Peace Corps Training

We will be in training for approximately nine weeks total. Training is very intense. We start at 7:30 in the morning, have a two hour break in the afternoon and have classes or some sort of training until 6pm. We usually have a couple hours of “home” work to do, after that, I pretty much fall into bed and fast asleep.
The training is excellent. It is the best training I’ve had anywhere. We are taught primarily by Togolese. Our trainers are highly educated. Many of our trainers graduated from Universities in the United States. They are experts in their various fields, in addition to being experts on Togo. They use a method called PACA, Participatory Analysis for Community Action. This method is the Peace Corps capacity-building approach to development. Training focuses on empowering local people to be their own decision makers and develop the skills to carry out those decisions and improve their lives. The focus of volunteers work is on strengthening the capacity of men, women, girls and boys to actively participate in their own development. Our trainers use the same approach in our own training.
We have been in training for a full three weeks now. We have four to five hours a day of language. To date we’ve had in depth training on our own health, Togo History and Administrative Structure, Togo Economy, Togo politics, How to ride our bike, How to maintain our bike. Visit to the local Togo Market, Visit to a business trade show in Lome, Working with individual entrepreneurs and cultural integration in Togo.