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Emily Jonczyk lived in this Luapula, Zambia, home while serving in the Peace Corps. She had to leave after seven months because of the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: Emily Jonczyk.<\/p>\n
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When Emily Jonczyk, a first-time Peace Corps maternal and child health volunteer, was jolted awake by her friend, she assumed that she had overslept. However, her friend had more serious news \u2013 Jonczyk was going to have to leave Africa and return to the United States. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On March 15,\u00a0 for the first time in the U.S. agency’s 61 years, the Peace Corps evacuated all of its volunteers worldwide to protect them from the coronavirus. <\/span>The Peace Corps is an American service organization that sends volunteers around the globe to assist communities in need and help “to tackle the most pressing challenges of our generation,” according to the Peace Corps’ website.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hardest thing about it was not being allowed to go back and say our goodbyes,\u201d said Jonczyk, who was stationed in Luapula Province, Zambia. \u201cKnowing that the people in our villages will think we abandoned them is heartbreaking.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When Jonczyk got the news, she was in Zambia\u2019s capital, Lusaka, for a training seminar. At the time, she had not been to her village for three weeks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOn Monday [March 16], they said those of us in the capital would have time to go back and say goodbye, gather our things,\u201d said Jonczyk. \u201cOn Tuesday, our director told us that would no longer be possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Jonczyk, a recent University of South Carolina graduate, is still hopeful that she will be able to return to her village once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.<\/span><\/p>\n Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen has said that the organization has every intention of resuming operations and returning volunteers to their host countries \u201conce conditions permit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI would love to go back to my village; it\u2019s just a matter of how long that will take,\u201d said Jonczyk. \u201cThey give us a readjustment allowance but it\u2019s not a lot. At some point, people have to start making money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For now, Jonczyk is focusing on readjusting to life in quarantine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I envisioned coming back to America, I thought I\u2019d be going out to eat, seeing all my friends and doing all the things I\u2019ve missed. None of those things are possible now though,\u201d said Jonczyk. \u201cI feel like it\u2019s an apocalypse.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jonczyk recalled that her flight to\u00a0Charlotte, North Carolina, was the first time she realized how different life was about to be. She boarded her plane to find 15 other passengers and 150 empty seats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEverything here feels eerie and apocalyptic,\u201d said Jonczyk. \u201cBut this is affecting everyone in the world, not just the U.S. It\u2019s a literal global crisis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Zambia now has 36 confirmed cases, and the continent of Africa as a whole has 6,473. Jonczyk worries about how villages like Luapula will be affected by the crisis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn my health clinic, there were seven people working in it and they have to try and treat like four to five thousand people,\u201d Jonczyk said. \u201cSo now they\u2019re also trying to stress hand-washing, but good hygiene is really hard in a rural setting with no running water.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jonczyk explained that the people in her village were focused on completing their daily essential tasks, so worrying about the virus or trying to carry in extra water for hand washing wasn\u2019t important to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTheir healthcare system is just very broken and there aren\u2019t many resources for people,\u201d said Jonczyk, who also explained that villagers tend to listen better to volunteers since they come from such a privileged country. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s so difficult for these countries to be losing volunteers, especially ones who have been there for so long.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jonczyc only got to live in her village for seven months, but she worries daily about the friends and children she never got to say goodbye to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI pray that they will get a handle on it, but I\u2019m very nervous about the decision [to evacuate volunteers],\u201d said Jonczyk. \u201cThey just don\u2019t have the access or the resources to handle this at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This account was solely Jonczyk’s experience and how she reacted to the events that occurred. It does not reflect the opinions of any other volunteers or the Peace Corps organization.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 3″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/PeaceCorpsP4_DC.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.4.1″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” always_center_on_mobile=”on”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 3″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” 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Credit: Emily Jonczyk.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 2″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/PeaceCorpsP3_DC.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.4.1″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” always_center_on_mobile=”on”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” 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header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ 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Credit: Nancy.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Peace Corps maternity and child health volunteer Emily Jonczyk was evacuated from Zambia at a moment’s notice to protect her from the coronavirus, giving her no time to say goodbye to her friends, her village or the country she was meant to call home for the next two years. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":257,"featured_media":34410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" When Emily Jonczyk, a 22-year-old Peace Corps volunteer, was jolted awake by her friend, she assumed that she had overslept. She couldn\u2019t believe she\u2019d actually been awoken because she was being sent home.<\/span><\/p> On March 15, the Peace Corps evacuated all of its volunteers worldwide in an unprecedented move to protect them from the coronavirus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u201cThe hardest thing about it was not being allowed to go back and say our goodbyes,\u201d said Jonczyk, who was a first-time volunteer stationed in Lapula Province, Zambia. \u201cKnowing that the people in our villages will think we abandoned them is heartbreaking.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Wen Jonzyk got the news, she was in Zambia\u2019s capital, Lusaka, for a training seminar. At the time, she had not been to her village for three weeks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u201cOn Monday [March 16], they said those of us in the capitol would have time to go back and say goodbye, gather our things,\u201d said Jonczyk. \u201cOn Tuesday, our director told us that would no longer be possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Jonczyk, who has expressed that this was fully her own experience and does not reflect the reactions or opinions of any others in the Peace Corps, is still hopeful that she will be able to return to her village once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen has stated that the organization has every intention of resuming operations and returning volunteers to their host countries, \u201conce conditions permit.\u201d<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u201cI would love to go back to my village, it\u2019s just a matter of how long that will take,\u201d said Jonczyk. \u201cThey give us a readjustment allowance but it\u2019s not a lot. At some point, people have to start making money.\u201d<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> For now, Jonzyk is focusing on readjusting to life in quarantine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u201cWhen I envisioned coming back to America, I thought I\u2019d be going out to eat, seeing all my friends and doing all the things I\u2019ve missed. None of those things are possible now though,\u201d said Jonczyk. \u201cI feel like it\u2019s an apocalypse.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Jonczyk recalled that her flight to Charlotte, North Carolina was the first time she realized how different life was about to be. She boarded her plane to find 15 other passengers and 150 empty seats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u201cEverything here feels eerie and apocalyptic,\u201d\u00a0 said Jonczyc. \u201cBut this is affecting everyone in the world, not just the U.S. It\u2019s a literal global crisis.\u201d<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Zambia now has 36 confirmed cases, Africa as a whole has 6,473. Jonczyk worries about how villages like Lapula will be affected by the crisis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u201cIn my health clinic, there were seven people working in it and they have to try and treat like four to five thousand people,\u201d said Jonczyk. \u201cSo now they\u2019re also trying to stress hand-washing, but good-hygiene is really hard in a rural setting with no running water.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Jonczyk explained that the people in her village were focused on completing their daily essential tasks, so worrying about the virus or trying to carry in extra water for handwashing wasn\u2019t important to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u201cTheir healthcare system is just very broken and there aren\u2019t many resources for people,\u201d said Jonczyk, who also explained that villagers tend to listen better to volunteers since they come from such a privileged country. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s so difficult for these countries to be losing volunteers, especially ones who have been there for so long.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Jonczyc only got to live in her village for seven months, but she worries daily about the friends and children she never got to say goodbye to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u201cI pray that they will get a handle on it, but I\u2019m very nervous about the decision [to evacuate volunteers],\u201d said Jonczyk. \u201cThey just don\u2019t have the access or the resources to handle this at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[1708,71],"tags":[1753,1713,1557,1752,1751,1718,918,1310],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34343"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/257"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34343"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35814,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34343\/revisions\/35814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}