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Michael's Project Description From the Volunteer Assignment Book: "As an Agroforestry Extension Volunteer in the NRM [Natural Resources Management] sector, your primary goal will be to collaborate with Nigerien farmers and the Nigerien Environment Service within your region to facilitate new or ongoing projects. As a NRM volunteer you will be the counterpart to a Nigerien Environment Service Agent under the Ministry of the Environment. Your role as a counterpart will be to assist in achieving the broader national and regional development goals of this agency." "Your primary focus as an Agroforestry Extension Volunteer will be to work with farmers to promote environmentally sound land use practices." Additionally, as a Peace Corps volunteer, the varied needs of the community will provide many opportunities to undertake secondary projects that fall outside of the "Agroforestry Extension Volunteer's" job description - like AIDS education, for example. "Working on a village level in Niger one has few material resources, but you will still have access to much more than the people with whom you will be living. Most Volunteers can acquire technical information and activity advice from their counterpart Environment agents, other PCVs, local NGO's, and staff at the bureau in Niamey." Training As mentioned on the main "Info" page, I will learn a good number of technical skills at the same time that I am taking language, cross-cultural courses, and myriad other courses. Outside of this pre-service training, there is "in-service" training, to meet up and discuss our experiences and ideas with other Volunteers, as well as "upgrade" our skills (PCSkills v1.3!). There is also a "Midservice conference" where Volunteers get together and assess their projects and objectives in the middle of their two years at site. At Site After the nine-month training at the beginning, I will head to my site location. As an agroforestry extension agent, my initial responsibilities are a lot less rigid (or structured) than would be the case with, say, an English teacher. Likewise, the annual work schedule is not like a typical 9-to-5 job, where Volunteers may work long days during the intensive planting season, then see themselves spending much of the hot season (April and May) in sieste, seeking shade. The first three months are really about getting adjusted to the community, learning the local customs and language, and generally building trust with the villagers. From this getting-to-know-ya environment, it is my job to determine the needs of my village, and come up with ideas for the village that will be sustainable over time. After the first three months, I will go to be re-trained and discuss with Peace Corps administration and other Volunteers what ideas will work in my village and how to implement them. This all sounds very abstract, and it is to me, too (as of Nov 2004); I guess it's something I'll figure out when I get there. After this meeting, I go back to the village, and for the next year and nine months, I do whatever I can to initiate and implement whatever programs the village and I feel will be beneficial for the long-term sustainability of the village. Programs I Am Working or Have Worked On Watch this space for news about various projects I've gotten involved in...   Back to main Info about Peace Corps / Niger page...