UD alumnus and Peace Corps volunteer Stephen Pope is a winner in the annual Peace Corps Blog it Home competition.

Capturing Mozambique

UD alumnus Stephen Pope wins annual Peace Corps blog competition

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2:55 p.m., Sept. 9, 2015--“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Peanut Butter.” So begins a collection of online stories and images posted by Stephen Pope, a University of Delaware alumnus who is chronicling his journey as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mozambique.

Last month, his blog, Postcards from Popester, was chosen as one of eight winners in the annual Peace Corps Blog it Home competition. 

Global Stories

Fulbright awards

Three University of Delaware students and an alumna have received word this spring that they will travel abroad as part of the newest class of Fulbright Student Program award winners.

Peace Corps plans

Two University of Delaware students, John McCarron and Bridgette Spritz, have been selected as Peace Corps volunteers and will serve in Ghana and Rwanda.

Aimed at serving the Peace Corps’ mission of promoting a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans, the Blog it Home competition highlights and celebrates those volunteers who choose to share the cultures and lives of their host communities.

Winners will have the opportunity to take part in the Peace Corps Top Bloggers Tour from Oct. 4-10 in Washington, D.C., where they will tour the city for a series of cross-cultural presentations, professional development sessions and other activities.

Having chosen UD for its ability to provide global opportunities, Pope studied abroad to Argentina, China and Tanzania throughout his time at the University. It was during his final study abroad program to Tanzania that he first considered applying to the Peace Corps.

“Tanzania was where my worldview was broadened the most and where my interest in international development flourished…,” he said. “The uniqueness of the bonds I created with people in Tanzania was very appealing, and Peace Corps service seemed like an opportunity to build upon that kind of experience for two years.” 

After arriving to Mozambique, the former international relations major made it his mission to provide a window into the lives of those living in what he considers a remarkable country. “Upon joining the Peace Corps, putting Mozambique ‘on the map’ in terms of the culture, the geography, and the challenges and triumphs of the country, became a personal priority,” he said.

Pope, who currently works as a community health volunteer in northern Mozambique, chose to submit one in a series of photos of a neighbor, Carlos, creating a soccer ball from readily available resources.

Of his experiences in the Peace Corps, Pope said he was inspired most by the community members he now considers close friends. It is the essence of these people and how their lives intersect with his that are captured in his blogs. 

“Born and raised in my remote village, [my landlady] had her first child at 12 years old, began working at 13, mothered the last of her six children at 50 years old, and is HIV-positive,” said Pope. “In spite of a lifetime full of hardship, she is one of the most generous, hardworking and welcoming people I’ve ever met. Her strength and compassion are truly inspiring, and a daily reminder of how resilient Mozambicans are.”

His role primarily involves working with Mozambique’s Ariel Glaser Foundation to aid in the improvement of their HIV support programs by strengthening community-based programming. 

Through his Peace Corps work, Pope seeks to increase nutritional and food security, thus improving treatment adherence for HIV-positive patients, as well as to foster income generation, conservation agriculture and small business development.

Pope will continue to volunteer for the Peace Corps in the coming year, managing the expansion of two projects he began as part of the Ariel Foundation. Readers can follow Postcards from Popester as he acts as cultural ambassador to Mozambique during this October’s Peace Corps Top Bloggers Tour and throughout his next year as a Peace Corps volunteer. 

About the Institute for Global Studies

The Institute for Global Studies was created in 2009 to enhance the international dimensions of teaching, research and outreach at the University of Delaware. IGS provides leadership and support for programs and experiences that contribute to the education of informed, skilled, open-minded citizens of the world.

Best known for coordinating the University’s study abroad program, IGS also awards scholarships and grants to faculty and students for a number of global opportunities, and administers internationally-recognized State Department-sponsored programs such as the UD Fulbright Initiative, Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders Institute, Mandela Washington Fellowship Program for Young African Leaders, and most recently the Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders on Women’s Leadership (SUSI-WL) program.

IGS sponsors such signature events as Global Month each fall and country-specific celebrations each spring.

IGS collaborates with other global partners on campus, including the Office for International Students and Scholars, the Confucius Institute and the Center for Global and Area Studies. In addition, IGS partners with Enrollment Management to coordinate the UD World Scholars Program.

Article by Nikki Laws

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