Interview with Marion Taylor, July 5, 2021

Interview Summary

Marion Taylor served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal from 1979-1982. She took French in high school and college and was mentored by professors with Peace Corps experience. Senegal was the third country she was offered, and she entered the Animation / Community Development program in 1979. She served in a small village in the Casamance region, 16 hours from Dakar, and her three main projects - a collective garden, a daycare center, and a sewing center - taught her the importance of community leadership in development. During her third year she took a regional volunteer coordinator position for volunteers in the south of Senegal, and convinced her parents and sister to come for memorable visits. She has gone back to that village several times with other family members, and incorporates lessons learned in Peace Corps into her work as a gap year counselor for high school and college students.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps volunteers community development Senegal (Country of service) Dakar, Senegal Thies, Senegal Ziguinchor, Senegal Niassene Diola, Senegal Sedhiou Departement, Senegal women in development community gardening UNICEF USAID Mali Niger Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) Kenya South Africa livelihood training income-generating development projects intercultural experience Peace Corps training Goree Island, Senegal Wolof language Muslim holidays Diola language and culture 1979-1982 (Years of service)

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