World Wise Schools

“We live now in a global village and we are in one single family. 

It’s our responsibility to bring friendship and love from all different places 

around the world and to live together in peace.” - Jackie Chan, Actor

My students are very happy about receiving their letters

One project I have been running since last fall is organizing a Pen Pal program between my students here in Kpalime and my sister’s fifth grade class back in the United States. There are about 55 Togolese students participating with 60 American students. At my private school the class sizes are much smaller than in public school systems, so I have four classes here in Kpalime exchanging letters with two American classes at my sister's school.

I can’t speak to the reaction the American students have had toward our pen pal exchange, but my Togolese students are loving it! When I gave out the letters and pictures, mayhem broke out during the snack break. All the students were running around, comparing pen pals and gawking at the cool, funky pictures some of the students had drawn for them. They are very impressed with the appearance of the American students and like the idea of no school uniforms, haha. One of my students, Eric, came up to me asking why his pen pal had pink cheeks. I went on to explain how white people can get “rosy cheeks” sometimes in winter when they come inside from the cold, but I don’t think the point was really understood.

Although I arranged this exchange on my own with my sister, the Peace Corps encourages all volunteers to do similar exchanges. The Peace Corps’ Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools program works to match Peace Corps volunteers with schools in the United States. Not only is this a great opportunity for my students to come in contact with American students, but it is an opportunity for American students to learn about the people, geography, environment, and culture of a different part of the world. This is a project that I definitely plan on continuing throughout my service. 

If you would like more information about the program, or you are an educator who is interested in getting involved in an exchange with a current Peace Corps Volunteer, visit this website: http://wws.peacecorps.gov/wws/correspond/about.cfm