Returned Peace Corps Volunteers from Ethiopia/Eritrea

Come to Belfast, Maine for 44th Anniversary Reunion

Bob Matthai, Belfast, Maine, September 18, 2007

From September 21-23 several dozen former Peace Corps Volunteers who served in the African country of Ethiopia from 1963-65 will converge on Belfast, Maine for a reunion 44 years after they entered the Peace Corps. To understand why they are coming to Maine it is necessary to know something about Roger Sprague, who chairs the reunion planning committee.

In 1963 Belfast native Roger Sprague, then a newly-trained Peace Corps Volunteer, stepped off a TWA Boeing 707 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and began two years of teaching English at the Business College there. With a strong interest in and curiosity about Ethiopian people and culture, and command of a few phrases in Amharic, the local language, Roger and 139 other Volunteers entered a centuries-old land then governed by one of the last emperors in the world, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, also known as the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Roger and his colleagues worked as teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers and community development workers. Some were stationed in small villages without electricity and running water while others, like Roger, were in the large and cosmopolitan capital city of Addis Ababa. While it is not always easy to quantify the benefits of having Peace Corps Volunteers in Ethiopia, one measure of their impact was that having so many Peace Corps teachers allowed Ethiopia to double the number of students in elementary and high school and to train many additional nurses, lawyers and other professionals. Says Roger “My time in Ethiopia was extremely enjoyable and I loved every minute of it:  the people, the food, traveling through the beautiful countryside, and teaching. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”

After their two years of service ended Roger and his colleagues returned to the United States, some going back to school for graduate degrees, others resuming their prior careers in education, medicine, law, etc. One even became a US ambassador to several different countries. When Roger returned he taught high school art and English in Fort Fairfield, Maine, retiring in 1989 and returning to his native Belfast in 2001. He remains very active in teaching art and singing, studying family genealogy and painting in various media.

The bonds of Peace Corps service are strong, as are the memories of Ethiopia, so in 2006 Roger and several others began to plan a reunion of the group known as Ethiopia II, the second group of Volunteers to serve in Ethiopia (which in 1993 was divided into two separate countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea). Roger volunteered to organize the reunion and described the many virtues and attractions of Belfast and Maine, so the decision was made to hold the reunion here. The interest in the reunion is so strong that about 70 former Volunteers and their spouses and guests are coming to Belfast from all over the United States from as near as Massachusetts and Connecticut and as far as Hawaii, California, Washington State and the Virgin Islands.

According to Bob Matthai, one of Roger's Peace Corps colleagues and a member of the reunion planning committee, "Roger is a great guy to work with and he has done a wonderful job in organizing this event and taking advantage of Belfast’s many attractions and facilities. He has booked accommodations at the Comfort Inn, Belfast Harbor Inn and other local lodgings; arranged a reunion banquet at Ocean’s Edge Restaurant; chartered a Bay cruise on “Good Return;” and planned a lobster feast at Young’s. A highlight of the event will be brunch at Roger’s home, featuring the staple foods of Ethiopia:  injera (a pancake-like bread) and wat (a stew).”

Even though Roger and the other reunion committee members are far apart geographically, the internet has allowed them to keep in close touch during the planning process. There is also a reunion website (www.ee2reunion.com) where detailed information about the reunion is available and where photos and videos of the reunion will be posted so those who can't attend will be able to see their old friends.

Since the Peace Corps was founded in 1961, more than 187,000 Volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 139 countries where Volunteers have served. There are currently about 7,700 Volunteers and trainees who are serving or will serve in 73 countries. There are no Volunteers in Ethiopia and Eritrea at this time, but it is anticipated that about 40 Volunteers may travel to Ethiopia in the next year or so to work on projects related to HIV/AIDS prevention. Roger and many of his former colleagues remain active in supporting ongoing educational and medical projects through the Ethiopia and Eritrea Returned Peace Corps Volunteers organization (www.eerpcv.org) and other charitable groups.

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