Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-068
Sara Holtz served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo from 1995 to 1998 in a safe motherhood and child survival program. She trained in-country at a dedicated Peace Corps center in Pagala. Afterwards she was stationed in the rural village of Affem Kabye with 1,200 residents, who welcomed her and named her Naka. Holtz worked in the health hut with two Togolese to provide maternal and child health care and health education to school students. After a tragedy where her neighbor had obstructed labor and died awaiting a cesarean section, Holtz knew she wanted to pursue a degree in public health. She later obtained a doctoral degree and wrote her dissertation on cesareans in developing countries. The Peace Corps made her who she is and shaped her global public health career. Interviewed and recorded by Elaine Staab, December 15, 2019. 1 digital audio file.