Crisis Corps

In the early 1990's, Peace Corps devised a way to reenlist the help of former volunteers. Crisis Corps was created by matching RPCVs' language abilities from their former countries with nations experiencing acute devastation.

In September of 1998, when I closed my service from the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, West Africa, I signed up to assist Crisis Corps if a natural disaster or political unrest in West Africa deemed it necessary for relief workers to assist in rebuilding the area. I thought it would be good to be able to return and help, especially since I was already familiar with the culture and some of the languages.

In January of 2002 the southern region of Mauritania experienced an unprecedented three-day rain storm originating from northern Senegal. The Islamic Republic of Mauritania rest in the far western area of the Sahara Desert. Not only is it quite odd for this type of weather in Mauritania, but the time of year in which the storm hit was not during the country's rainy season. Many people's houses disintegrated, livestock (cows, sheep and goats) perished as a result of cold temperatures and no shelter. Twenty-two people lost their lives from collapsing homes and hypothermia.

The group of Crisis Corps volunteers that I served with were commissioned via a grant, put together by Peace Corps Mauritania and the World Lutheran Federation, to construct homes without the use of wood ("maison sans bois") and plant trees for dune stabilization. The homes were constructed using mud and mud bricks with a dome shaped roof entirely made by these two products. Brick makers, masons and laborers were hired to help in the building process. This type of construction, while labor intensive, required no out of country materials. All items were readily found in country and had a minimum of cost. I think that with these models the local population will see a better way to construct homes without the use of precious wood. We succeeded in getting the project started with the building of eighteen homes before our time expired.

"Maison sans bois" (house without wood)

I have found that coming back to Mauritania as a Crisis Corps Volunteer has further enriched the already rewarding experience I had as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I like the idea behind Crisis Corps and its 4-6 month missions for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in relief work. For me, it was a chance to go back and see friends and host family as well as learn a new home construction method. I highly recommend the Crisis Corps to anyone who desires to do more for a people one has come to know and love through his/her Peace Corps service.

Camille Humbles Mauritania 96-98, 2002

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-- Disclaimer: The content of this web site is a project of the volunteers in Mauritania and does not reflect any official position of Peace Corps or the U.S. government. --