Danielle Gervacio’s Peace Corps Journey
DISCLAIMER: My views are my own and do not reflect the views of Peace Corps.
By: Danielle Gervacio
“It is beautiful to see the growth of an organization – that I truly care for – in only just a year. I worked with Inkululeko as the Public Relations and Development Coordinator while receiving my Master’s degree at NYU for International Relations and International Law last year. Little did I know, Inkululeko would prepare me for the whirlwind that is Peace Corps (PC) service in South Africa.
I was placed in the province of Limpopo and learned the Tshivenda language. There, I found a vibrant and strong community (especially women) accompanied by fierce will. The Venda culture and historical complexities, mainly apartheid, have created rich and complicated roots – something I am continuously learning about but will never fully understand because it is not my lived experience. Still, it was a new experience every day as I learned to navigate these intricacies as an education Volunteer. I taught Grade R, 1, 2, and 3 the English language.
It's a silly feeling - your heart and head living somewhere other than the space your body occupies. On Monday, 16 March 2020, for the first time in its history, all PC volunteers around the globe were evacuated from their posts because of the Covid19 pandemic. Before being accepted to the PC I had more than several reservations about the government organization's mission. I was afraid it was counterintuitive to the decolonization of education. I was afraid of contributing to certain systems of power at play in South Africa. I was afraid of coming and leaving - like a 6-month mission and "saving" black and brown communities.
I want to say that there are always implications of global aid/response projects like that of PC but I also learned that with the right intention and acknowledgement of privileges we hold, we were helping to build capacity within the education system. It's really important to note that my counterparts were all tenured professionals and had about 80 years of experience combined (I was doing most of the learning). My school and staff existed and thrived without my presence and they will do so after my departure. In terms of sustainability - partnership is a word that informed my every behavior. PC Volunteers (PCVs) are meant to bolster host country nationals not impose some sort of external will on their lives. PC service, like many other international development projects, is not meant to be extractive but an exchange of cultural and social capital and of physical resources in a sustainable way. This is why it’s so easy to get behind Inkululeko’s mission. Inkululeko’s success in growth attests to its sustainability – its 100% student pass rate, its $50,000+ in grant support, and its new exchange program with a Kenyan Organization are indications of the belief others have in its power of sustainability.
Leaving was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Of course, these circumstances have no precedent and were beyond anyone’s control, which eases some of the hurt. I truly built a home during my short service. Today, I still have the privilege to help provide partnership through sustainable development with Inkululeko. Like that of my service with PC, Inkululeko means partnering to ensure freedom (quite literally), to bolster capacity, and to give learners the ability of choice.
I truly believe that education is the great equalizer and it is my hope that my learners and the learners involved with Inkululeko are able to utilize their education to build for themselves and their communities – and they will!”