Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-111
Nancy Cooper served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire from July 1990 to October 1991 in healthcare administration. She had previously sold a successful business and retired at the age of 48. She applied with her husband Gary after seeing a Peace Corps television ad seeking older volunteers. Their training included an orientation in New Orleans; three months of French, history, and culture classes in Bukavu, Zaire; and a home stay in a small local village. Cooper was assigned to work in the town of Kimpese with the director of the local medical service. She traveled around to villages to provide basic healthcare services and education. After economic turmoil and rioting erupted in Zaire, the Coopers were evacuated from their site to Kinshasa, and then by boat to Brazzaville, Central African Republic. Nancy later returned with Crisis Corps, which led to a second evacuation down the Congo River to the coast. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, June 22, 2019. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).