SBD Project: A few words...(Part II)

You know, they tell you that the Peace Corps is the "Toughest job you'll ever love", but you just don't quite grasp this statement until you've begun your service. At the moment, I find myself with about 10 months of Peace Corps service underneath my belt. Obviously, I can't speak for everyone in this program (currently or RSVPs), but the Peace Corps experience can be filled with many highs & lows. Over the past few months, my thoughts have varied from moments of major distaste - to moments of pure elation . Just as I'm ready to call it quits with this whole program, I soon after have an opportunity to experience this wonderful country in a way that I had never dreamed of, which then changes my entire perception.

What's cool about the Peace Corps is that it has three goals, which are:

1. To help the people of interested countries and areas in meeting their needs for trained workers
2. To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served
3. To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans

Taking into consideration these 3 goals above, I feel as though I'm well on my way towards fullfilling #2 and #3. Now, it's just a matter of fullfilling #1. In an earlier Blog entry (SBD Project: A few words -Part I), I mentioned the frustrations with the 1st goal of the Peace Corps experience. Well, yesterday at 1pm I had a meeting with my Delegation in Marrakech, and my Peace Corps Program Manager. Hereafter, are the basic minutes of that meeting...

It's been said, that when people generally are aware of a problem, it can be said to have entered the public consciousness. But when people get on their hind legs and holler, the problem has not only entered the public consciousness, it has also become a part of the public conscience; and at that point, things in our democracy begin to hum. With this being the current circumstances in parts of the Marrakech region, and after hearing these cries for help from some of the SBD (Small Business Development) Peace Corps volunteers in the region of Marrakech, the Peace Corps' Program Manager for SBD came to the aid of these few volunteers and issued a meeting with the Delegation of Marrakech.

One of three purposes of the meeting was to foster new input to the SBD Peace Corps Volunteers serving in the Marrakech region on current issues, concerns, and questions concerning voluntary intervention with local artisan's development from our diverse perspectives. This broad SBD assignment led to a far-ranging discussions over the past seven months and a considerable amount of confusion on the part of the SBD Peace Corps Volunteer and that of the Delegation. As the SBD Program Manager stated in their opening remarks, voluntary intervention by Peace Corps volunteers are clearly a resource which people in the Delegation do not fully have a grasp of yet, and therefore should be aware of the skills/experience they bring to Morocco, in order for the Delegation and the artisans to use these SBD Peace Corps Volunteers effectively. There are many different paths to take to resolving this confusion, but our SBD Program Manager felt that a meeting with the Delegation and the SBD Peace Corps Volunteers was the most effective way of airing out these issues and developing a action plans to mitigate these issues. Some of the major comments and suggestions mentioned at the meeting are featured below.

Amizmiz - SBD Project

The second portion of this meeting was with regard to my site in Amizmiz. As my SBD Program Manager and I began to explain our position, we pointed out that there is currently a lack of direction stated by the Delegation as to the "work" that I was to accomplish while being stationed in Amizmiz. As well, there was an issue with the Counterpart in Amizmiz, in that he was using the Peace Corps volunteer assigned to Amizmiz to work on projects that did not coincide with that of the Delegation. This was a concern because I was in need of a "artisan focused" project that would satisfy my particular need to use his currently available education and experience in the the field of artisan marketing and sales, as well as satisfy the needs of the Delegation whom make decisions for the artisan community throughout the Marrakech region. It was agreed upon that I was in need of a project that was a result of well-thought out research and need throughout my community of artisans in Amizmiz, and was not subjected to any Counterpart that was not working with the wishes of the Delegation and that of his own.

After a bit of confusion on the Delegation's part with the information that was being filtered to them by my now former Counterpart, the Delegation offered their apology and began to inform me directly as to what they would like for me to do in Amizmiz over the course of my volunteer service. The Delegation informed both my Program Manager and I that they would like for me to work directly with the Potters there in Amizmiz. The Delegation would like me to assist in the areas of design, training, and marketing/sales of these ceramic artisan crafts. So, as of that moment, I was to report directly to the Delegation as they would now take on the role as supervisor and supporter with these newly realize objectives that the Delegation had laid out for me just moment earlier. The kick-off of this new project will begin with a visit to the Technical Ceramics School in Tamesloit, just a few kilometers outside of Marrakech. Both the Delegation and I believe that a visit to this Technical Ceramics School will be advantageous for me and help me to begin realizing what is hot in the market. From there, the Delegation made the action item to prepare a meeting with the Potter community within Amizmiz. In this meeting, the Delegation would then introduce me, and provide me the Potters with an understanding of my credibility and at the same time show the support of the Delegation for my intervention. From there, it will be my responsibility to find two or three Potters that would be willing to work on protypes for markets outside their current and immediate area of Amizmiz. A time and date for this introduction meeting by the Delegation is still in question, but should happen over the next few weeks.

Over the next few weeks, I will begin to contact various resources for this project which includes one of my fellow Peace Corps volunteers, Laura Somel, along with a few Pottery Training Schools throughout the Marrakech and Safi regions. So, after I chose a few willing and able Potters from my community, I will then take them to the upcoming Imichil Festival in August. The hope there is to introduce them to the "local market" and to provide them with training by ATA (http://aidtoartisans.org/). If over the next few months, my 2-3 Potters are satisfied with my assistance, than the rest of the Potters will (hopefully) follow suit and welcome my suggestions. So, I'm sure there will be more to write on about this in upcoming blog entries.