – over
the average farmer who really needs the support.
Taking to heart the global impacts of US
agricultural and trade policy, the returned Peace Corps volunteers
were joined by representatives from the West African nations
of Burkina Faso and Mali who also traveled to Washington,
DC to address this important issue. Together, the group talked
about ways in which current policies are affecting rural
livelihoods in both the US and in developing countries. In
the words of Soloba Mady Keita, a small cotton producer and
mayor of a rural community in western Mali, “We are
not talking about poverty. We are talking about misery.”
The participants not only talked about
poverty, but also learned about ways that they could influence
the policy debate. Participants of the two-day training and
advocacy day met in the offices of their Senators and Representatives
and reminded them of the importance of US leadership in the
upcoming World Trade Organization negotiations. They showed
their solidarity by calling for bold steps at the upcoming
World Trade Organization gathering that would benefit rural
communities around the world. The heartfelt message that
they delivered is already paying off as four members of Congress
that they met with have already singed on to a letter to
the President urging US leadership in the upcoming negotiations.
Participants Jamaica Corker, who served
in the Peace Corps in Guinea from 2001-2003 said, “I’m
so glad the National Peace Corps Association organized this
day of lobbying because it provided me with the opportunity
to continue my Peace Corps work here at home.”
For More Information: contact Jayne Thomisee
in Washington at 202-306-1859.
Welcome! Marhaba! Bienvenidos! Karibu!
Welcome to our newest members who have
joined since August 2005:
- Daniel Behn, Uzbekistan (2002-2005)
- Mary Cadien, Senegal (2003-2005)
- Jason Chau, Niger (2002-2005)
- Christina Hazelo, Eastern Caribbean
(2003-2005)
- Elaine Hudson, Romania (2003-2005)
- Christina Marsh, Bulgaria (2003-2005)
- Bruce McDonald, Bulgaria (2002-2004)
- Stormy McDonald, Bulgaria (2002-2004)
- Lidia Romero, Guatemala (2003-2005)
- Matthew Rosen, Paraguay (2003-2004)
- Christopher Sadac, Georgia (2001-2003)
- Jennifer Wallace, Romania (2003-2005)
We look forward to meeting you!
Upcoming
LARO Events – Recruiting Future Generations
The Peace Corps Los Angeles Regional Office
has several community information sessions planned over the
next few months. If you are interested in attending and sharing
your experiences at any of the following events, contact
the Recruiter organizing the meeting at 1-800-424-8580 or
310-356-1100.
February
Sat, February 25, 2:00pm - 3:30pm: Los
Altos Branch Public Library, 5614 Britton Street, Long Beach;
contact Emily Farrell.
March
Sat, March 04, 10:00am - 12:00pm: Borders
Bookstore, 5055 S. Plaza Lane, Montclair; contact Allan Paloutzian.
Sat, March 04, 10:30am - 12:00pm: Borders,
3333 Bear Street, Costa Mesa (South Coast Plaza); contact
Rudy Sovinee.
Sun, March 05, 2:00pm - 3:30pm: Borders,
475 S. Lake Ave, Pasadena; contact Barbara Adams.
Tues, March 07, 7:00pm - 8:30pm: Borders,
1360 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles (near UCLA); contact Emily
Farrell.
Sat, March 11, 12:00pm - 2:00pm: Borders,
125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks; contact Sal Ventura.
Sat, March 25, 2:00pm - 330pm: Los Altos
Branch Public Library, 5614 Britton Street, Long Beach; contact
Emily Farrell.
April
Sat, April 01, 10:00am - 12:00pm: Borders
Bookstore, 5055 S. Plaza Lane, Montclair; contact Allan Paloutzian.
Tues, April 04, 7:00pm - 8:30pm: Borders,
1360 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles (near UCLA); contact Emily
Farrell.
Sat, April 08, 10:30am - 12:00pm: Borders,
3333 Bear Street, Costa Mesa (South Coast Plaza); contact
Rudy Sovinee.
Tues, April 18, 6:30pm - 8:00pm: Hastings
Branch Library, 3325 E. Orange Grove Blvd, Pasadena; contact
Barbara Adams
Sat, April 25, 2:00pm -3:30pm: Los Altos
Branch Public Library, 5614 Britton Street, Long Beach; contact
Emily Farrell.
Click
here for a full listing of all Southern California
university and community events.
Around
Town…
The following events caught my eye. If
you know of an event that you’d like to share with
your fellow RPCVs, please email the Editor.
Now through April
23: Carnaval: This lavish exhibition presents approximately
fifty elaborate costumes and numerous masks reflecting
a range of masquerade and performance themes that represent
traditions in these sites: Laza, Spain; Venice, Italy;
Basel, Switzerland; Oruro, Bolivia; Tlaxcala, Mexico; Recife/Olinda,
Brazil; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; and New Orleans.
UCLA Fowler Museum, Los Angeles. For more information, visit
here.
Now through June
29: Wild Safari 3D: This IMAX film will take you
from the lush grasslands of the Southern Cape to the arid
desert of the Kalahari in the North. California Science
Center, Los Angeles. For more info and showtimes, click
here.
Sat-Sun, Feb 25-26,
9:00am - 5:00pm: African Heritage Festival at the
Aquarium of the Pacific. The weekend will feature live
entertainment, ethnic food, arts and crafts, interactive
drum circles, West African dance, live jazz, storytelling,
award ceremonies and more. Free with admission to aquarium. Aquarium
of the Pacific, Long Beach.
Sat, March 11, 10:00am:
Jambo Watoto, Tales and Rhythms of Africa: Music,
masks and movement bring Africa to life. James R. Armstrong
Theatre, Torrance Cultural Arts Center. For ticket and
reservations, call the Box Office at 310-781-7171.
Sat-Sun, April 29-30,
10:00am: Los Angeles Times Festival of Books: feature
more than 90 author or panel discussions, author book signings,
six stages with children's programming, poetry readings,
cooking demonstrations and music. Book lovers will get
to meet best-selling authors, publishers and other literary
figures. On the UCLA campus, 405 Hilgard, Los Angeles. Click
here for more info.
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