Letter from Jan 19 - ET?

Hey guys, how’s it going? Here, there is something amiss and it has to do with the administration of the Peace Corps Bureau in Burkina. In the past two weeks, I have learned the bureau has been going through the private files kept on the government computers meant for use by volunteers. These files typically contain reports proposals, reference material and photos. Many volunteers download photos they’ve taken, in their tenure here, onto the computers as a local safeguard location for their memories in Burkina. Thus, many people consider them private and don’t look into other people’s files unless they are invited.

The Bureau has taken advantage of this open access of “their” government computers and has been going through all the photos. In this process, searching for incriminating shots of people doing something against regulation and using it as item “A” evidence. They’ve been using these photos to force people to early-terminate (ET) their service or face being administratively separated (ADSEP). ET is more kind than ADSEP on one’s career so many volunteers may be forced to ET.

These incriminating photos are not of drug deals, passing top-secret material, or of acts that would even get most people a ticket in the U.S. No, they are photos of people, supposedly, riding bikes without helmets or riding a motorcycle. Pretty mundane stuff, huh? Really evil acts, right? Well, PC regs do stipulate that helmets should be worn while riding our bikes, and we’re not supposed to ride motos, but usually being caught doing so would occur early the same day of being accused. Marily, our odious director, has been using photos from as far back as a year to bully, scare and intimidate volunteers, who have otherwise been exemplary PCV’s.

She (the director) even went so far as to call in a PCV, who lives 2 days travel away, to come in immediately for an “urgent” reason. Not explaining the nature of the call until the PCV arrived. Causing 3 days of unnecessary emotional distress on this person, because the PCV thought the “urgent” reason had to do with her family. Only to find out that 8 months ago a photo was taken of here, in the background, straddling her bike without a helmet. Not riding, just straddling the bike.

The director wanted an explanation for the photo that didn’t need explaining. She called in two other PCVs for similar reasons, causing one PCV to ET and leave. That PCV was one of the most fantastic PCVs we had in Burkina. It wasn’t until the paperwork was done, did she find out, she didn’t have to ET.

What the hell is the point of all this? Why does this director feel it is necessary to dig through files, months old, that have nothing to do with our actual work and try to use them as blackmail? How does this improve Burkina or job performance? How does this build trust and a cooperative working environment between PCVs and the Bureau?

These are questions I plan on asking her. After she gets done looking at my file and making judgments on me because I didn’t put a helmet on my head, this very well may be the reason I come home early. This Bureau and the director is crap. That’s all for now.

Love you
Laura