By Jeanette Batiste
Special to The Citizen

In the late 1980s, Peace Corps laid the cornerstones for the start of a long-term personal commitment to improving the lives of poor people in Africa by inspiring two returned Peace Corp volunteers (RPCVs) to establish A Self-help Assistance Program (ASAP). Tom Arsenault and Elizabeth Bara, who now reside in Peachtree City, Ga., spent two life-changing years as Peace Corps teachers in Swaziland in the late 1980s. They met, were married and together decided to make a lifelong commitment to empowering people in Africa. Peace Corps enabled them to embark on this journey, and equipped them with the necessary tools to do so.

Peace Corps experience is unique for each volunteer; however there are underlying similarities that affect us all. Volunteering is empowering by testing the strengths and weaknesses of each individual through experiences that one could never anticipate. It builds an understanding about day-to-day challenges experienced by poor people, and the dehumanizing and debilitating face of poverty. Peace Corps pushes boundaries, forcing volunteers to reevaluate preconceived stereotypes, resolutions and solutions. It thereby builds understanding and empowers volunteers to impact the lives of others. This does not end with COS. This is indeed why Tom and Liz were inspired to lay the foundations for ASAP and spend the last 16 years dedicated to ending poverty.

Tom and Liz moved to Zimbabwe and launched ASAP’s first projects based on their experience as teachers in Swaziland. Thus, they initially focused on making a sustainable contribution to the education system in Zimbabwe. Their first program included training in timber frame construction and the establishment of Tinovaka (which means “We build” in Shona) Carpentry Training Center. Tom came to Peace Corps with vast experience in lumber and carpentry, and he leveraged these skills to make this program successful. ASAP then partnered with Solon Foundation and helped communities build classrooms & teacher housing, and provide orphan school fees in order to improve rural education in selected rural clusters of schools in Zimbabwe. In addition, ASAP implemented Carpentry Outreach Training Program, providing skills and tools to enable rural carpenters to build and maintain classroom furniture locally.

The year 2001 saw the dawn of a program shift for ASAP, as they began to focus on poverty alleviation and rural community development. They continued to work with schools, but the emphasis shifted from building construction to empowering teachers to improve the learning process. With funding from Banyan Tree Foundation, Bridge the Gap (BTG) project was started in Chibuwe. This project improves the teaching and learning of math in selected rural schools. Additionally, preparations and planning started for the first Village Saving and Lending (VS&L) project, now better known as “Kufusa Mari.”

In 2003, despite severe political problems, ASAP directors reasserted their commitment to the work in Zimbabwe and continued improving and expanding the existing projects. ASAP Zimbabwe launched HANDEI (Health and Nutrition Development Initiative) with funding from New Zealand Aid. HANDEI is an agriculture based project aiming to alleviate the burden of HIV/AIDS through permaculture, medicinal herbs and nutritional gardens. In 2004 ASAP continued to expand project operations.

In 2005 ASAP established the U.S. office, which contributed to balance and definition between the United States and Management staff in Africa, in Peachtree City. Zimbabwe projects continued on in spite of the deteriorating operating environment. ASAP continues to work and expand there to date.

The ASAP Malawi project, launched in March 2008, will bring the experiences and successes of ASAP Zimbabwe to Malawi. I am the Program Coordinator for ASAP Malawi and like the founders I am also an RPVC (Malawi ’03-’05). I was based in the Southern Region, Chikwawa District, and assigned to the Community Based Natural Resource Management Program. Similarly to Tom and Liz, my experiences as a PCV also left a lifelong impact and enabled my work with ASAP.

The first phase of the Malawi project is underway, which will include establishing an office, employing management and staff, and rolling out a pilot project in Chikwawa District this year. ASAP will contribute to poverty alleviation in Malawi by building the capacity of vulnerable households to better manage finances through the VS&L program, and impart skills that will enhance livelihood sustainability. ASAP Malawi also works with PCVs in the area, leveraging their enthusiasm and skills. They are based in the communities we service, and are value-added to the program.

ASAP is confident that their model for community development effectively improves the quality of life for communities it services. ASAP embodies many of the lessons learned through Peace Corps. We recognize that sustainable change is slow, and we appreciate small sustainable progress generated through grassroots initiatives. We emphasize making the most of local materials, and empowering communities by building skills and capacity through demand driven programs. ASAP’s culture has its roots in the PCV experience.

The two years spent in Peace Corps is not long enough for many of its recruits to accomplish the goals they set for themselves. Peace Corps experience teaches volunteers that change is gradual, and patience is indeed a necessary ingredient. Most RPCVs are similar to the ASAP story in that they devote their lives to assisting those less fortunate than themselves, either in the U.S. or overseas, in one way or another. Indeed, the lessons learned from the two year commitment as a volunteer lay the foundation for the future. This is unique to each volunteer, but this is why we share something exceptional as RPCVs.

Peace Corps volunteer Jeanette Batiste (Malawi ’03-’05) is looking for volunteers to help raise funds for ASAP (A Self-help Assistance Program) Africa’s Malawi program expansion by volunteering to pre-sell fresh roasted coffee from Africa during the month of August.

As program coordinator, Batiste is heading up the ASAP Africa Malawi program in The Shire Valley in Southern Malawi, the same area she worked as a Peace Corps volunteer. This is one of the poorest areas of Malawi, and it is where ASAP will be implementing grass roots skills training projects to help the people there work their way out of poverty.

ASAP has it’s own local coffee roasting facility and all coffee you sell will be fresh roasted when orders are received and delivered by Labor Day.

To become a part of ASAP’s “Labor of Love Campaign” today, send an email to Foong Yu, foongyu@asapafrica.org, who will send you all the details and order forms.

For more information on ASAP Africa, visit www.asapafrica.org or call 770-632-7451.

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