Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2010-003-004
Joyce M. Bowden served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1963 to 1966 on a health project. She initially began training as part of Bolivia V for a project in public health education, but had to leave because her father became ill. Returning to Seattle to join Bolivia VI, Bowden completed further training in Puerto Rico and then went on with one other trainee to study at a leprosarium in Louisiana. In Bolivia, she was stationed at a leprosarium in a remote area, from which she traveled to outlying villages to educate patients' families and local health workers about leprosy. Bowden also interviewed incoming patients to obtain their medical history and began a system of record keeping at the leprosarium. Interviewed and recorded by Phyllis Noble, September 5, 2009. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).