In this interview, we hear from Julia Leone. Julia is a Peace Corps volunteer working as a Health volunteer in Madagascar. What Julia 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. Julia talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Julia’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
- Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Can you tell us more about serving as an Health volunteer in Madagascar?
One of the best parts of being a Health volunteer is the flexibility our job allows us. As Health volunteers, we’re all paired up with the local health clinic (CSB) in our community and do most of our work either at the CSB or within the community, alongside a local healthcare worker. At the beginning of service, we’re provided with a loose list of ‘Site Specific Goals’ that our supervisors would like us to focus on throughout service, but we’re really given a lot of freedom in what our work looks like.
All of us are dealing with unique health issues and needs, so we spend a lot of the beginning of service figuring out what are the most pressing health issues, what people are most interested in learning about and what are the best ways to engage and reach people in our community with effective health programming.
For me, I spend 4 days a week working at the CSB. I work on child vaccination and pre-natal appointment days. We aren’t allowed to so any type of surgical work, but I assist in record keeping and daily mini-health presentations that my co-workers conduct. A lot of my main work is in 1-on-1 home visits and after school clubs with youth.
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Madagascar?
I first learned about Peace Corps when I was about 9 years old. My aunt went to visit her friend, who was working in Madagascar as the Country Director! It was the first time I had ever thought about the possibility of being able to work abroad as a career. I actually applied to “serve anywhere”, and Madagascar was my second invitation after some difficulties with the medical clearance process. It just felt like a sign from the universe, that I’d end up in the country that taught me about the Peace Corps in the first place!
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your home situation:
To my knowledge, Madagascar is one of the few Peace Corps posts that doesn’t require volunteers to live with a host family. As Health volunteers, the majority of us live on the same compound as our CSB. I live in a rural village, in a standalone house with a lovely fenced-in yard. Since I live on the CSB compound, all my co-workers are also my neighbors. I love having my own private space, but also being close to my closest friends for fun mid-day hangouts in the sun or playing with the kids in the yard.
Fresh vegetables and meat are abundant in my town, something I’m very fortunate for. Something I’ve really come to love about living here is that every day I walk 5 minutes to the market and buy fresh produce and meat to cook my meal that day. I’ve really cut down on food waste and love having a lot of freedom in my meals.
Something people might find really interesting is how cold it can get in Madagascar! I love the cold and requested to be somewhere chilly and got exactly that. I live in the coldest town in the entire country, a talking point I think all volunteers are tired of hearing me share! I’m taking low 40s at night and mid-60s during the day in the winter season.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had with community members?
I get mistaken for a local Malagasy woman quite often. It’s pretty funny to be out with other volunteers, all speaking the local language, and have locals look at me for clarification or approval for things like food orders or the bargained price for a taxi; especially when I’m in a group of volunteers who speak way better Malagasy than I do! It causes a lot of funny interactions when people occasionally get very shocked that I’m not actually from here or are certain I must have some Malagasy lineage. I’m not complaining though, I typically get very fair prices at the market right off the bat and experience nearly zero attention that other volunteers may experience by standing out in a crowd.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about Health challenges in Madagascar?
I was surprised by a few cultural attitudes towards healthcare. The most surprising is the culture around giving birth. Women are expected to be completely silent while giving birth. And I mean, completely silent. I’ve had the privilege to be present for many births at the CSB and you can be in the next room over and not even realize someone is giving birth. No words, no screaming, and sometimes not even heavy breathing.
I’ve been told two explanations: 1) any loud noises from the mother will attract bad spirits that will harm the woman and the baby and 2) many women give birth many, many times throughout their life and if they make sound and struggle through the first birth, then every birth will be difficult. But birth is still a beautiful event here, many women in the family come into the birthing room and support the mother through the process with encouraging words, providing water and emotional support.
6. What challenges did you face while working on Health projects?
My biggest challenge is finding time and space to host educational health events that are realistic for community members to attend. My target audiences, caregivers of children under 5 and pregnant women, are typically working all day, primarily as farmers. So, it’s really difficult to find time during the day when people can give up profitable hours to listen to a health talk and then also come to those talks on a consistent basis. A workaround I’ve found is meeting people where they are, like going to their homes or market stalls and giving them 1-on-1 health talks. This really allows me to personalize the lessons and better connect with people in the community!
7. Could you share some of the secondary projects you have been involved?
My main secondary project is a Girls Club with young girls from the middle school. I’m a big crafts girl and love doing random crafts like crocheting, sewing, and bracelet making. In the club, we combine health and life skills education with relevant hands-on skills. For example, in one lesson we learn about the menstrual cycle, and then in the next lesson, we learn how to sew handmade menstrual products. Another example is learning about hygiene and then learning how to make soap with locally accessible ingredients. This ensures the club members can apply the lessons they learn into their daily lives, while also learning a fun practical hobby!
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Health volunteer in Madagascar?
Come in with zero expectations, I think this is a pretty good rule for volunteers going to any country. Madagascar is an incredibly unique place and with sites all around the country, we all have such different experiences living in different regions and among different ethnic groups. Be excited for the struggle and remember that nothing is hard forever and you’ll come out of the integration slump as a better person and volunteer.
9. What skills or qualities do you think are most important for a Health volunteer?
To keep it simple, you need to be flexible and a creative thinker. Most of your projects are going to take time to get off the ground and you’re going to have to hit the drawing board multiple times before figuring out what works for you and your community. And public speaking skills will really come in handy, the majority of our job is speaking to groups or 1-on-1 with community members about whatever health topics are the most relevant to your site.
10. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
As someone who loves routine, I really enjoyed the structure of PST, but it’s an intense three-month period. Post will have a set curriculum to teach you throughout your training, but it’s really important to ask tons of questions and ask to be given the opportunity to PRACTICE! You learn about various health topics in English and learn relevant words in the local language, but giving a health presentation in Malagasy to local women is a completely different ballgame. Our Health programming team has been really great at hearing our requests to do more practicums and providing us with the opportunity to do so during our training.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
11. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Madagascar volunteers?
Honestly, there’s nothing I’ve seriously needed that I couldn’t find somewhere in the country. Take the time in service to declutter. Focus less on clothes and toiletries and more on non-perishable comfort snacks and random hobbies you can fill up your free time or destress with.
Many volunteers have electricity access in their homes, but you won’t know until you get here and service can go out for hours to days at a time. It’s worth investing in a few good power banks and a solar charging system in the states. I would also recommend bringing a backup phone, as someone who dropped her phone in the toilet only 3 months into service (don’t worry, I brought a backup phone).
12. How has learning the language been?
We all learn Malagasy, but many volunteers also learn a regional dialect. These dialects can vary in how different they are from Malagasy. There aren’t many modern English language resources to learn Malagasy online. Obviously, there’s no harm in studying the language beforehand, but it isn’t necessary. Come to the country ready to learn and with a good understanding of your learning style. Our language staff does an amazing job of making sure you’re as supported as possible in learning the language: small class sizes, daily tutoring offered during PST, and a service-long stipend to pay for a tutor at site. For the majority of us, we live in villages with no other English speakers. With time, you’ll pick up Malagasy no matter what, so don’t stress about it too hard!
Final Thoughts
13. Any last comments or observations you’d like to pass on to future Madagascar volunteers?
Madagascar is a beautiful country with amazing people and an abundance of beautiful destinations to visit and fall in love with. We have some of the highest rates of RPCVs returning to live and work permanently in the country after finishing service (a common saying passed around PCVs, staff, and RPCVs, so don’t quote me on it, but I know tons of RPCVs who loved it here so much they either never left or came back as soon as they could)! We’re excited to have you here, and hope to see you soon!
What are you waiting for? Opportunities like this don’t come often. If you have a passion for service and an adventurous spirit like Julia’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 Madagascar Government.
