Interview with Cindy Jurgensen, Curt Rahman, July 19, 2021

Interview Summary

Cindy Jurgensen and Curt Rahman served as Peace Corps Volunteers (Nutrition and Community Development) in Kiribati from 1981-1983. They joined after college graduation and, as a newly married couple, were selected for a hardship post. They completed three months of in-country training on an island outside Tarawa, the Kiribati capital. Local trainers taught Gilbertese, an indigenous language. During training, Rahman and Jurgensen lived with local families for language and culture experience. They were then assigned to Abemama (Island of Moonlight), which had a population of 2,500 inhabitants. Jurgensen focused on maternal and child health. Jurgensen and a local licensed practical nurse (LPN) made biweekly visits to mothers and children. Jurgensen created weight charts to track children’s growth and encouraged mothers to boil well water to prevent diarrhea. Rahman built relationships with the island’s different groups and then facilitated their collaboration on projects such as building the island’s first library and automating coconut oil extraction. His efforts fostered intercultural communication and understanding. After Peace Corps service, Jurgensen worked as a Minnesota Peace Corps recruiter. For their two young sons, they hosted Global Minnesota activities, and one son later served in Peace Corps Madagascar. They are active in Minnesota Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

Interview Keyword

Kiribati (Country of service) 1981-1983 (Date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Nutrition Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Community Development CASTE (Peace Corps evaluation workshop for hardship posts) Language immersion Coral atoll Coconut oil village elders The House of Borrowing Books Coconut oil extraction Chipper shredder Petrol Island of Moonlight Causeway Lagoon Coral reef King tides Sea level rise Anoke's Ark Anote Tong

Interview LC Subject

Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--Kiribati
Red Wing (Minn.) Norway Tarawa (Kiribati) Abemama (Kiribati) Solomon Islands Fiji Gilbertese language Coconut oil Pandanus World Health Organization Catholics Protestants Sea level--Climatic factors

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Interview Usage

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