In this chat, we hear from Erin Cowen. Erin is a Peace Corps volunteer working as a Health volunteer in Togo. What Erin 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. Erin talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Erin’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Social Identity during Service
- Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Tell us more about serving as an Health volunteer in Togo.
As a health extension volunteer in Togo, my primary responsibilities are in my community’s clinic. On a typical workday, I work in the maternity department of the clinic in the mornings. I assist with the paperwork during pre- and post-natal consultations, births, vaccinations, and child growth monitoring. I also talk with the pregnant women and breastfeeding moms about healthy behaviors related to maternal and newborn health. Recently, I have been helping to improve our record keeping because that is very important for the frequent inspections we receive.
In the afternoons, I either go back to the clinic or have a health talk in the surrounding villages. In collaboration with our awesome community health workers, we host demonstrations and informational sessions for the community members, focusing on moms with young children. Among other topics, we have done enriched porridge demonstrations to combat malnutrition and oral rehydration solution demonstrations to combat dehydration from diarrhea.
I also do some work at my village’s middle school. I teach a health class that covers topics like reproductive health and the spread of diseases. As we get ready for the implementation of my small grant project (latrines at the middle school), we have assembled a water, sanitation, and hygiene committee who will take the lead on latrine training and maintenance once I leave in a few months.
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Togo?
I first learned about the Peace Corps in my 10th-grade AP US History class. It seemed like a really cool opportunity to explore a new culture and expand my worldview through service. I didn’t give it much thought again until the end of college when I was looking for something to do in my gap years before medical school.
I considered working an engineering or lab job, but I realized the unique position I was in at that point in my life; after graduation, I had time, energy, a will to serve, and pretty much no responsibilities in America. I felt like I would regret not serving at perhaps the most convenient point in my life to take advantage of this opportunity.
But I did have some hesitations. I didn’t want to do any harm to the people I was trying to serve. After looking into it more, I realized that what sets Peace Corps volunteers apart from other international volunteers is their integration into their communities. By living within a community for two years, learning their language, eating their food, and wearing their clothes, Peace Corps volunteers tend to have a cultural understanding of their community that allows them to effectively make a difference.
And I didn’t choose Togo; I applied to serve “where needed most” because I didn’t have a particular area where I wanted to go. I just specified that I wanted to serve in the health sector. I am glad that I was considered for Togo. I hardly knew anything about Togo, so I didn’t really have any expectations going into the experience. And I had taken French in high school, which helped a little bit early on in training.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your home situation
Host Family
I live with a host family in my rural village. My host family is composed of my nearly 80-year-old host dad, who is a retired school teacher and the chief of the neighborhood; my about 60-year-old host mom, who is the counselor for the mayor; my 28-year-old host sister, who is the youngest daughter of my host parents and the mother of my 16-month-old host niece; my 12-year-old host brother, who is the adopted child of my host parents; and my about 70-year-old host uncle, who is the cousin of my host dad.
Our Compound
Our compound is relatively large for our village. We have three concrete buildings where people sleep. I have my own building with two rooms and an outdoor latrine. I fetch water from the well in the center of our compound that I use to take bucket showers and do my laundry weekly.
Family Meals
I pay my host family monthly to cook me lunch and dinner every day. This has been a really great arrangement for all of us. I don’t particularly enjoy cooking, especially not without a fridge or running water, and I don’t really know the full range of ingredients that are locally available. I get to share in a variety of Togolese meals (pate, fufu, watchi, etc) and benefit from consuming diverse nutrients. Meal times also offer a time for all of us to sit and talk. This has greatly improved my language skills and cultural understanding of my area. It also makes me feel like I truly belong.
Running as Exercise
I can and do exercise. I used to go on runs outside every day, but I’ve been sticking to walks and bike rides recently mostly because of the heat. I also sometimes do some exercises in my room like yoga, but it can also get hot inside. Walks have been a great way for me to see more of my village and meet more people. Especially now that most people recognize me, I get friendly waves instead of confused stares which is nice.
Surprises and Challenges
4. What challenges did you face while working on Health projects?
Just like in America, there is plenty of health-related misinformation circulated on social media platforms. For example, I was working on an HPV vaccination campaign with my clinic. We went out to the elementary schools to vaccinate the young girls against HPV. Upon arrival at one school, all the kids ran into the bush. There was no one left to vaccinate. Their parents had told them to run away when they saw the clinic workers arriving. The parents had received false information via a viral WhatsApp post claiming that the vaccine would render the recipient sterile. Despite talking with the parents in this village, we could not convince them to let us vaccinate their children.
Combating misinformation is tricky. Trust is not easily earned and can be so easily broken. I don’t have a good answer yet, but I believe it takes patience and time. In this HPV situation, we vaccinated as many girls as we could and will continue to have campaigns in the future. We do what we can, trying our best to spread factual information and earn the trust of the community.
Advice and Support
5. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Health volunteer in Togo?
Be patient. Doing good work here is difficult but not impossible. I didn’t do much for my first several months. But by being present and engaged, I now have a really good understanding of how I can most effectively help. I am now doing very meaningful work and have a great relationship with my community. It took a long time to get to this point, but it is so worth it. Leaving is going to be hard (which is a good thing in my opinion).
6. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
I treated the Peace Corps training sessions like school. I tried my best to engage during sessions and study as needed. PST also served as the foundation for my relationships with my fellow volunteers and staff, who are some of my greatest resources in service. Putting forth my best effort during training has only benefited me at my site.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
7. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Togo volunteers?
I am so glad that I packed my Kindle, several journals, and a duffel bag. I use my Kindle every single day. It holds charge for weeks and is lightweight and durable. I have been able to read over 40 books on it and don’t have to wait for a trip to Lome to get more physical books when I run out.
I also journal every single night. I just finished my third entire journal. Maybe one day I will go back and read them through to see what I was thinking during my service.
And I get a lot of use out of my duffel bag. It was great during PST to move between the training center and the training village. It was great for IST and MSC too. I’ve used it for international trips and it is a lot easier to lug around than a full suitcase.
8. How has learning the language been?
There are over 40 languages spoken in Togo. All the trainees started out learning French and then transitioned to learning the local language in their area. I found that I started at an advantage compared to most other trainees because of my French background from high school. If you have time to learn a little French before staging, that definitely would help. But plenty of trainees had zero French experience and are doing just fine.
The local language learning is quick then it plateaus. The local language that I learned in training was Tem, but my village is a blend of about six languages. I can talk my way through really simple conversations in Tem and sometimes understand when people have more complex conversations, but I will not be able to achieve an advanced level during my service. I think that is okay. People seem to appreciate any effort I make to speak their language.
Social Identity during Service
9. Advice for Aspiring Volunteers
Especially as a woman in Togo, I get a lot of unwanted attention from men. It is not unusual for me to walk through the market on a given Saturday or be in a taxi and receive several marriage proposals. This was initially bizarre for me, but I gradually learned how to handle it. For other women who are considering joining, this isn’t a reason not to join, but it is something that is good to know ahead of time.
Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
10. How do you think your blog contributes to your overall mission as a Peace Corps volunteer?
Having a blog directly supports the third goal of the Peace Corps, which is to increase Americans’ understanding of other peoples and cultures. I have found that my blog has been a great way of intentionally trying to capture my experience here and share it with friends/family back home.
Before coming to Togo, I looked at the old blogs of several other volunteers to get a better idea of what service might be like. I think it helped me to feel more confident about my decision to serve and I hope that my blog serves the same purpose for other aspiring volunteers.
👋 Meet Erin, a PC Health Volunteer in Togo! She’s teaching health education, learning French & Kotocoli, and planning for med school. Follow her journey for insights on service, culture, and daily life in West Africa! Read more HERE! ✨
11. Any last comments you’d like to pass on to future Togo volunteers?
I think that choosing to serve in the Peace Corps was the best decision I have made in my life thus far. I have grown so much as a person and made lifelong friends. If you are on the fence about serving, I really encourage you to take the leap. Peace Corps service is what you make of it and optimism goes a long way. Be patient and it will all work out!
What are you waiting for? Opportunities like this don’t come often. If you have a passion for service and an adventurous spirit like Erin’s, apply to the Peace Corps today. Expand your horizons, push your limits, and create positive impact as a volunteer. You never know how serving as a Peace Corps volunteer could change your life.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Togo Government.
