Dumela! Hello! My name is Phoebe Henderson, and I’m a teacher, but maybe not like the one in your classroom. I used to teach history at a big museum full of wonderful objects and a magic garden. Now, I teach healthy living habits at a rural clinic in the Okavango Delta region of Botswana as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV). As a PCV, my job is to support my village's clinic health education initiative on topics such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, nutrition, and other pressing health issues. I also look after the Child Welfare Clinic, weighing babies and distributing food rations.
Before I came to Botswana, I lived in Wilmington, Delaware. In the summer, the forests are as green as emeralds, and the rivers shine like sapphires in the sun. I graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and International Relations.
Last year, during an especially chilly winter day, I thought, “What if I lived somewhere where it never got cold?” Next thing I knew, I found myself living in the Sub-Saharan African desert. Now, I can’t even remember what it feels like to have the cold nip at your nose.
I wanted to have this adventure because I think it is important to meet new people and learn new things. When I’m traveling, I learn something new every day about different cultures, and I get to teach people about myself and about America. Even though I love to travel, I still can’t wait to go home and see my family. I have one more year in Botswana to have the biggest adventures yet, and I hope you come along with me!
Peace Corps Volunteers like me live and work side by side with community members around the world, collaborating on locally prioritized projects, building relationships, exchanging cultures and knowledge, and helping transform lives for generations. Learn more by clicking here.
