Emily Peelgrane

"I liked the fact that Raleigh had a dual purpose. It conducted projects in community and environmental settings as well as striving to encourage youth development through its programs. I also liked the fact that it encouraged different nationalities and age groups to work together as well as people from different socio-economic backgrounds."

Emily Peelgrane, originally from Australia had been working as an occupational therapist in London for two years before joining as a project manager on the Costa Rica and Nicaragua 2006 expedition.

A working day in Alto Guaymi started around 5am when the local rooster and howler monkeys woke everyone from their slumber. The venturers and staff would wash their faces and teeth in a small basin in each of the houses and head for breakfast. Several of the local women cooked all the breakfasts in their indigenous dresses and this generally consisted of rice and beans. Following breakfast the group would walk 15 minutes over hills and along side of the jungle to the worksite.

Usually the working day went from 8am until 11.30 when the heat of the day kicked in and the group would retire for lunch and an afternoon rest. During lunch most of the venturers and staff spent time with the community learning local dishes, customs and games. After lunch, the group would return to the worksite to continue with the construction work. This generally consisted of one of the staff speaking to our maestro (a local indigenous man) and attempting to interpret to the rest of the group. This was at times difficult, as he had never worked with westerners before, or larger groups. Most of the tasks included carrying wood for three hours over steep terrain, carrying sand off the beach for several hours, digging holes for foundations, planing hard wood, hammering in floor boards etc.

At the end of the day, the venturers and staff would return to the village for dinner and a chat with the community. The evenings varied with the odd church service in the local church, card games, Twister with the local children and much more. Most of the staff and venturers were in bed with exhaustion by 8pm.

My highlights from expedition include: walking 22km along a rocky and desolate beach to reach the community. Learning how to dance Guaymi traditional dances and make local arts and crafts and learning local dishes from one of the indigenous women. Sharing jokes and realsing how similar some of the Guaymi people were to both the staff and venturers.

This expedition with Raleigh has allowed me to see how working with an indigenous community can be done positively with the community having complete ownership. It has allowed me to realise that although western civilisation values money and time they are not always necessary to get things done. It has taught me how to motivate and encourage 18 to 22 year olds develop and work for a common cause regardless of backgrounds, and socio economic status. It has allowed me to consider a change in career.

 

skip back skip to top

• Case Studies
• Aged 17-24 Venturer
• Host Country Participants