#cedlife

Hi Followers!

I hope that you are in peace and good health as you read this entry!

Many of you are probably still wondering what exactly I’m doing in Senegal. So, in an effort to clarify any confusion, I’m going to try to explain what my role as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Cheers to the long awaited blog post about my work.

For starters, I am in the Community Economic Development Program which was formerly known as the Small Enterprise Development Program, but was changed in order to encompass a broader scope of people. The three goals of our program are:

1. Enhance business growth and job creation

2. Increasing the productivity and income of individuals in empowerment groups and producer associations

3. Increase individual economic security through financial literacy

Yippee! Now you know the CED framework, but you still want to know how it all applies to my experience, right? Let me give you some examples of a few projects I have been working on and a few things that I aspire to do during and throughout my service.

Currently, I have office space at the Kaolack Chamber of Commerce. Although I work with the chamber of commerce a lot, I don’t belong to them. The relationship I have with the chamber is more of a collaborative partnership. That said, the office I partner with the most is the Centre d’Assistance pour la Création et le Développement des Entreprises. In essence, this office welcomes aspiring entrepreneurs or economic interest groups that want to start their own business, but perhaps need help creating a business plan, obtaining their business license, and getting their projects off the ground. Currently, I am working with an entrepreneur who wants to create a strategic plan for his expanding business in moringa. I also plan on meeting with a women’s group from a village that wants to create their first-ever business plan to begin income-generating activities! The most rewarding part is watching peoples’ courage and motivation grow right in front of you simply because you took the time to talk to them. I love what I do!

Recently, I had a 2-week training with the Peace Corps that focused primarily on entrepreneurship training. I can’t even say entrepreneurship training out loud without a dorky smile on my face! Teaching entrepreneurship is one of the main reasons why I decided to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer! The CED program in Senegal is totally on top of the game in regards to curriculum development which makes me feel confident and well equipped to go out there and empower men and women to think outside the box and create their own businesses. I still need to figure out who, what, where, and when… but Insha’Allah it will come together.

Having the ability to do cross-sectoral work with health and agriculture volunteers also opens lots of opportunities. For example, a fellow PCV wants to help her village create a community garden – that could equal an opportunity for me to teach the people in her village basic book-keeping skills to manage their garden, make projections, and help them save and re-invest their money.

Yung feeling na nanalo ka ng contest ng mineski, at yan yung prize.

Sobrang saya ko ngayon, nalimutan ko na lahat ng kadramahan ko kanina.

Colorwheel at Value scale lang naman pinapagawa, kaso kung gumawa ako matagal. Sana matapos ko tong dalawa ng Saturday at Sunday.