Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-027
Courtney Columbus served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic from February 2012 to June 2015 on a community environmental development project. She served an additional year as a regional volunteer leader. As an undergraduate, Columbus had completed a study abroad program in Ecuador. Her Peace Corps community-based training included Spanish, Dominican culture and history, and specific environmental technical elements. She served in an agricultural community that had previously had volunteers. Columbus worked with a women's group and youth environment groups on a variety of projects, including introducing gas stoves to replace firewood and providing presentations on environmental issues. She also worked on a secondary activity to help Dominican-born Haitians obtain their birth certificates. Eventually, the Peace Corps environmental program was eliminated in the Dominican Republic. Interviewed and recorded by Randolph (Randy) Adams, September 19, 2019. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).