Hello, everyone!

I am finally back in Cochabamba after a week in Tarija for my site visit. Let me describe my site to you, in the words of Peace Corps:

¨Officially named Valle de Concepción, there are about 1000 people living in the town itself with approximately 12,000 in the entire municipality. It is nestled in a beautiful little wine-producing valley, surrounded by rivers and rolling, dry hills. This area of Bolivia is very reminiscent of parts of California. Nice for hiking and walking around! The climate is warm to hot in the summertime but cools down significantly in the winter. There is both electricity and running water, with public phones, cell phone service and internet. There are also some little restaurants where one can eat if cooking is not on the agenda. Let´s not forget the wine... Concepción is known for producing some of the best wine in the country. From Valle de Concepción, it is only a 45 minute taxi ride on a paved highway to the city of Tarija.

¨Description of host organization: The Volunteer assigned to Concepción will be working directly with PAN (Programa de Atención al Niños y Niñas Menores de 6 años). This is a nationaly program focusing on the mental, physical and nutritional development of Bolivian children at highest risk of learning delays, stunted growth and malnutrition. The Volunteer will coordinalte with PAN in Concepción and 24 surrounding communities. The youngsters who attend these pre-school/day care centers receive hot meals and spend 8 hours a day there with the educadora and cocinera.

¨Primary PCV activities:
-train pre-school educators in early childhood development theory and developing appropriate learning activities with them
-promote gardening and nutrition education with educators and padres de familia
-develop health-related educational materials for the schools
-collaborate with PAN facilitators to give health presentations to children
-involve parents in health-related training

¨Secondary activities:
There are many responsibilities, including:ç
-Work with local elemtary school (Delfin Pino) and the Catholic high school
-A Club de Madres meets one Saturday a month
-Work with the Adult Literacy program and continue the children´s weekly Reading Club
-Continue World Wise Schools letter exchange with high school students in the US
-English classes¨

So, you see, there will be a lot to keep me busy in Valle de Concepción. If you are a teacher and are interested in the World Wise Schools letter exchange thing, let me know and we can work something out. I didn´t realize how interested I am in adult literacy until I reached Bolivia, so hopefully I will be able to get involved with that as a secondary project. Basically, I´m very excited about all the prospects that await me at my site. I spent a few days with my work partners at PAN during my visit, and we went to a couple of the surrounding communities to put on workshops, and I can say, without a doubt, that I see many aspects of their program that could use quite a bit of improvement. It is going to be difficult, but I am inspired by the fact that I can already see how I might be useful to them.

I am also in love with the children´s reading club the volunteer before me has set up. A large part of my work in Concepción will be making her programs sustainable.

Sorry this is so short. I thought I would have more time, but at least now you have a glimpse of what I will be doing for the next two years.

Be well.