My Peace Corps Grant (PCPP Grant)

After a long, detailed process, my grant to fund a Kindergarten and Kindergarten teacher training for local teachers has been approved by Peace Corps!

The money raised will fund a quality kindergarten for low income families who cannot afford to send their children to other schools. It will also fund a training workshop for Kindergarten teachers at each of the public schools in my town.

Kindergarten is a relatively new idea here in Ethiopia. It’s only been in the last few years that schools have begun KG programs. Most schools only have one KG classroom, educating approximately 20 students each, leaving most families with only two options, 1) Pay high tuition fees to send their children to private schools, or 2) Don’t send their children to school at all. Unfortunately, most families can’t afford to send their children to private school, leaving many school aged children without the benefit of early education.  It’s very common, at least in my town, to see these 5-6 year olds on the streets, alone, or even taking care of younger siblings, while their parents work.

We all know the benefits of early education. We all know how crucial it is, and how success in Kindergarten can mean success throughout a child’s education. That’s why I’m asking for your support with this project. Not just monetary support, as I know times are tough for everyone, but support by spreading the word to others.

The Kindergarten will serve 30 students this year, and will expand to serve 60 students next school term. The grant will provide the funding to make repairs and improvements on the school compound, provide teaching materials for the teachers, toys and games for the students, a computer for record keeping and teaching aid creation.

One of the goals of every Peace Corps program is sustainability. The grant will fund the acquisition of a small Suk (shop) whose proceeds will continue to fund the school year after year. It will also fund a training workshop for every KG teacher in each of the public schools in my town, thusly improving the quality of education for thousands of students.

“Why is the training workshop so important?” you might ask. Well, I’ll tell you. At the moment, KG teachers are only required to have one year of training before being certified to teach Kindergarten.  The quality of education is very poor because these teachers do not know how to teach and begin teaching without experience. If the teacher cannot succeed in teaching, the students will not succeed in learning and they will carry that with them throughout their professional and educational careers.

Donating money to any cause can be iffy, as one is never quite sure how money is being spent, or even if the money is getting to those who need it. If ever you wanted to donate but never did for fear of corruption, now is the time to donate without anxiety.

The grant was approved by the United States Peace Corps after a very lengthy, very detailed, planning and writing process. Every dime is itemized and is expected to be accounted for. I’ll be blogging this itemized list on an upcoming blog, so you can see for yourself how the money will be spent. I’ll be posting updates every week, internet permitting.

Here is how you can learn more and donate;

1. Visit www.peacecorps.gov/donate

2. Enter my last name ‘Wymer’ or my project number  ’13-663-004’ in the search box.

3. From there you can click on the project name to read more, or you can email the Peace Corps directly with any questions about donating, how grants are selected, or about Peace Corps in general.

4. If you find my project worthy, DONATE!!

5. Share the information! Spread the word! Help educate my kids and teachers!

Every dollar goes a really long way! Please don’t be afraid to ask me any questions. No question will go unanswered. I want to make sure you feel good about where your money is going and how it’s being used, so here are the ways in which you can get a hold of me.

You can contact me by;

·         Leaving a comment on this blog

·         On Facebook.  I’m ‘Berdette Wymer’

·         On Ravelry. My Ravelry name is OneSquareBird. If you are a member of the Doubleknit Podcast group on Ravelry, there is a thread dedicated to my project. (Thanks Erin!)

·         By email at littlebirdbk@gmail.com

·         Or, if you’re friends with my mom or sister, you can get in touch with me through them.

I’ll be posting updates and more information on my blog, so keep checking in. Until next time, here is a photo of the KG students I’m currently working with. If the grant is fulfilled these are the very students who will make up my Kindergarten’s KG II students next school year. Until next time…..!

Top 10 - Things I want to do upon my return to the U.S.

With my COS (completion of service) looming in the near future, I’ve been thinking a lot about the things I want to do most when I come home from Ethiopia. A few of these things may not mean much to readers who haven’t lived in places where these things aren't possible or available, but they are things that I have missed doing for these last two years. They are things that creep into my dreams, usually very frustrating dreams in which I still cannot do these things. But, now, with the end of my service in sight, I’ve begun to think more seriously about how to go about resettling into my life in The States. This is a list of the top ten things I have planned to do when I get to go home.

1.            Eat Super Nachos from Mi Pueblito – Super Nachos with everything with Al Pastor and tomatillo salsa. Either Root Beer or Dr. Pepper to drink, with lots of ice. On the next trip I will have shredded chicken enchiladas, and after that, two ceviche tostadas with a side of guacamole. In my humble opinion, Mi Pueblito (in the Park Falls plaza, near Walmart, in Ukiah, Ca.) is the only place to eat fresh delicious Mexican food outside a Mexican Household.

2.            Drink a non-fat, no-whip, iced, hazelnut mocha, at Starbucks and knit for no less than three hours. Realistically I will probably have two or three drinks during this Starbucks knitting extravaganza. There is coffee here in Ethiopia, of course, and it is really really good, but there is nothing like a Starbucks Iced Mocha, and I desperately miss sitting there, knitting, without people staring or pointing or inviting themselves to my table. Oh yes, to be drinking a delicious drink and knitting with a delicious yarn, in public space, without feeling like a dancing monkey. This then leads me to #3.



3.            Knit with bulky and/or super bulky yarn. I don’t know yet what the project will be. Maybe the Burberry Inspired Cowl by Julianne Smith or Sylvie by Mari Muinonen but either way I demand bulky yarn. After two years of knitting and crocheting with fingering weight yarn and small needles, I’ve got a major hankerin’ for some big-ass yarn and some big-ass needles. Oh, the wonderment that is thick, delicious yarn. This brings us to #4.



Sylvi by Mari Muinonen



Burberry Inspired Cowl by Julianne Smith



4.            Dive head deep into my yarn stash and knit it down so I don’t feel quite so bad about going on a yarn buying spree. I’m not going to force myself to knit my entire stash before I go on this spree. That would be cruel. I am, however, going to go through all of it and either pair what I’ve got with projects to cast on, or give it away if I’m not feeling it anymore. I’ve been listening, these two years in Ethiopia, to the Doubleknit and Stash & Burn knitting podcasts, unable to get my hands on my own stash. The stash burning mojo has accumulated and I’m ready and itchin’ to tackle the stash!



5.            ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!! I want to spend some quality time with my siblings. Nothin’ like hours in the car together and stops at low budget roadside tourist traps to get to know each other a little better. This trip will start by collecting my younger brother and sister and end in Seattle where our older sister has grown roots. I’m also hoping that our older brother will be able to come and play too.

6.            Cook cook cook cook cook! I miss cooking. Now, I can cook here, and do cook here, but the ingredients and tools are very very limited. I want to cook whatever my heart desires with a real stove, oven, and all of my kitchen toys that have been locked away in storage while I’ve been in Peace Corps. “Who will eat all this food?” you ask. Well, my friends of course! I’m planning on having my friends over and near me for quite some time. They’ll be more than happy to eat the banquet I will provide. Part of the fun in all this cooking is going to the grocery store. I do miss a proper grocery store. Isles and Isles and thousands of choices!

7.            Have a Twilight Saga movie marathon. The plan is to watch all of the movies leading, of course, to the very last one which I will not have seen yet. This marathon will also include lots of food, lots of friends, and most likely a little liquor as well. Can’t ask for much more!

8.            Spend a full weekend, Friday through Sunday, on the coast. I want to sit on the shore with my feet buried in the sand, and knit, snooze, eat, read, etc. Fish’n’chips at Captain Flint’s in the Harbor (Fort Bragg, Ca.) is also part of the deal. They make the only coleslaw, in the world, that I actually like.  I’m not sure if this excursion will include others. I think it’ll depend on how I feel at the time.

9.            Spend a few quality days in San Francisco with my pals. I miss them so! I may include an adventure to the Winchester Mystery house. No, it’s no in SF, but it is in the bay area and I think my friends would be down for a day trip. It’ll be nice to be able to do this before I have to return to a regular job as I’ll be able to sleep in, stay up late, and traipse around San Francisco at a leisurely pace without having to worry about getting a bunch of stuff done before such and such time. I think I’ll do a ghost tour, and maybe even a little visit to Alcatraz.

10.          Create works of art. I don’t care what I’m using or making as long as it’s artistic. Knitting, quilting, painting, drawing, decoupage, paper arts, photography, cooking, baking, etc. I want to make as much art as possible with all of the tools and materials I need at my very fingertips and shops nearby to get what I don’t have. Woo hoo! I love art! Let’s hear it for uninhibited self-expression!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ten items are not by any means in any kind of specific order.  They’re simply the things that are priority for me. Obviously some are going to be more expensive to complete so the time it takes in which to fulfill my goals will depend on how far and long I can make my budget stretch. Fingers crossed! At some point, sooner rather than later, I know I’ll have to buckle down and get a job and a car, especially if I’m planning on a road trip, but for now I’m focusing on the free time I will have to reacquaint myself with western life and reconnect with my friends and family.