by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Most college graduates worry about the job market and finding a place to live after school, not if they are going to have electricity or if they can leave their house.
These were a few of the things Sara Dougherty, volunteer coordinator at the Sulzbacher Center, had on her mind as a member of the Peace Corps living in Kenya. She joined shortly after graduating from the University of North Florida with a degree in English in spring 2006.
“Electricity was pretty reliable,” said the 28-year-old Jacksonville native, “and a little boy would come over after school to go to the market or down to the river to get me water.”
She also had the good fortune of living in a house with concrete walls and a tin roof.
“Some of the other volunteers actually lived in mud huts,” said Dougherty. “I felt very lucky getting the house.”
The house had two rooms, a water storage area, a small room to take a “bucket bath,” and the entire building wasn’t much bigger than some backyard sheds.
Dougherty was a public health volunteer for the Peace Corps and responsible for improving health and hygiene habits in the Village of Ithiani. She taught health classes, organized mobile voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) centers and identified health problems at villages and developed solutions to those problems.
“Teaching was fun,” she said. “Most of their learning is done through lectures because there are so many kids in a class. I tried to be more engaging with the health class by asking them to raise their hands and rewarding students with candy for asking questions or giving correct answers. They really looked forward to the class.”
VCT was used to test for HIV and also educate people about the disease before and after testing.
Dougherty felt she was settled into the routine about a month after landing in Africa in May, but Kenya became unsettled after a general election to elect its next president on Dec. 27 of last year. Rumors of vote tampering led to protests, which escalated into riots.
“Most of the violence occurred in Western Kenya,” said Dougherty. “It seemed like it was something that was simmering underneath and this was the last straw. I was lucky enough not to be near it and smart enough to stay away from Nairobi (the capital) when problems were happening.”
She could tell things were getting worse when phone service was intermittent and local media was shut down.
“Getting information became really tough,” she said. “So we didn’t know what was happening. It was a stressful time.”
Her village was locked down when violence started moving toward her area and the Peace Corps decided to get her out of the country in February. Her service ended 17 months early (most members serve 27 months).
“My family and friends knew,” said Dougherty. “They felt sorry that I didn’t finish my work, but they were glad to see me home.”
Since there was a chance she’d go back, Dougherty didn’t want to get a job right away. She decided to volunteer at the Sulzbacher Center.
“I heard about the center and felt I could help the population they serve,” she said. “I just thought I could volunteer first and see if I’d be going back to Kenya, but then a position opened up and one thing led to another.”
A lot of her Peace Corps training related to the work she is doing at the Sulzbacher Center.
“She is part of our development team that helps us find funding for programs,” said Colleen Farris, director of public affairs for the center. “She finds people to help us when we don’t have the money for it. She is already blazing a trail, bringing in seven people already.”
Dougherty may regret not being able to finish her work in Kenya, but she felt the opportunity to be home and pursue her passion was too good to pass up.
“I feel happiest when I’m using my skills and ability to benefit someone else,” she said. “This position provides me with the opportunity to do that.”