(From the PC Guinea newsletter)
I would like to address a number of issues in this month’s newsletter. Please forgive the length of this article, but there are some important things that need to be explained.
Regional Houses
In the past month I have received letters from some of you requesting that the
regional houses remain open. All of the letters I received were thoughtful and
well presented. Thank you for your professionalism in addressing an issue about
which you feel very passionate. And to those of you who acknowledged that there
are some problems at the houses, I appreciate your honesty. As you read this
newsletter, I think you will see that many of the things that you said were
important to you at the regional houses are still available in the new regional
facility configuration. In addition, I have also received emails from some of
your parents and Friends of Guinea regarding the same issue. As is Peace Corps’
policy, I did not respond to your parents and friends. Headquarters is responsible
for supporting family and friends stateside. Attached to this newsletter, you
will find a copy of the memo that was sent to those concerned in the states
from the Region Director for Africa. I would like to take this opportunity to
address all of you on the regional house issue, and to re-iterate some of the
things I’ve said to you since I arrived.
At the end of August, I attended a VAC meeting where at least a third of the PCVs in country at the time were present. I told the PCVs that PC Washington intended to issue a worldwide policy regarding the use of PCV houses. Guinea had been held up to Congress in an Inspector General Report as an example of what’s wrong with PCV houses – excessive drinking, drug use, and prostitution – although it is not the only PC country with these problems. I would add to that list that there are PCVs in Guinea who abuse the regional houses by staying there for weeks at a time, which keeps them from their site and their work. I know many of you feel that Guinea is being penalized for the behavior of PCVs who are no longer in country, but I must tell you that these same types of problems persist today. Since I arrived, PCVs have gotten into shoving matches bordering on fights with the guards who will not allow them to bring prostitutes into the houses. And very recently, I received reports that a group of PCVs
were drinking excessively and using drugs in one of the Volunteer houses. Whether or not you want to believe it, the problems persist, and the houses make it easier for Volunteers to engage in inappropriate behavior and keep them from their jobs and their sites which is contrary to Peace Corps policy.
At the VAC meeting, the PCVs were adamant about keeping the Conakry PCV House open. Some very persuasive arguments were made. I agreed with the Volunteers that a PCV House in the capital city was useful and needed, although my reasons were a bit different than the PCVs. I petitioned the Region Director in October 2002, and he agreed that we could keep the house in Conakry.
After visiting the regional capitals and talking with the PCVs who were present, I felt that there were less persuasive arguments to keep the regional houses open. However, I saw two big problems in completely closing down the regional houses. One, PCVs used their regional capitals as a business center, and for some PCVs it is impossible to get to the regional capital and back to site in the same day. Two, the communication hub (computers, internet, phone, and HF radio) that we had created at the regional houses was vital for Volunteers, their work, their families, and for communicating with Conakry. Thus, the decision was made to reconfigure the regional houses into regional facilities rather than closing them down completely. This reconfiguration will take place around June 2003. These new facilities will have an IRC with computer and phone, HF radio, and a sick room. The PCVL will live at the facility, so yes, it will also have a kitchen and living room area. The guards and driver will still be at the new facility. There will be hours of operation for the facility, though, most likely 7am to 11pm.
As with your transportation allowance, PCVs will be given a quarterly allowance for a certain number of days to stay at designated hotels in the regional capital. All of the hotels are places where I have stayed that I think are well maintained and secure. Peace Corps is in the process of negotiating the price that PCVs will pay at these hotels. The Boke regional house will remain open as, currently, I am unable to locate an appropriate public housing alternative in that town.
In December, PC Washington did issue a policy requiring closure of Volunteer houses. Here is an excerpt from the memo from the Chief Security and Compliance Officer in Washington, DC:
This memorandum is to provide clarification on the Peace Corps policy regarding hostels and Volunteer use of hostels. Over the last few years, the use of these properties has become widespread and uncoordinated, and sometimes unsupervised. The Inspector General brought this issue to our attention in two separate documents: a Management Implication Report (# 02-03) and the subsequent IG mid-year report, both of which highlighted mounting concerns regarding our policy and it’s interpretation on the use of hostels. In general terms, it is prohibited for the Peace Corps to provide, sanction or condone the use of hostels by Volunteers unless previously approved by the Director of the Peace Corps. Manual Section 218 (6) states:
“Volunteer hostels are at cross purposes with the mission of the Peace Corps. By nature hostels tend to draw Volunteers together and away from involvement with host country nationals. Volunteers should be encouraged to participate in the culture of the host country. The Peace Corps prohibits the establishment of Volunteer hostels without the approval of the Peace Corps Director. Volunteer hostels may be approved only after it has been shown that moderately priced capital city accommodations are either not available or pose a threat to the health and safety of the Volunteers on official business.
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As I hope you will realize, the decision to reconfigure the regional houses is not personal and is not a mandate made to Guinea alone based on the IG report from 2 years ago. It is a worldwide Peace Corps policy. There are at least a half a dozen countries in Africa that have already closed their PCV houses. I hope that you will come to realize that you are getting much more in these regional facilities than other PCVs are who work in Africa.
I do recognize that it is a big change for you, and it may be difficult for some of you in the first few months. I continue to encourage all of you to visit each other at site when you need the support of another American. Remember, you can spend two nights away from site in your work zone without having to take vacation days. Please take advantage of this opportunity to give support and encouragement to each other.
I have worked hard to come up with a solution that is consistent with Peace Corps guidelines, but still provides you with vital communication resources that are a necessity in a country where transportation is a huge impediment to communication.
Transportation
In November, the monthly mail run was started to help alleviate communication
and transportation problems. I have another idea to improve the transportation
issue for many of you. I don’t want to go into the details of it right
now just in case we cannot make it happen. I have asked Sean to research some
options for us. I should be able to tell you more in a couple of months. We
do need some information from you, though, to helps us. Please fill out the
survey attached to the newsletter and return it to me as soon as possible. We
need to know how often and on what days transportation leaves your site and
heads to your regional capital or the next largest town on the main highway.
By main highway, I mean the main roads that run between Conakry and Kankan or
Kissidougo or Labe or Boke. For example, if you are in Bendou, how often and
on what days can you get to Faranah. If you are along the Dinguiraye road, how
often and on what days can you get to Bissikrima or Dabola. Thank you in advance
for your prompt response to this survey. If all goes well, we may have a safer
means of transportation for you to your regional capital and/or Conakry by the
rainy season.
I have been talking to WFP about restarting their flights between Conakry/Kankan and Conakry/Labe. In this survey, please let me know how often you think you would need to take the plane to come to Conakry and which day of the week is easiest for you to leave from your regional capital.
Communication With Family and Friends in the U.S.
On February 7, President Bush updated the National Security Alert System from
Yellow to Orange. What that means for your family and friends is that they are
on very high security alert in the U.S. Moreover, they are worried about you
and your safety. I have received a flood of email notes from your family members
in the past two weeks, and it is clear to me that they are concerned about your
life and safety in a Muslim country. Please make a point to stay in touch with
family and friends. Let them know how you are doing and what life is like for
you in your village. Thank you.
Evaluations for Staff
Some PCVs from G4 have suggested that Volunteers be given an opportunity to
evaluate some members of staff in a survey to be passed out at the Girls’
Conference. While I think the idea of a survey would be helpful to us on staff,
I think it would be a more useful tool if it were incorporated into the performance
review process that occurs towards the end of each calendar year. In addition,
for the evaluation to be truly a useful tool and not just a “personal attack”
on staff members, it should focus of the performance requirements of their job
where volunteers have some direct knowledge and can provide helpful feedback.
Staff will work with VAC to come up with an appropriate tool that can be used
in the future.
In the meantime, if you would like to provide feedback to members of staff (both positive and negative), please feel free to send us a note (anonymous, if you prefer). Or please discuss your concerns with another staff member with whom you feel comfortable. We all regularly provide each other with feedback so I am certain that your thoughts would be communicated promptly, adequately, and anonymously if that is your wish.
Have a great time at Girls’ Conference.
Lisa Ellis