Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Hawai'i
Connecting RPCVs Living in Hawai'i
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NEWS from PCVS from Hawai'i
FROM: Nikki Simpson - PCV from Oahu, currently serving in PCV Santa Marta, Cocle, Panama
DATE: April 20, 2025
Buenos Días Caroline,
I wanted to reach out with some updates as I’ve just finished my first year of service! It dawned on me that after I received my package from y’all, I never followed up with photos and updates about my site. I figured, what better time to check in than at the one year mark.
What we’ve been up to this past year in Santa Marta:
Making lots of dulces with my baking class! We’ve made banana bread, carrot cake, squash cake (our version of pumpkin bread?), chocolate chip cookies and lots of bread - and we’re looking forward to exploring many more recipes that allow us to utilize locally sourced ingredients. Our Year 2 goal is to apply for a grant that would allow the women in the group to open their own bakery that would supply fresh bread and homemade (healthier!) treats to the community.
Planting lots of ornamental and veggie plants to sell in our community vivero! With a small group of women, I’ve been working in a community nursery and have been encouraging the women to sell seedlings of common vegetables such as tomato, celery and sweet peppers. We’ve also been selling floral plants such as hibiscus’ and roses to visitors passing through the area and fellow community members. Our Year 2 goal is to maintain our momentum and sell more plants!
Maintaining the school garden - with the students and parents! I helped support a “restructuring” of the school garden’s organization, which now has rotating groups of parents working in the garden one day a week and a group of students working once a week. Throughout the general maintenance and work, I’m also encouraging the parents to use more sustainable practices (less chemical fertilizers & insecticides!!) within the garden. In the next year, we hope to expand the variety of crops we grow and incorporate more fresh vegetables into the school lunches.
Enjoying the beauty of Panamá! Of course life is not all work around here. In my free time I get to explore and learn about this awesome country!! I wouldn’t trade this experience and the relationships I've formed here for anything.
I'm planning on discussing with the groups I am working with to see what types of goodies they might like to receive in a 2025 Hawaii care package, so I'll reach out soon with some requests. I hope you all enjoy the updates and photos!
Muchos mahalos, Nikki Simpson
DATE: March 5, 2025 Next week will be my official 3 month anniversary at site (Atabae, Bobonaro) and I will be headed into Dili next week for IST. Time to learn VRG! Here are a few activities from my schools, we had a small ceremony to christen a new fishing boat for the vocational high-school I teach at. We had some sales people come to the middle school and talked a little bit about therapeutic practices. The final photo is from the first day of school at the middle school, January 20th. Thank you, have a great day. |
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I am a science lab teacher in Gbarnga, Bong County and am currently in the process of building up the science lab at our school via coteaching and designing WASSCE curriculum, training students in foundational computer skills and becoming certified as computer teachers, and building a community gym/workout center. I am so grateful for the Aloha Care packages that I've received and want to say Mahalo! I've just stumbled on the Aloha Grants on your website and am expressing interest as due to the recent executive orders, my approved SPA grant has been stalled indefinitely in terms of finances. I have until August before COS and really am passionate about my secondary projects. I'm also looking at the potential of changing my approved SPA grant to a PCPP one instead and wanted to humbly ask if there is a possibility RPCV Hawaii could spread the word through their email newsletter to potential interested donors? Still waiting on PC staff to see if this a possibility but if so I would greatly appreciate any and all help in this! ** ** RPCVHI replied to Benjamin RE: grants help. RPCVHI doesn't have the $2000 needed to finish his computer lab project. We suggested Benjamin find a local Rotary and see if a local Rotary can help (We found a Rotary in Gbarnga). Also, RPCVHi has talked with Rotaries on the Big Island. |
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It has been almost 6 months here in the Pearl of Africa. Things are going well so far. I have developed great friendships with my co-workers, neighbors, and community members which has made my life in Uganda a lot better. I have been cooking a lot, and trying to make foods I typically enjoy at home. I haven't been able to find everything I want, but there are plenty of fruits and vegetables! My site is at Villa Maria Hospital Home Care Program and this clinic serves people living with HIV. I haven't done too much yet because the first three months are about community integration, so I hope after my upcoming in-service training, things will pick up. I shared some photos in the email! |
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Alexis' Site: School: GS Nyarutovu. Here I teach English to Middle School aged students and the Teachers. She attended a pottery making session: the adults from the community learn the art of pottery making and sell their pieces for profit. Alexis has sent LOTS of pictures. Pictured below are the Campus Quad - . Major announcements, cultural and spiritual sessions are shared here weekly. GS Nyarutovu viewed from a distance as I walked to the neighboring village on market day. |
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And also pictures from Planting fruit trees in Southern Province. On this day, we planted 16 trees. This was in partnership with Corps Africa, A PC type organization started by an RPCV for Africa only. These trees will provide food, income and erosion protection for this community. |
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FROM: Isabella Lallo - PCV from Maui, currently serving in Panama.
I hope this email finds you well! I am writing to you from Panama to give the RPCVs of Hawaii an update on my current service! I am currently working on a grant application, which I will hopefully be finishing in the next couple of weeks. The project that I am working on is adding an extra room onto the health post, where we can give informational talks on HIV/AIDS, STIs, and family planning, as well as a place where the community can find important resources such as condoms, rapid HIV tests, and menstrual products. That being said I have been very busy recently, coordinating with community members, engineers, local politicians, the ministry of health, etc. but we are moving forward with the project and I am very excited about it. Additionally, I am continuing to give English classes and sexual education in the school, which is going well.
All of that to say, I also want to thank you all again for the Aloha Care Package and share a brief video from the PCV who I shared the contents with! (The photo below is Bella's students wearing new garden gloves.)
WhatsApp Video 2024-07-29 at 11.07.22.mp4
Hope all is well!
All the best,
Bella Lallo
PCV Panama
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