Interview with Rebecca Ehrich, May 18, 2022

Interview Summary

Rebecca Ehrich volunteered in Liberia, 1974-1976, as a health educator, developing teaching aids. As a teenager she had lived in Liberia with her family, where her father worked on water projects. Her return to Liberia as a volunteer was like coming home, she said. For skills training, Rebecca flew to various Liberian missionary doctor sites. Permanent site for Rebecca (Kpelle name Nenequellie) was Bellemu where she benefitted from interaction with nurses at Phebe Hospital. She caused a stir by taking the initiative to open her site’s locked clinic for a well baby clinic when its director failed to show up. Thereafter, Rebecca worked for the Agency for Development and Progress in Jorwah and taught English at a Catholic orphanage in Monrovia. As a result of her experience, Rebecca became interested in nursing care which determined her future educational and career paths, including four separate postings as a PC Medical Officer. When Rebecca Ehrich returned home from PCV service as a health educator in Liberia, she knew she wanted to become a nurse and to go back overseas. She went to nursing school and eventually obtained nurse practitioner credentials. She ended up serving four tours as a Peace Corps Medical Officer (PCMO). From 1981-1985 she was in Mali. She spent a year each in Ghana (1985-1986) and in Western Samoa (1987-1988). From 1995-1998 she worked in Mongolia as the Soviet Union collapsed. Rebecca considered her clients to be the volunteers’ parents. She described the job of a PCMO as having several responsibilities, including: establishing evacuation plans; operating a clinic; counseling; preparing medical evacuations; and picking/visiting/evaluating PCV sites. Additionally, she feels she was able to impart basic tenets of Western nursing at her posts. She believes that Peace Corps and the Marshall Plan are the two best things the USA has done.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps (U.S.) Liberia (Country of service) 1974-1976 (Date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Health Liberia Ivory Coast Ghana Peace Corps (U.S.)--1970-1980 English Kpelle Training Peace Corps (U.S.) Mali (Country of service) Ghana (Country of Service) Western Samoa (Country of Service) Mongolia (Country of service) Mali 1981-1985 (Date of service) Ghana 1985-1986 (Date of service) Western Samoa 1987-1988 (Date of service) Mongolia 1995-1998 (Date of service) Peace Corps Job: Health/PCMO Peace Corps (U.S.)--1970-1980 Peace Corps (U.S.)--1980-1990 Peace Corps (U.S.)--1990-2000 Peace Corps (U.S.)—History Peace Corps (U.S.)—Management Peace Corps staff Regional conflict English French Peace Corps-related medical issues Diversity in the Peace Corps Asian Americans

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