Kerry and Scott have been assigned as Rural Community Development Volunteers in Brokopondo, Suriname (map) where most of their training took place. While living within the community throughout training with a homestay family, a number of needs were voiced which are now being included in their official assignment.

Their primary project that will most likely start immediately upon moving to site is teaching English at the government MULO school (equivalent to America's high school). The Brokopondo MULO is the only MULO in the interior of Surinameand attracts students from Affobakka, Klaskreek, Brownsweg, Marshall Creek, Tapripa, Bushlante, Balensuela, Depadda, and Company Creek. Some of these kids take DAF trucks from their town at 5am to get to school by 8am. Unbelievable. There are 188 students in the MULO with the senior class (4th level) having only 8 students. It is apparent that the drop out rate is very high.

The MULO just received six laptops from the Netherlands as a part of a communications grant. Scott and Kerry don't know much more about this project, but the Head of the school has been told of their computer experience and is ready to apply it to this grant.

There is a strong women's group in Brokopondo that has completed many productive community projects in the past. This group has many more ideas for the community with which Kerry and Scott could help out with. For instance, more adequate child care has been identified as a possible project they could lead.

There are also community members who are interested in starting small businesses in the village.

That's the gist of it as of 11/20/00!

Of course, all assignments are open ended, so there are a variety of other additional generic possibilities according to the Peace Corps. The following is the general listing we were given before arrival in Suriname:

Community Organization

• Identify the currently-existing human and physical resources within the community.
• Assist local community members with planning and prioritizing development projects through individual and group sessions.
• Assist with the preparation of development plans, timelines, budgets, and local resource requirements which can be used to organize projects.
• Assist local community members with obtaining the training and knowledge necessary for development projects.
• Assist local community members with infrastructure prject completion.
• Act as liasons with outside resources of technical and financial assistance to benefit local development projects.
• Conduct economic feasibility studies of proposed business initiatives to creat employment for community members.

Preventative Health Care and Nutrition

• Prepare and conduct informal and formal sessions on preventative health care issues such as sanitation, nutrition, malaria, AIDS STDs, and diarrhea in collaboration with the Bureau of Public Health, the Medical Mission, and the Regional Health Service.
• Establish a home garden for the Volunteer's personal use and conduct tours for community membersto demonstrate alternative cultivation methods.
• Construct a home latrine using local resources.
• Construct a home sanitary landfill and demonstrate its usefulness.

Women's and/or Youth Groups

• Assist local women's/youth groups to identify their interests, needs, and priorities.
• Assist groups with organizational/leadership skill-building.
• Assist in identification of feasible income generating projects.
• Obtain assistance in developing good business practices and/or marketing products.

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