Description of Service

I had to write this and will be giving it to my country director to sign in a few days...it is my 'description of service' and will go in my file in PC Office Washington. Kind of interesting to put it all down on paper in tiny little bullet points...interesting because my experiences here go far beyond what can actually be captured on paper...cliche, I know, but true nonetheless!

Description of Service
DANIELLE JEAN GRIGSBY STOUT
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Ms Danielle Stout served as a Volunteer under Peace Corps’ Schools and Communities Resource Project from September 2007 through May 2008.

On July 21, 2007 she entered a ten-week pre-service Peace Corps training program in the Republic of South Africa in preparation for her service as a Volunteer in Western South Africa. This Pre-Service Training included comprehensive language study--100 hours of Setswana and ten hours of Afrikaans. She also completed 100 hours of technical training, which consisted of community content-based instruction methodology, an introduction to quality integrated management systems and a comprehensive overview of the Revised National Curriculum of South Africa. The training program incorporated 50 hours of health, gender and race issues, and 90 hours of cross-cultural, social-economic and historical themes. Ms Stout completed training with a score of Intermediate Medium in the Setswana language. Furthermore, during additional in-service trainings throughout her time of service, she acquired additional knowledge and skills in technical and language areas.

On September 20, 2007, Ms Stout was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She was assigned to work in the village of Batlharos in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, assisting as a resource to Moholeng, Lekalake and Robanyane Primary Schools as well serving as a computer and life skills teacher at Batlharos’ Educator Development Center.

As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Batlharos, Ms Stout was principally involved in the following activities:

 Writing the curriculum for three community-based computer education courses; Beginners (basic typing and computer skills), Intermediate (Microsoft Word) and Advanced (PowerPoint and Excel) levels.
 Successfully training 60 community members and teachers in the Beginners computer classes; assisting in the training of an additional 100 community members in the Intermediate and Advanced classes.
 Completed a week-long HIV/AIDS and female empowerment workshop for grade 7 learners at Lekalake Primary school. Girls met everyday after school and participated in interactive sessions on dispelling the myths about contracting HIV, improving ones self-esteem, goal-setting and the importance of an education.
 Conducted three workshops at Lekalake Primary and one at Robanyane Primary; workshop topics were: Alternatives to Corporal Punishment, Classroom Management, Inter-personal Relationship Skills and Improving Reading and Basic Math skills.
 Assisted in the implementation of an after-school Remedial Education Program at Moholeng Primary. Educators identified learners who could not read and write on par with their age level and began an after-school program which brought the learners together in small groups to focus on skills improvement.
 Conducted an Essay Contest for grade 6 and 7 learners at Moholeng Primary. The learners were to write a one-page essay in English about a woman they admire as part of the March 8 Women’s Day celebration.
 Organized a 500 book library at Lekalake Primary by cataloging, alphabetizing and labeling books on shelves, rearranging furniture and bringing floor pillows into an empty classroom to create a ‘safe space’ for learners to read.
 Assisted with a community-based Life Skills/Human Rights Club; 25 unemployed youth attended weekly meetings where job skills, inter-personal relationship skills and human rights education were discussed in detail. Personally taught a workshop called “Strengthening the Family” and assisted with CV writing, inter-personal relationship building and defending ones human rights workshops.

Aside from the activities above Ms Stout was actively engaged in the activities of her community and in doing so was able to build life-long relationships with village members.


___________________________________ ___________
Gene Puese, Country Director Date