Evening star., 1961-10-23
By GEORGE SHERMAN
Star Staff Writer


in South America already has
,Nceived several rude shocks.
Sixty-two young men, arriving
in Colombia last month to help
the peasants, soon discovered
that Colombian ideas of com
munity development" were not
quite their own.
The Colombians seem to
think we are technicians here
only to dig wells and build
houses" said Jerry Mcmahon,
a tall young college boy in SAN
dalS and khakis.
I'VE are willing to do any
kind of work" he continued,
but we also want a chance to
use tricks we have learned for
teaching villagers how to help
themselves"
Too much "Self-help" pSy-
chology is exactly what Scares
the Colombians. The last thing
they want is a group of young
North American "Zealots" To-
menting grass roots movements
that might get out of control.
They want trained manpower
to build some of the neces-
stiles of modern life, teach the
peasants how to do the same,
and do it all under close Colon
bian supervision.
Gardening TechniqueS
"Of course, we are a revolu-
tionary force!" explained Fred
Jaspersen, an Ivy Lacquer who
calls everyone sir" 1T is not
what we say. but what We do.
We are going to help these peo-
pie crash into the Goth CEN
tury."
The devices are simple
enough. Many we're learned
during the two-month training
course at Rutgers University
last summer. Examples include
packages of garden seeds which
the Peace Corps helps the peas
ant to plant and tend.
But the aim is far more
subtle than spreading new gar
dening techniqueS. The local
villager takes pride in a thriv-
ing garden. He also takes pride
in houses, schools and wells
which he helps to build HIM
self. From this pride a new
sense Of communal RESPONSE
bility-and strengths sup
posed to grow.
For the last five weeks the
volunteers have been put
through final training at a
modern experimental farm en-
the green plateau outside the
capital Of Bogota.
Some have brushed up their
weak Spanish in daily lessons.
All have received lectures in
agricultural techniques and
public health. They have stud
led chicken breeding. how to
plant trees and how TO recog-
nize deadly snakes.
They lived in cramped dor
mitories, four to a room. and
without modern amenities.
They ate the fried rice and
vegetables eaten by native
farmhands every day. 1t was
a suitably non-American diet,
but still a far cry from the fried
banana and cold mush OF peas
ant households.
In lonely pairs, the volun-
teers are now moving out into
some 80 backwoods villages.
That is where the real "cul-
tural shock" Of new and prim-
tive existence is expected to
hit.
Colombian President Lleras
Camargo himself has passed on
every one of the Peace Corps
sites selected. Every precau-
ton has been taken to insulate
the volunteers from the bru-
tality Of Colombian political
life.
Parts Of Colombia are still
engulfed in bitter and bloody
feudS which claimed an esti-
mated 100000 lives between
1948 and 1858. The death toll
today is still estimated at 100
a month. The President has
decreed that no Peace Corps
volunteers shall go into these
danger areas.
The Colombians also have
spaced the projects far enough
apart so that the North Ameri-
cans will be under full Colom-
bian supervision. Both CARE
the American voluntary organ
ization sponsoring the Peace
Corps there-and the Colom-
bian authorities have repeatedly
warned volunteers to steer clear
Of politics.