How the Peace Corps trains its volunteers on gender

Meghan Donahue: Gender training in the Peace Corps

Back in 2000, the U.S. Peace Corps began giving its army of volunteers all around the world basic training in gender issues.

The effort paid off, and now all volunteers know the basics not only after finishing their assignments, but — even more importantly — before they arrive in their host countries, according to Meghan Donahue, gender and education specialist at the volunteer organization.

In an interview with Devex Assistant Editor Kelli Rogers, the Peace Corps expert explained that this policy enables volunteers to become role models for the people they work for, and be more open to finding out exactly what women and men need in each community.

Click on the above video for more insights from Donahue on how the organization trains its volunteers on gender issues and how that ends up having an impact on them over time.

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