Volunteer Posts
Lessons Learned from the Rearview of a Rickshaw
April 19, 2016
“It’s easier to see where you’ve been from the rearview mirror, but the act of looking back is an important one. Please indulge me as I reflect upon my two week experience in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Below are the lessons I’ve learned from the [figurative] rearview of a rickshaw. First, the driver matters! To say the […]
Having Truly “been there”
April 18, 2016
In September, two volunteers completed Pesticide Safety Assessments for the Farmer-to-Farmer for Agriculture Education and Training program in West Africa. Sandra McDonald traveled to Guinea, and Ples Spradley completed an assignment in Senegal. The purpose of these assessments was to ascertain and evaluate pesticide safety, regulation, training, education, and use in the countries. Both Sandra […]
Why Volunteer?
April 13, 2016
Continuing our Volunteer Week reflections, Winrock staffer Abby Phillips shares her thoughts: “As we celebrate National Volunteers Week, we often praise the volunteers and the great work they are doing at home and abroad. Their work is vital to their communities and to development across the globe. As a new Program Associate at Winrock International […]
National Volunteer Week
April 11, 2016
Happy National Volunteer Week! As a proud implementer of volunteer programs around the world, Winrock is always happy to participate in celebrating and recognizing service. Each year at this time, we join many other organizations across the country to reflect on volunteerism — particularly around these three questions: “What’s your story? What does service mean to […]
Planting the Seed of Volunteering
March 18, 2016
The Recruiters from International Ag and Volunteer Programs participated in the Arkansas Women in Agriculture Conference (ARWIA) held in North Little Rock, Ar. There were over 125 women attending from all over the state of Arkansas. The conference offered mini-courses in such areas as Pollinator Habits, Waters of the U.S. Rule, Risk Management Ideas for […]
Success Is When Preparation Meets Opportunity
March 15, 2016
F2F Volunteer introduces Good Agricultural Practices to oil crop farmers in Myanmar The USAID-funded Asia Farmer-to-Farmer Program, implemented by Winrock International, provided technical assistance for the Magway Region Farmers Development Association (FDA) to improve their oil crop production. Volunteer, Dr. Martin Lo, from Maryland conducted training on Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) for oil crops, including […]
International Women’s Day
March 8, 2016
Happy International Women’s Day! The United Nations notes that “International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role…” We certainly know some women who have played an extraordinary role and made an […]
A Glorious Training in Guinea
February 17, 2016
This January, veteran Winrock volunteer, Anaïs Troadec, traveled to Guinea to provide technical assistance to the USAID funded Farmer-to-Farmer for Agriculture Education and Training program. She worked with the Guinean Agriculture Institutions Network (GAIN), which is made up of the five major agriculture education and training institutions in Guinea, to support leadership strategies to improve […]
Participants Wearing ‘City Shoes’
January 5, 2016
Today’s blog post is from Roger Engstrom, a seasoned Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer. Roger has volunteered five times in Africa since January 2015 with Winrock and other implementers of the program. Most recent, Roger volunteered in Senegal and provided his provided technical assistance to the Horticulture Initiation Center of Saint Louis on agricultural mechanization: “I was afforded a very […]
Wonderful Lessons in Guinea
December 29, 2015
Steven Luna recently completed a volunteer assignment with the Agriculture Education and Market Improvement Program in Guinea. He shares his thoughts on the experience in today’s volunteer blog entry: “Before arriving to Guinea, I had my expectations about the assignment and the country itself. I had calls with the program director and technical assistance manager […]