Interview with Christine Abassary, June 9, 2024

Interview Summary

Christine Abassary served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi, East Africa, from 1998 to 2000. She served in the Health Program as a Maternal and Child Health Officer. Christine’s decision to join Peace Corps was influenced by RPCVs she met during college at the University of Massachusetts, where she studied psychology. A trip to Brazil reinforced her desire to travel and work outside of the U.S.. Christine’s training was conducted near the capital city of Lilongwe. It included living with a host family, Chitumbuka language, and culture. Christine was assigned to a small town called Chitipa, in northern Malawi. She completed a shallow well project that was started by the previous PCV, and worked with local counterparts to assess community needs. She did some permaculture training and helped establish a ground nut growing collaborative. She also participated in HIV/AIDS awareness training.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps (U.S.) Malawi (country of service) 1998-2000 (date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Health Peace Corps (U.S.)--1990-2000 Peace Corps (U.S.) – Training (cultural, language, technical) HIV/AIDS East Africa maternal and child health University of Massachusets Lilongwe (training site) Chitumbuka (language) Chitipa (assignment site) permaculture agriculture cooperative groundnut cooperative women owned businesses

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