Description of Service

The Description of Service is an official Peace Corps document that we write describing what we did during our service. So, if you are interested in knowing what I have been doing here for the past two years this will tell you.


Peace Corps Honduras

Description of Peace Corps Service

Allison O’Donnell
Honduras 2007-2009

After a competitive application process stressing technical skills, motivation, adaptability, and cross-cultural understanding, Peace Corps invited Ms. O’Donnell to serve as a Health Extentionist in the Central American nation of Honduras.

Pre-Service Training
Ms. O’Donnell began an intensive 11-week pre-service training on February 12, 2007 in the communities of Santa Lucia and La Paz. The program consisted of Spanish language training, technical skills training, AIDS education, and area studies training. Throughout the pre-service training program, Ms. O’Donnell lived with Honduran families, reinforcing her linguistic abilities and exposing her to Honduran culture and traditions.

Training program included:
185 hours of formal instruction in Spanish
113 hours of area studies (the history, politics, economics and cultural norms of Honduras)
141 hours of technical project training
16 hours of AIDS education

Assignment
On May 3, 2007, Ms. O’Donnell completed training and was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She was assigned to the community of Santa Bárbara in the Department of Santa Bárbara to work with Pure Water for the World, an NGO that produces household water filters. On her own initiative she later worked extensively with HIV prevention activities among youth and adults both in her site and throughout Honduras.

HIV/AIDS Prevention

Men’s Health Initiative
Ms. O’Donnell served as a team leader for the Peace Corps Honduras Men’s Health Initiative. She planned and facilitated three training of trainer workshops in Santa Bárbara directly reaching 30 community members and indirectly reaching over 200 more men in surrounding rural communities. Two substantial projects included work with the Honduran Red Cross and the Santa Bárbara Penal Center. Ms. O’Donnell worked with the Honduran Red Cross to design an innovative training curriculum to educate taxi drivers in HIV prevention and stigma reduction in Santa Bárbara. Along with a Honduran employee of the Red Cross she worked with sixty taxi drivers at taxi stops in town. The taxi drivers in turn shared their knowledge with their passengers. She also trained Red Cross employees in Tegucigalpa, the capital, so that they could use the same methodology in three other cities of Honduras. In addition, Ms. O’Donnell conducted a focus group needs assessment in the jail and followed up by training twelve prisoners to be facilitators of the Men’s Health methodology. These men then delivered a 4 hour workshop to 300 inmates.

Not only was Ms. O’Donnell instrumental in the education of adult men in her community she also was involved with Men’s Health at the national level. She met with ten Honduran GOs and NGOs in Tegucigalpa to promote the methodology. As a result she worked with Management Sciences for Health to conduct three additional trainings in Tela and La Ceiba. These workshops reached over 60 Garifuna youth.


Youth HIV Prevention
In addition to being the Men’s Health team leader Ms. O’Donnell also served as the coordinator for the Peace Corps Youth HIV Prevention Initiative. She was responsible for the planning and facilitating of trainings for all incoming Peace Corps trainees during her second year in country, and personally facilitated four of the trainings. In her site she worked with a local NGO called Youth Without Borders to oversee their HIV prevention workshops and give constructive feedback. She also trained the local Scouts group and worked with them to facilitate HIV prevention workshops in rural communities surrounding Santa Bárbara.

HIV Prevention through Abstinence
Ms. O’Donnell facilitated a 14-week program for female youth that addressed abstinence, puberty and decision-making for young girls at economic risk. She also coordinated and co-facilitated a training of trainer workshop in Santa Bárbara in coordination with Plan Honduras.

HIV Network
Ms. O’Donnell supported the local HIV Network in event planning, budget development, project proposal writing and training protocols. She helped the Network collaborate to coordinate events including activities for World AIDS Day, HIV testing campaigns and anti stigma and discrimination campaigns. Ms. O’Donnell was also fundamental in coordinating HIV testing for 40 high risk inmates at the Santa Bárbara Penal Center.

NGO Management with Pure Water for the World

During her first year in service Ms. O’Donnell worked extensively with a Pure Water for the World, an international NGO funded by local and international Rotary Clubs. She developed appropriate health education activities, de-parasiting protocol, water analysis procedures, and program monitoring and evaluation for use at the local and national level. She also trained the local project manager in administrative duties including reporting, budgeting, planning and goal setting. Furthermore, Ms. O’Donnell served as a vital link between the local and international Rotary Clubs, facilitating communication and understanding across borders as well as coordinating three international visits to the project site.

Manual Revision
Ms. O’Donnell played a critical role in revising and updating the Spanish Men’s Health initiative training manual as well as the monitoring and evaluation methodology. She also led a team in revising the youth HIV prevention initiative training manual.

Grant Writing

Ms. O’Donnell gained experience writing and executing two grants in her community. The first was a Peace Corps community grant to train community members to be facilitators of the Men’s Health Initiative. She later worked with the participants of the first workshop to facilitate a second workshop through a PEPFAR grant to train inmates in the same initiative.

Secondary Activities/Projects
Translator

Ms. O’Donnell served as a language translator and cultural broker between local projects and international donor and mission organizations. She worked with eight dental, medical, optometry and construction brigades from the USA, Canada and Taiwan, offering on the ground support and planning. She also conducted a needs assessment for a water system in Buena Vista, Atima to contribute to a Rotary International grant application.

Volunteers Offering Support (VOS)

Ms. O’Donnell was trained to be a member of VOS by attending a 15 hour training in active listening and peer support. She used her skills formally and informally to assist fellow volunteers through difficult times.

Folk Dancing

During her first year in service Ms. O’Donnell practiced and performed with the local folk dance group as a way to integrate into her community and learn about the culture.

Language Skills
Ms. O’Donnell achieved a Spanish language Oral Proficiency rating of Advanced Medium as administered by a Certified Peace Corps Language Tester at the close of her service. Ms. O’Donnell effectively used Spanish to communicate in her work, with her colleagues, Honduran work partners, and in daily life.

Ms. O’Donnell completed her Peace Corps service in Honduras on May 1st, 2009.

Pursuant to section 5(f) of the Peace Corps Act 22 U.S.C 2504 (f) as amended, any former Volunteer employed by the United States Government following her Peace Corps Volunteer service is entitled to have any period of satisfactory Peace Corps Volunteer service credited for purposes of retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave and other privileges based on length of federal government service. Peace Corps service shall not be credited toward completion of the probationary or trial period or completion of any service requirement for career appointment.

This is to certify in accordance with Executive Order No. 11103 of 10 April 1963, that Ms. O’Donnell served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Her service in Honduras ended on May 1st, 2009. She is therefore eligible to be appointed as a career-conditional employee in the competitive civil service on a non-competitive basis. This benefit under the Executive Order entitlement extends for a period of one year after termination of the Volunteer’s service, except that the employing agency may extend that period for up to three years for a former Volunteer who enters military service, pursues studies at a recognized institution of higher learning, or engages in other activities that, in the view of the appointing authority, warrant extension of the period.