It's over. I am no longer a Peace Corps Volunteer. As of last Friday, the U.S. Peace Corps has suspended its operations in Kenya. Its amazing how fast time goes by and how suddenly something can end. I've been in Kenya for nearly 22 months. Some may wonder what the hell I have actually been doing for the last two years, so I have included my official Peace Corps DOS (Description of Service) at the end of this.

So what are you doing next? This was the question, asked by so many flustered Peace Corps people at the end of last weeks COS (Close of Service) Conference, that caused me to drink perhaps one to many Tuskers. But here it goes...

I am still here in Kenya, staying with my girlfriend Nzisa, in a town called Machokos, about an hour and a half North East of Nairobi. Things are perfectly calm here, and for the most part, things have somewhat returned to normal throughout Kenya, although the terrible political impasse still is looming over all of our heads, with progress being made in negotiations, but still nothing close to something we could call a real solution.

I have begun to submit my resume, cover letters, and Peace Corps DOS to the myriad of development, relief, and humanitarian organizations that currently operate in Kenya (all which seem to have an acronym as their name). Let me run down the list...

IRC
IOM
USAID
PEPFAR
UNDP
UNHCR
CARE
CWW
CRS
UNFAO
HRW

And even more. So the plan is to give myself three or four weeks searching for potential job opportunities here in Kenya. If things go as I am planning them, no matter what happens, I will be home (at least for a visit) sometime in the next four weeks. I know I haven't been able to keep in touch with a lot of you as I would have liked to, but could you all write me a quick email just telling me what you are doing and where you are? I miss you all and would like to do a mini road trip to say hi and catch up with old friends.

So that's it from here, if you happen to have any connections at any of the acronym agencies, lemme know!

Read my Peace Corps DOS below:

Mr. Jaron M. Vogelsang

Public Health Volunteer 2006-2008

Kenya



After a competitive application process stressing applicant skills, adaptability, and cross-cultural understanding, Mr. Jaron M. Vogelsang was invited to serve in the U.S. Peace Corps. He was assigned as a Public Health Volunteer to work in Kenya on issues relating to HIV/AIDS, water, and sanitation.



Jaron entered into Peace Corps pre-service training on May 26, 2006, participating in an intensive ten-week program in Kitui, Kenya. Language training in Kiswahili consisted of 150 hours and Jaron scored highest in his training class on an end of service language aptitude test with a score of 'advanced low.' Other trainings included: 72 hours cross-cultural, 105 hours technical, 24 hours medical, 24 hours safety and security, 24 hours field-based training and development, and 10 hours of Peace Corps administration and policy training.



After successfully completing pre-service training, Jaron was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on August 3, 2006, where he had the honor of presenting a speech in Kiswahili to a group of Kenyan dignitaries. He was assigned to work with the Baricho Dispensary, located in an incredibly remote and impoverished community in the Coast province of the country. This small, community-based dispensary provided diagnostic and consultative services to nearly 10,000 people, many of whom would walk up to 25km to see the village nurse. After conducting a long and intensive participatory rural appraisal with community members from 11 villages surrounding Baricho, he and the community decided water, sanitation, maternal issues, and HIV/AIDS were the top priorities that needed to be addressed in the area.



Several months after his arrival in Baricho, Jaron began to work very closely with a local development service provider, the Catholic Diocese of Malindi. With his colleagues, he designed, development, and received funding for a 15 million Ksh ($235,000) integrated water and sanitation project proposal written to the international NGO Concern World Wide. This project had several major components, all of which Jaron played a leading role in management and implementation. The first component consisted of a voucher scheme (similar to a food-for-work program) to build a major water dam to be used by over 2000 people. 300 direct project beneficiaries were chosen based on hospital records of underweight and malnourished children, and by a community self-assessment facilitated by the volunteer. These beneficiaries were 'paid' in food and non-food items for their work on the dam over a nine-month period. The second component consisted of trainings on sanitation and water safety, as well as the construction of 20 public latrines mostly constructed of locally available materials. Jaron single handedly handled all aspects of the latrine project, including management, accounting, and facilitation of the training sessions. Upon favorable evaluation of the project by Concern World Wide, the project was granted another 1 million Ksh to support 65 vulnerable households who had already begun building latrines at their homes. The local nurse-in-charge has stated that water borne disease in the area has been reduced by more than 50% since the completion of the project.



Jaron also worked with the Baricho Dispensary and the Kenyan Ministry of Health to bring maternity facilities to the area. He then facilitated a series of trainings with the local group of Traditional Birth Attendants on the importance of sanitation and hospital based deliveries. In the past year, births at the dispensary have gone up by 80%.



As a secondary activity, Jaron worked very closely with the Baricho Youth Group on their HIV/AIDS advocacy efforts. He facilitated a series of workshops building the leadership and knowledge capacity of the group members, and worked with them to develop a series of skits, in the local languages of Kigiriama and Kiswahili, to address HIV/AIDS issues on outreaches throughout the community. He also assisted the group to write a business proposal and to secure a microfinance loan to create a poultry farm to support their HIV/AIDS activities. He then set up several workshops with a veterinary officer to train the group on modern techniques of poultry keeping. In the first six months of the poultry project, the group has sold more than 1500 chickens, and can now support its activities without donor support.



Jaron also served as Chairman of the Peace Corps AIDS Resource Committee (ARC). As the Chairman of ARC, he served on several high level U.S. government planning sessions for a new youth-focused AIDS prevention initiative and several national AIDS conference. He also played a leading role in the development of a major HIV/AIDS prevention event to be staged by ARC, but was unfortunately postponed due to the post-election violence that plagued Kenya in early 2008.



Pursuant to Section 5 (f) of the Peace Corps Act 22 U.S.C. and 2504 (f), as amended, any former volunteer employed by the United States Government following his Peace Corps Volunteer Service is entitled to have any period of satisfactory Peace Corps service credited for purposes of retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave, and other privileges based on the length of Government service. That service shall not be credited toward completion of the probationary or trial period or completion of any service requirement for career service.



This is to certify in accordance with Executive Order 11103 of April 10, 1963, that Mr. Jaron M. Vogelsang served successfully as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He ended his service on February 8, 2008. Therefore, he is eligible to be appointed as a career conditional employee in the competitive civil service on a non-competitive basis. This benefit under the Executive Order extends for a period of one year after termination of Volunteer service, except that the employing agency may extend the period for up to three years for a former Volunteer who pursues studies at a recognized institution of higher learning, enters military service, or engages in other activities which, in the view of the appointing agency, warrants an extension of the period.

_____________________________________-

Alright everyone, take care, and hope to see all of you soon!

Amani,

Jaron