photo by steed media service

For Willie Jackson, the Peace Corps provides a perspective of the world unlike that offered by any other service-oriented agency. As its southern regional recruiter, he facilitates life-altering relationships between the organization’s volunteers and people abroad. “It’s a huge networking possibility … working in these communities, learning the language, learning the culture and doing things that are basically outside of the box,” says Jackson of the dozens of host countries volunteers visit.

While working to aid in the global effort to end Africa’s HIV/AIDS crisis, the Grambling State University graduate traveled overseas and worked to make a real difference in the lives of real people. During his two-year tenure as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, Jackson taught preventive STD methods and fostered community dialogues in the villages on the virus. He hopes that more African Americans will get engaged in projects abroad, especially in areas like education, the economy and technology.

“I think it’s important that we can have that experience of living outside of our culture,” shares Jackson of the minute 3 percent of African Americans who make up 8,000 of the Corps’ volunteers. “Our interactions in these villages … that we work in around the world, help change the face of America. In order to understand a culture, you have to live with the people you ... interact with.” The Peace Corps provides numerous incentives for volunteers once they complete their service, ranging from job assistance for governmental jobs to financial benefits for graduate-level work. Jackson says the experience is one that participants will never forget.

“You’re fully taken care of during the two-year service, your medical expenses are taken care of, we fly you there, we fly you back,” he shares. “We help you set up projects, you get training. It’s a total immersion experience.” -marissa mitchell

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