Interview with Maria Martin Thacker, April 27, 2022

Interview Summary

Abstract of Interview with Maria Martin Thacker Sierra Leone, 1965 – 1967, Community Development Sector Maria Martin Thacker was born and raised in Clarksburg, West Virginia. She received a degree in international relations from Dennison University. Wanting to see the world, Maria applied to various international service organizations. Peace Corps offered her an assignment in Sierra Leone. Maria worked in community development. She collaborated with a host country national to produce a centralized workshop on maternal and child health and nutrition for women from the region and spent the following year visiting them in their local communities to provide oversight and support of the training they were doing with the local women. “She first visited her village sites on foot, but then was given a Land Rover. However, following a coup that prohibited gatherings, Maria had to develop alternative work, so she started a pre-school program for neighborhood kids as well as literacy classes for adults. She also taught English at a local school for boys and tropical health for girls. Maria’s service led her to a career in multi-cultural education, intercultural communication, and cultural anthropology.

Interview Keyword

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