My Assignment

Country: Dominican Republic
Program: Community Environmental Development
Job Title: Community Environmental Development Promoter
Dates of Service: May 11, 2011 - May 11, 2013
Orientation Date: March 2, 2011
Pre-Service Training (in the DR): March 3, 2011 - May 11, 2011

Description provided by the Peace Corps:

The Community Environmental Development Project (EDE) works to increase the knowledge, skills, experience, and attitudes of community members, promoters, educators, park personnel, youth, and women groups to adopt appropriate behaviors in their interaction with the environment and for the implementation of community projects and actions for sustainable development and protection of the natural environment.

Volunteers work in 2 or more action areas:

1. Community rural-based Tourism and Ecotourism
-Implement conservation projects that combine the biodiversity conservation and the promotion of environmental awareness among community members and visitors of the protected area.
-Promote sound environmental practices and techniques by using protected areas as an outdoor classroom.
-Assist park managers and community-based organizations with the design, promotion, and implementation of eco-tourism activities to generate income so they can equate biodiversity conservation with improving their living levels.

2. Brigada Verde
-Work with youth leadership development centered around environmental actions including appropriate trash and waste disposal, prevention of water contamination, prevention of deforestation, watershed protection, protection of marine resources, protection of air quality, and gardening projects.

3. Home and community organic gardening promotion
-Carry out gardening activities at both the household and community level in order to improve diet.

4. Renewable energy and energy conservation (improved cooking stoves)
-Train community members in energy conservation and healthy cooking practices through the construction of improved cooking stoves.
-Assist community leaders and park rangers to learn and apply environmental concepts and design promotional materials.
-Organizing, forming, and strengthening existing community groups to implement specific environmental community activities.
-Establish organic gardens and/or tree nurseries.
-Promote reforestation campaigns, garbage disposal programs, and topic specific environmental workshops.
-Engage in participatory planning, monitoring, and evaluation processes with community organizations.
-Support complementary community projects with community organizations.
-Design environmental campaigns for communities located near national parks.
-Help park administrators to develop and implement eco-tourism activities

5. Food security
-Assist with aquaculture activities.
-Train community members about the importance of having sufficient protein intake in their daily diets which they can get from aquaculture activities.

Sounds like we'll be busy!!!