Environment volunteer in the Philippines: Danielle’s Journey

In this interview, we hear from Danielle Angert. Danielle is a Peace Corps volunteer working as a Environment volunteer in Philippines. What Danielle shares gives us a better understanding of the work volunteers do. We learn about the challenges, rewards, and personal growth that happens from volunteering in a new place. Danielle talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Danielle’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.

Volunteer Experience and Motivation

1. Tell us more about serving as an Environment volunteer in the Philippines?

In the Philippines Coastal Resources Management (CRM) program, all volunteers are placed in Local Government Units (LGUs). I work in the Municipal Planning and Development office, but most other volunteers work with the Municipal Agriculture office. Working at the LGU means my working hours are fairly regular, from 8 am-5 pm Monday-Friday, but this occasionally shifts when there is fieldwork or other events such as coastal clean-up drives. 

In my role, I am supporting the LGU’s CRM efforts by drafting the 5-year municipal CRM plan, developing eco-tourism initiatives in the municipality, and assisting with GIS mapping for land use patterns. I’ve also joined Information and Education campaigns in the various barangays (village/neighborhood) throughout the municipality for environmental education efforts.

2. Why did you join the Peace Corps and choose the Philippines?

I first learned of the Peace Corps at age 8, when an RPCV spoke to my elementary school. That experience stayed with me throughout high school and my undergraduate studies at Purdue University, where I joined the Peace Corps Prep program. I also studied abroad and participated in an international service-learning organization. 

I felt drawn to international development work, particularly in the context of environmental issues, since so often it is the most vulnerable people who are affected by climate change, weather events, and pollution. This is what drove me to apply to the coastal resources management program in the Philippines since I could combine my environmental engineering background with my passion for community development. From an environmental perspective, I was interested in the Philippines due to its rich biodiversity and expansive coastlines as an archipelagic country. 

Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration

3. Tell us more about your home situation

I live with a small host family, just my 74-year-old host dad and 57-year-old host mom. My host dad is now retired but was formerly an OFW (overseas Filipino worker) in Saudi Arabia. My host mom runs a small sari-sari (convenience) store next to our house. Although I don’t have any human host siblings, my family has 3 dogs and 9 cats! We live in a semi-finished house made of concrete bricks, with electricity and running water. 

My town is a small, rural, 12.5 square mile island with about 12,000 residents. Farming and fishing are the primary sources of livelihood. There is no market in my town, so vendors travel by boat to a nearby city and resell goods on the island. Due to the isolated nature of my site, food options are limited, but are typically fish or pork with rice, and vegetables as they are available. In the rainy season, my host mom plants vegetables such as eggplant and okra in our yard. We also have banana and coconut trees on the property. In my free time, I explore the island by bike, swim in the ocean, go on morning jogs, play volleyball and tennis at my neighborhood court, and read. 

(left) Danielle wearing a traditional Filipiniana at the Batch 280 swearing-in ceremony, held at the U.S. Embassy in Manila in December 2023 – (right) Danielle painting a trash barrel alongside her host cousin as part of her cluster’s community project during PST. Four trash barrels were purchased, decorated, then placed in the barangay plaza in an effort to reduce littering.

4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had with community members?

Shortly after I moved to my site, I saw a group of kids playing volleyball at the covered court in my barangay (administration unit of 50-100 families under a headman). I asked them to play, and they all giggled at me and were too nervous to talk. But thankfully the next time I asked, they let me play. 

A few weeks later, I was biking home from work when I passed two of the girls walking home from school. They stopped me to ask if we could play volleyball again, and the next day a group of children showed up at my house with a volleyball. We’ve now played pretty frequently in the evening, in the hour after work before it gets too dark. Not only has this been a fun activity to look forward to, but I’ve also established more of a normal presence in the barangay.

Surprises and Challenges

5. What has surprised you most about Environment challenges in the Philippines?

My biggest surprise about environmental challenges in the Philippines is the attitude toward solid waste management. Although burning trash is illegal in the Philippines, it is a very common practice throughout the provinces. I also was surprised by the amount of littering; for example, I went to the beach with my PST family, and my host brother threw his instant coffee package into the breeze. Even though the negative effects of littering are evident, such as when trash washes onto the shore, there is still a disconnect between human actions and environmental implications. However, there are positive initiatives to address this issue, such as coastal cleanup drives and waste separation at materials recovery facilities. 

6. What challenges did you face while working on Environment projects with community members?

I’ve been at my site for a little over four months now, so I haven’t made huge advances with environmental projects yet. As of now, my main struggle is coping with a slower work pace than what I’m used to. Although I have ideas for projects and meetings to discuss them, it has taken months before any concrete developments were made.

I’ve overcome this challenge but reframing what progress means to me. For example, even if my Environment work is slow, I can still feel “successful” by having a meaningful conversation in my local language with a community member.

7. Could you share some of the secondary projects you have been involved?

Related to my experiences with solid waste management, I am planning an Earth Day event at the local elementary school. I will discuss the purpose and history of Earth Day and particularly focus on responsible solid waste management. I will also facilitate an activity where the students will reuse plastic water bottles to create fish. I’m excited for the opportunity to work more directly with children and practice speaking Cebuano.

Advice and Support

8. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Environment volunteer in the Philippines?

Our current Environment volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds – environmental scientists, marine biologists, foresters, engineers, and even one lawyer! We are all here to learn, and we all bring our unique knowledge to share. I also think it’s crucial to learn from your local community members. In the context of coastal resource management, fisherfolk specifically have an abundance of knowledge to share. Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know something and ask for help when you need it.

9. What skills do you think are important for an Environment volunteer?

I think the most important qualities for an Environment volunteer are creativity and persistence. In the Philippines, Environment volunteers are placed at Local Government Units, which means that politics and finances have a big influence on our ability to work on projects.

For example, I live and work in a 5th-class municipality, so our budget for coastal resource management is very small compared to fellow volunteers working in 1st and 2nd-class municipalities. But this causes me to be creative and “think outside the box” for finding physical and human resources.

Persistence is also crucial since it often takes more than one attempt to finish a “successful” project. Especially working in the local government, things move at a very slow pace, but continuing to show up and make your intentions clear will reap benefits further into service.

10. How has the Peace Corps training helped you?

Peace Corps training has helped me during my service by providing a really rich network of contacts, between Peace Corps language teachers, technical staff, outside speakers from NGOs and universities, not to mention other volunteers. 

During PST, we covered a wide variety of topics at a high level. But now, when I need more detailed information, I know who to reach out to. Thankfully, these people are all very willing to answer my questions and help as they can.

Practical Tips and Language Learning

11. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future volunteers?

I tried really hard to get my packing down to one checked bag – and I am so glad I did! Due to the archipelagic nature of the Philippines, many volunteers have to fly from the capital to their permanent sites, and only having one bag made everything so much easier. 

My main clothing packing recommendation is to pack light, loose clothing. Materials like linen and dry fit are great for the hot, humid weather. We are lucky in the Philippines to have access to necessities, and anything else you might want or need can usually be ordered online or purchased at a mall in the city. So, I wouldn’t worry much about making sure you have *everything*, rather bring the things that will make you feel comfortable and like yourself. 

A fun item I packed is a moka pot to make “real” coffee, which has been a great comfort and taste of home since most commonly, Filipinos drink 3-in-1 instant coffee premixed with cream and sugar.

12. How has learning the language been?

We are lucky to have really great language instructors at Peace Corps Philippines. Learning any language is tough, but I felt supported by the Language and Cultural Facilitators both during training and now during my service since I still meet regularly with one of them for tutoring. 

Before departure and during pre-service training, everyone learns Tagalog. Then, once permanent sites are announced, most volunteers will begin learning a local language (for me, Cebuano), but some remain in the Tagalog region and thus continue their studies. 

I would recommend attending the pre-departure Zoom classes to understand the basic sentence structure and familiarity with common phrases, but additional studying is not required or necessary.

Impact of Media and Final Thoughts

13. How do you think your blog contributes to your overall mission as a PCV?

I started writing my blog as a way to provide updates to friends and family, but I’ve realized that it’s become a powerful tool for my reflection. By writing about my service, I’m working towards goal 3 objectives, but I’m also noting my growth and accomplishments. By taking a step back from my day-to-day, I’m able to contextualize my experiences and remind myself of the reasons I felt called to join the Peace Corps.

14. Any last comments to pass on to future Philippines volunteers?

The Philippines was the second country where Peace Corps volunteers were placed (the first was Ghana by a few months). The long history of the Peace Corps in the Philippines means you’ll likely hear stories and see the impacts of volunteers’ service that can serve as reminders of how meaningful this experience can be. 

For example, one of my batch mates was raised in the Philippines, and one of his high school teachers was a Peace Corps volunteer! It was more than 50 years after this initial introduction to the Peace Corps that my batch mate joined. Our impact might not be immediately evident, but small interactions can have long, lasting effects if you continue to show up.

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The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or The Philippines Government.