Island

No man is an island, right? Well listen up because I've just discovered the flaw of the Peace Corps. We are assigned to a specific community. Under normal circumstances you are the sole representative of the Peace Corps in your community (Rwanda is an exception and many of us are placed with or near another PCV). You are expected to work a job and create secondary projects that reflect the largest need in the community as well as your individual skill set and interest. These secondary projects may include building a library, starting a life skills camp for empowering girls, and a million other things. Most secondary projects involve fundraising or getting grant money, setting up a training, orchestrating an event, mobilizing a group of people, supervising others. Throughout all of this, you are expected to work as a one-woman-show (in my case). Well, believe it or not, most people's skills lie in one area, not ten. We are expected to take on each step of the project and create some colossal success. I personally would like to work as a team. Doesn't that create some logic? I can use my strengths but shouldn't I also be allowed to exploit another PCV's talent? Luckily, in Rwanda, I can easily advertise and recruit other PCVs to a project of mine and create a beautiful synergy of strengths. But for other programs in other countries, should the one person system be disbanded to allow partnerships for projects? and how many people can actually identify their own strengths and know what would complement them best? Think about it Peace Corps, just think about it.