Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-076
Imhotep Simba served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador from May 2017 to August 2019 on an urban youth development project. Growing up as an African-American in Baltimore, Maryland, his mother encouraged him to be a global thinker. His early career entailed mentoring young boys in his hometown. Simba was determined to serve in the Peace Corps and applied four times. His staging took place in Miami, where he met his group and conducted pre-departure activities. The group arrived in Quito, and their pre-service training (PST) took place in the Monteserrin neighborhood. Training included comprehensive Spanish, cross-cultural content, and safety seminars. Simba worked in a drug rehabilitation center for youth, and reflected on how their lives mirrored his own. He is proud of the safe spaces he created for the youth to talk, and the sessions he led on life skills, identity, and self-discipline. He also taught English and cooking classes as a secondary project. Interviewed and recorded by Charlaine Loriston, January 10, 2020. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).