Peace Corps requires you to write a description of your service in the 3rd person which will then be released to future employers, grad schools, etc at your request. It is a bit awkward to write about yourself in the 3rd person, and I was hesitant to sound too full of myself in listing the work I’ve done here—but I actually found it to be a really great way to reflect on my service and begin that process of understanding what this meant that I mentioned in my last post.
This is by no means all of the things I have done in the past two years, but really just the highlights. Enjoy a little glimpse into the final stages of Peace Corps service, but also a nice little summation of my time here in Outjo.
Love, Trevor
Description of Peace Corps Service
Trevor Michael Sudano
Republic of Namibia 2010-2012
After a competitive application process Mr. Sudano was chosen to represent his country to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Namibia. Mr. Sudano arrived in Namibia on February 20th, 2010, and went through an intensive 8 week training program. The program consisted of the following areas of concentration:
Technical—25 Hours: This component of training was designed to introduce trainees to current health and social issues related to HIV/AIDS in Namibia. The training emphasized both the policies and practice of prevention, care, and treatment.
Cross-Cultural—29 Hours: This component of training was designed to familiarize the volunteer with the political, cultural, geographical, and historical make-up of the Republic of Namibia.
Health and Medical—20 Hours: This aspect of the training program educated the candidates about preventive medicine, personal health care, and safety in a developing country.
Language—118 Hours: This component of training was designed to equip trainees with a basic proficiency in the language most frequently spoken at their site. Mr. Sudano received intensive training in Damara (Khoekhoegowab).
Mr. Sudano successfully completed training and was sworn in as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer on April 16th, 2010. At the close of this training he was tested by ACTFL/ETS standards and achieved the highest score out of his peers; intermediate-mid, in spoken Damara (Khoekhoegowab).
As a Community Health and HIV/AIDS Volunteer in Peace Corps Namibia, Mr. Sudano was assigned to the Ministry of Health and Social Services at the Outjo District Hospital in the Kunene Region.
Mr. Sudano’s primary assignment was the establishment and upkeep of the Information Resource Center (IRC) at the district hospital. The library was composed of posters, pamphlets, picture code manuals, a medical textbook library, and digital resources. Mr. Sudano was in charge of procuring, organizing, and disseminating the information and resources available, as well as designing ‘Information, Education, Communication’ (IEC) materials relating to public health in local languages.
Working closely with the district social worker, Mr. Sudano engaged in outreach programs covering a broad range of public health topics including HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, gender-based violence, alcohol abuse, nutrition, immunizations, women’s empowerment and a number of afflictions plaguing the local community. Mr. Sudano’s duties included planning and implementing projects, designing materials, and leading sessions.
A large focus of the primary assignment became addressing drivers of the HIV epidemic that were specific to Namibia in general and the Outjo community specifically. Studies have shown that alcohol and drug abuse remains one of the leading causes of HIV transmission in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is subsequently a driver of the epidemic in Mr. Sudano’s host community. Mr. Sudano established six ‘Teenagers Against Drugs and Alcohol’ (TADA) groups in the local secondary schools with the intent of utilizing behavior change communication as a means to address drivers. Meeting once a week for each group, Mr. Sudano led discussions and informational sessions on alcohol and drug abuse as well as adolescent-friendly health services, teen pregnancy, reproductive health, and life skills.
As part of the fight against alcohol abuse, Mr. Sudano helped establish a local chapter of the ‘Coalition on Responsible Drinking’ (CORD) in Outjo. Being the first in the Kunene region, Mr. Sudano and the district social worker set an example for nearby towns to follow and helped them to establish chapters of their own. In 2010, Mr. Sudano assisted CORD in the planning of the First Annual Parade Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Outjo. Over 300 community members attended the first annual event which culminated in a parade of supporters through town. In 2011, the second annual parade was equally a success.
In order to better support the mission of the Outjo District Hospital, Mr. Sudano wrote and was awarded a grant for the “IRC Technology Advancement Project’. A laptop computer, projector, and portable speaker system were purchased with funds through the ‘President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief’ (PEPFAR) program of the U.S. Government. The IRC Office officially established a digital library that now contains PowerPoint presentations on a broad range of topics related to public health. The new technology allowed for the easy creation and maintenance of the hospital’s outreach services on a digital platform, led to skills-transfer, helped engage the community in an inventive medium, and helmed the creation of new community programs.
One such program, ‘Outjo’s Families First Nights’ became a huge success. Mr. Sudano, along with the help of hospital staff, presented a health topic for discussion at the community hall on Friday nights. Following the discussion was a family-friendly movie. The event was free to the community and served multiple purposes, including: information dissemination, fulfilling hospital outreach goals, establishing a platform for discussing topics relevant to the Outjo community, giving community members an alternative to destructive behaviors (such as alcohol and drug use), and providing a family activity for people of all ages to enjoy.
In addition, Mr. Sudano held computer training classes which have significantly improved the computer literacy of his colleagues and interested members of the community. Attendees gained a working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), how to use the procured equipment, as well as a basic understanding of internet and email capabilities that were made available to the hospital in May of 2011.
Mr. Sudano collaborated with the ‘Voluntary Service Overseas’ (VSO) physiotherapist and ‘Community Based Rehabilitation’ (CBR) volunteers to conduct a survey of people with disabilities in Outjo. Mr. Sudano created a ‘workable-document’ Excel spreadsheet which compiled and extrapolated all of the data acquired from the survey. The Outjo District Hospital now has a list of people with disabilities, the highest instance of disabilities by category, and a picture of how many have been confirmed by testing. The hospital may use the document to look up a patients records, target specific outreach topics, and gain a better understanding of what strategies have been successful. The document was shared with other districts as a model for disability awareness and prevention strategies.
Collaboration with fellow Peace Corps Volunteer Emily Claymore allowed Mr. Sudano to design a poster series addressing some of the most important issues in the community. The posters focused on topics such as proper hand washing, nutrition, edema, malnutrition, a balanced diet and how to take antiretrovirals (ARV’s) properly. The posters were professionally printed, laminated, and now adorn the walls of multiple hospitals and clinics in the Kunene and Erongo regions.
Mr. Sudano concluded his Peace Corps Volunteer Service on March 28th, 2012.
