Updated (finally!)

So I finally updated (and back-dated according to events, I am so tricky) my blog to reflect the whirlwind that was the last three months. Time flies during the second year of Peace Corps Service. I have about 4 months left here. Its unbelievable how quickly the past few months have passed. Also, Happy Birthday Maggie!...and I hope you all enjoy the new sleek pink look.

Off to Innsbruck

June 25 was the Tirol-Speed Marathon and Half marathon. In March I signed up to run the halfer, but I was plagued with ridiculous allergy problems all spring, which put a dent in my training schedule. I finally was feeling better a couple weeks before the race and I was certain that I would be able to run at least about three-quarters of it.

We left for Innsbruck (via Ljubljana) on June 22 and of course, I started to catch a cold on the road. By the 24rd I was a sneezing, coughing, achy, stuffy headed Nyquil commercial waiting to be filmed. I was unable to race and was really disappointed. Running through the alps would have been amazing and it was so beautiful there, but I guess it just wasn't meant to happen. I would definitely like to do it another time though. I took this photo from the train from Ljubljana to Innsbruck. The views ofthe mountains are amazing!

Sheep-Breeders may get more assistance

In November and December we worked with a German organization, InWent, to set the foundation for the sheep-breeders associations to establish for profit companies, like LLCs or Western Style cooperatives.

Last week we met with a consultant from InWent regarding their current programs and we have been working on submitting a proposal for a three year collaboration with InWent, LOL Macedonia and the Eastern and Western Regional Associations. I spent most of this week working to put together the proposal and budgets for submission, after extensive consulting with the sheep sector field agents and the institutional development manager at LOL-MAK.
We wait to hear back…

Final PDM for the Sheep-Breeders

My good buddy Kendra came all the way from Delčevo (almost on the Bulgarian border) to help me facilitate the final PDM for the western regional sheep-breeders association. Coming off of three PDMs delivered in rapid succession I was rarin' to go (really I was rarin' to be finished with PDMs) but I couldn't have done it without Kenny. In this final session with the sheep-breeders we covered writing an Action Plan, a budget, and how to conduct monitoring and evaluating projects.

If anyone is curious why sheep-breeders need to know how to design and manage projects, I will tell you why (soapbox time). In a period of increasing donor dependence, Land O'Lakes sees teaching the sheep-breeders associations the valuable skills of project design and management as a vital step toward sustainability and financial independence.

With the skills acquired at these workshops, the sheep-breeders will be able to better prioritize their needs and design projects to manage those needs. After participating in these workshops they have the skill and confidence to implement and effectively manage their projects, the know-how to anticipate pitfalls throughout the process, and the knowledge to evaluate the impacts (I hope anyway).

In the photo above is one of my favorite members of the western regional Sheep-Breeders association, Gjuro. He is working on putting together a hypothetical action plan (with coaching from the other participants, not pictured)