It is a perfectly valid question: What exactly is it you are doing over there? Why are you there? I probably have asked that question of myself on more than one occasion. We all have pretty grand illusions about what exactly it is Peace Corps volunteers do. I will try and explain this by describing my work and other projects I am (attempting) to work on.
I work for an organization called Altyn Kol (literally translated, “Golden Hand”). My organization is a small, nonprofit business that makes traditional Kyrgyz handicrafts, namely shirdaks. Shirdaks are basically felt carpets that are ornately decorated in crazy swirly patterns (see picture). The organization’s goals are (1) to export Kyrgyz culture to the wider world through the art; (2) to pass down the art of shirdak making to the next generation; and (3) to give women a chance to be economically independent and, as a personal corollary, the ability to become equals in this society. Currently, the organization is a loose cooperative, where the members who produce the shirdaks have some power of management to set prices and appoint the director, but in practice it is very rarely player out in such a way. The organization pays above “Fair Trade” prices to all of its craft masters and all shirdaks are one-of-a-kind.
So, what do I do? Still, good question. Technically, I am a Sustainable Organizational and Community Development Volunteer. That means my mission is to make this organization more sustainable. Since the primary goal of every business is survival (ahead of even profits), I am essentially a business advisor to the organization. Though I have been here for over two months, my job is far from steady and I am still in the process of figuring out what exactly the organization needs.
Most of the “problems” that the women at Altyn Kol have asked me about are typical of any business. Quality control processes are needed. More customers are needed. Better customer relations are needed. More efficient systems for order fulfillment are needed. None of these things are exceptions in the business world. Moreover, they are really what every company in every developed nation deals with every day. The difference here is the culture of the organization and the community. To put it bluntly, rocking the boat is not exactly what makes people popular around here.
All that said, I am really trying to observe right now. I have convinced the women that we cannot make good business decisions until we have good business information. To put on my list of accomplishments (somewhat) is a marketing survey that I wrote to help us better understand who buys our shirdaks at our semi-annual exhibition this Thanksgiving weekend. I have been slowly teaching my counterpart, Dinara, about market segmentation and how to better focus our limited resources. All of this is really a foreign language for them, but believe me they are willing to accept help and that is definitely more than I can say for a lot of my friends scattered throughout the country.
The second part of my job title (Community) requires me to work to make my entire community better by working with others outside of my primary assignment. As is typical of government, this extra work is referred to as “Secondary Projects.” Sexy name, I know, but there is more to it than just a fancy etymology. I have started making friends in the community to see who I can have work together to make this little village a better place. I have found a few people I would be willing to help here in the area.
I have a lawyer friend who is planning a judge training session in April and I have agreed to help. The law has changed so many times here that it is necessary to educate local judges on what the law is and where there jurisdiction ends. Many of the judges in rural communities (and I mean rural), have no formal legal training and are often just wise men selected by their fellow villagers for their wisdom and (mostly) age. The training is necessary to help the legal system work the way it’s supposed to.
It may seem to some that I am really not doing a lot here, and I cannot argue that, so far, I really don’t have many accomplishments to brag about. To be honest, just getting through the day without embarrassing myself too badly is usually considered a success. During Pre-Service Training, I heard more than a hundred times, “Learn the language and stay healthy, the rest will fall into place.” I guess we’ll have to see…
I work for an organization called Altyn Kol (literally translated, “Golden Hand”). My organization is a small, nonprofit business that makes traditional Kyrgyz handicrafts, namely shirdaks. Shirdaks are basically felt carpets that are ornately decorated in crazy swirly patterns (see picture). The organization’s goals are (1) to export Kyrgyz culture to the wider world through the art; (2) to pass down the art of shirdak making to the next generation; and (3) to give women a chance to be economically independent and, as a personal corollary, the ability to become equals in this society. Currently, the organization is a loose cooperative, where the members who produce the shirdaks have some power of management to set prices and appoint the director, but in practice it is very rarely player out in such a way. The organization pays above “Fair Trade” prices to all of its craft masters and all shirdaks are one-of-a-kind.
So, what do I do? Still, good question. Technically, I am a Sustainable Organizational and Community Development Volunteer. That means my mission is to make this organization more sustainable. Since the primary goal of every business is survival (ahead of even profits), I am essentially a business advisor to the organization. Though I have been here for over two months, my job is far from steady and I am still in the process of figuring out what exactly the organization needs.
Most of the “problems” that the women at Altyn Kol have asked me about are typical of any business. Quality control processes are needed. More customers are needed. Better customer relations are needed. More efficient systems for order fulfillment are needed. None of these things are exceptions in the business world. Moreover, they are really what every company in every developed nation deals with every day. The difference here is the culture of the organization and the community. To put it bluntly, rocking the boat is not exactly what makes people popular around here.
All that said, I am really trying to observe right now. I have convinced the women that we cannot make good business decisions until we have good business information. To put on my list of accomplishments (somewhat) is a marketing survey that I wrote to help us better understand who buys our shirdaks at our semi-annual exhibition this Thanksgiving weekend. I have been slowly teaching my counterpart, Dinara, about market segmentation and how to better focus our limited resources. All of this is really a foreign language for them, but believe me they are willing to accept help and that is definitely more than I can say for a lot of my friends scattered throughout the country.
The second part of my job title (Community) requires me to work to make my entire community better by working with others outside of my primary assignment. As is typical of government, this extra work is referred to as “Secondary Projects.” Sexy name, I know, but there is more to it than just a fancy etymology. I have started making friends in the community to see who I can have work together to make this little village a better place. I have found a few people I would be willing to help here in the area.
I have a lawyer friend who is planning a judge training session in April and I have agreed to help. The law has changed so many times here that it is necessary to educate local judges on what the law is and where there jurisdiction ends. Many of the judges in rural communities (and I mean rural), have no formal legal training and are often just wise men selected by their fellow villagers for their wisdom and (mostly) age. The training is necessary to help the legal system work the way it’s supposed to.
It may seem to some that I am really not doing a lot here, and I cannot argue that, so far, I really don’t have many accomplishments to brag about. To be honest, just getting through the day without embarrassing myself too badly is usually considered a success. During Pre-Service Training, I heard more than a hundred times, “Learn the language and stay healthy, the rest will fall into place.” I guess we’ll have to see…
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