English Resources for Success

As you may or may not know, I've recently finished writing a grant.  This post is about that grant, why it is important, and how you can help us to make it successful.

I have been living and working in Ukraine for a little over a year and half.  In that time, I've experienced a lot of things.  I've learned a lot including how to successfully use a Turkish toilet, at least five different ways to refuse alcohol at parties, how to navigate bus and train schedules, and how to not freeze to death in winter. I've learned that cultural integration is key, and when in doubt, just smile. I've learned patience and that my way is not always the right way These are just a few of the many things that I've learned from this amazing and sometimes frustrating country that I call home.

 Like many Peace Corps volunteers, I feel like my service and the country that I'm serving in has given me much more than I have given it.  Every day, I try my best to give to Ukraine all that I can possibly can.  In my case, this means showing up to school and doing my best to instill in my students positive moral values and a love for learning.  This sounds way simpler than it actually is.  For starters, these children don't have a lot.  I'm sure you are thinking to yourself, "Well, duh.  That's why they need Peace Corps volunteers.".  And you are right in thinking this, but their is only so much we as volunteers can do on our own.  

That is why many Peace Corps volunteers write grants.  We see a need, then we use our skills and knowledge, along with the guidance of some of the Peace Corps staff to meet this need through a grant.  Peace Corps itself sponsors three different types of grants.  The most commonly used one is called a Partnership Grant.  This grant is written by the volunteer and their counterpart.  One of the requirements of the grant is that the site donates at least 25% of the cost in order to show that they are committed to the grant and its purpose.  Next, it is submitted to our in country Peace Corps office where it is checked thoroughly and either approved or disapproved by the country director.  If approved, the grant is sent to the national office in D.C. where it is then placed on the Peace Corps website.  There the grant is easily accessible to friends and family of the volunteer who can then donate to the grant.  Once the grant has reached it's goal, the grant is removed from the website, and the money is transferred to the volunteer who then begins purchasing the items that were requested in the grant.  Although it sounds very simple, it is a long process for the volunteer.  However, the results are well worth the lengthy process.

As many of you know, I recently completed a Partnership Grant.  I decided to write one after working with my school for a year and seeing how much the teachers and students are forced to  do without.  I then talked with my counterpart, Olga and we decided to write a grant to purchase some resources to help alleviate some of these problems.  Before I tell you what we want to purchase with the grant, I would first like to show you some pictures to give you a better understanding of what we are dealing with.

This is my wonderful counterpart, Olga.  She teaches grades 1-7.  She does this without any electronics and with out of date textbooks that are extremely old and uninteresting for students.  She somehow manages to keep the students interested because of her creativity and love of the English language.

These are some of the books that the students and teachers use.  They  are full of grammatical errors and uninteresting topics.  

This is one of the stories from a 7th grade book.  Would you want to read this at age 13?

All of the books are extremely old.  This is my counterpart's copy, so it is in relatively good condition.  I'm sure you can imagine what the student copies look like.

This is another one of my counterpart's books and as you can see, the binding is starting to come undone.

This is my counterpart's classroom, which she furnished and decorated herself and paid for out of pocket.  All of the teachers at the school must pay for any repairs or new materials with their own money.

These are two of the better resources that my counterpart has.  Both of these posters were purchased with her own money.

These are just a few of the 586 students who will be helped by this grant.

Although it doesn't appear to be much, my counterpart and the other teachers at Lyceum Success make the most out of what they are given.

So, as you can see from these pictures, the English teachers at Lyceum Success do not have a lot to work with.  Because of this, my counterpart and I decided that the grant should be for English resources.  Because of the state of our textbooks, it was decided that part of the grant would be for new textbooks for grades 1-8.  We also decided to ask for money to purchase a laptop, a printer, a projector, and a screen  that will allow the English teachers to make different types of lessons that will be more interesting and interactive for the students.  After deciding what we wanted to purchase, we discussed it with the Director of our  school along with the two other English teachers.  In order to show their commitment to the grant, our school has graciously offered to donate one office to be used as the English resource center where all of the new items will be stored.  They are also going to pay to have it furnished and decorated.  They are going to pay for all of the labor that will be needed as well.  Everyone at Lyceum Success is 100% committed to the education of our students and the sustainability of this grant.  


Here's what you can do to help:  

1.  Follow this link to read more about the grant: https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=343-370

2.  Donate as little or as much as you can.

3.  Email this blog entry or the link to everyone you think would be interested in donating to our cause.

I realize that we live in a tough economy and their isn't a lot of extra to go around these days.  Please know that even the smallest donation can have the largest impact.  If we work together, we can change the lives of all 586 students at Lyceum Success.  Help us to give them a chance towards a better education and a better life. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to ready this.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Hncaldwell87@gmail.com