Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-075
Edythe Ben-Israel served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi from 1968 to 1970 on a health project. She was motivated to join the Peace Corps to learn about other cultures, travel, and do some good in the world. Her training was interrupted by her mom's unexpected illness, and when she was ready to return to training she had to change from the health program to TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). Fortunately, when Ben-Israel arrived in Malawi she was able to switch back. She and her counterpart set up clinics to work with mothers and children to help teach them how best to supplement the children's diets. She also taught health at a local school. Ben-Israel relates a frightening incident in Malawi when a volunteer got stoned, but also recalls a rewarding time when she danced for and met the president. She felt accepted into the community and feels she got more out of her experience than she ever could give. She also talks briefly about the importance of Peace Corps in connecting Americans to other cultures and peoples. Interviewed and recorded by Candice Wiggum, April 6, 2019. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).