Interview with Gabrielle Frey Torres, October 24, 2023

Interview Summary

Gabrielle Frey Torres served in the Peace Corps in Ghana from 2005-2007 as an Agro-Forestry and Alternate Livelihoods(Environment) volunteer. She joined after finishing her Masters, fulfilling a long-term dream. Training was intense and learning Twi was a challenge. She was assigned to Kranka, a royal town with sheep – goats were forbidden. She worked with Kranka Habitat for Humanity, helping farmers learn ways to supplement their income and pay for their house. During her first year , she worked with Paul Yeboah to develop his organization called The Permaculture Network and helped him to develop needed skills. She also was involved with training new PC volunteers. One skill she developed was just sitting and being with people, an important part of the culture. She made many friends and has returned to Ghana several times and saw the progress made. The village threw her a big celebration when she left and named her a ‘queen-mother’ of the village. After COSing, she visited Kuwait before returning to the States and tapping into her Peace Corps resources for jobs in DC, and then returned to Kuwait for several years. Peace Corps is still a major piece of who she is, and she encourages others to join.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps (U.S.) Ghana (Country of service) 2005-2007 (Date of service) Kranka (site) Habitat for Humanity twi (language) Peace Corps volunteer job: Agro-Forestry and Alternate Livelihoods (Environment) farmers Permaculture Networrk training "Queen mother" Peace Corps resources

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