Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-085
Elizabeth (Liz) Kenton served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania from September 2000 to February 2004 in an agro-forestry project. She grew up with stories from her father, Stephen Kenton, who taught mathematics as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria (1962-1964). After graduating from college, she met her training group in Philadelphia then flew to Mauritania. She describes the equipment issued to volunteers, the language training, the desert climate, and the low-key but persistent religious pressure. Kenton encouraged families to grow kitchen gardens and use mud stoves. She also worked with gardening cooperatives to promote the Moringa oleifera tree. She struggled with despondence and bad dreams that in retrospect may be associated with the anti-malaria drug mefloquine. Kenton stayed a third year to complete a girls mentoring center, experiment with bio-gas production, and continue Moringa tree production. Peace Corps service left her with lingering doubts about international development, but with the confidence to face difficult situations. Interviewed and recorded by Patricia A. Wand, May 4, 2019. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).