• hen did you come to Georgia? How long will you stay here?

I came to Georgia in the middle of April, where I began my training. I had three months of training, where we learned the Georgian language as well as Individual and Organizational Development. I will be here until around July 2020.
 

• What is your main occupations? What will you do in Georgia/ at CHCA?

My role as a Peace Corps Volunteer is primarily as a consultant for NGOs. I have a background in business and in consulting, and because of that, I have skills that people in Georgia need. From a day-to-day basis, it is my job to look at these organizations, assess where the opportunities are to develop, and work with employees to create a plan to implement on them.
 

• Why did you decide to become a Peace Corps Volunteer?

I decided to become a Peace Corps Volunteer because it gives me the opportunity to help people and organizations on a global basis, while utilizing my business skills and experience. It’s exciting to see the kinds of opportunities for countries like Georgia, and I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to help.
 

• What is your goal to be here? What are your expectations?

Primarily, my goal here primarily is to help CHCA, USAID Zrda, and other Georgian organizations to best achieve their goals. Secondarily, my goal is to share culture between the US and Georgia. Both for me to teach people here about America and its people, and also to learn more about Georgia and its people.
 

• How and why did you choose our organization?

The organizations that each Peace Corps member was decided on two main factors, one is the skills that each Peace Corps Volunteer has, and the other is where the Volunteer wants to be. For me, my background is in business development and consulting, and I wanted to use those skills to help organizations here in Georgia. Additionally, I had shown interest in working with minorities and other disadvantaged peoples. In turn, CHCA was looking for someone with business experience, and works with IDPs and other vulnerable groups. Upon seeing these matching goals, my project director, Tika, thought we would be a good fit, and I was informed I would be working for CHCA.
 

• You have already been here for two months, and what is your opinion about our organization? About Georgia?

CHCA is an impressive organization with a strong resume in project implementation. As is made clear in the annual reports and talking with former beneficiaries, CHCA does a lot of work for IDPs and vulnerable groups, and people respect the organization greatly. At the same time, there’s many opportunities for CHCA to help develop itself in, and I’m very much looking forward to continuing to help consult on these opportunities. The same is true for Georgia as a whole. Georgia is a growing country, with many opportunities for development. The Georgian government and the Georgian people have been welcoming and kind to us volunteers, and we are more than happy to give back.
 

• What are your short-term plans at CHCA? What do you recommend to CHCA?

I recently completed a strategic report for CHCA which was based on a numerical overview of the organization, and how well each of the organization’s functions work. I’m looking forward to following up on that report with the Executive Director and Project Managers at CHCA, and looking to how we can create a stronger CHCA together.