FoT Books Project

This project provides local teaching centers with textbooks and other English language teaching materials not locally available in Turkmenistan.  By working with centers established by or affiliated with Peace Corps Volunteers, we hope to promote sustainability of Peace Corps projects, and keep RPCVs connected to former colleagues and students.  To date, FoT has worked with two teaching Centers:

Mary Educational Center/ Mary Inglis Dili Merkezi, Mary city:
In summer 2007, FoT donated to the MEC a set of New Interchange and Side-by-Side English textbooks, including student and teacher editions, workbooks, and audio CDs.  These replaced older editions in use since the Center was founded with Peace Corps SPA grant funds in 1999.  The texts are used in numerous extracurricular English courses taught by local teachers and open to all members of the community age 13 and above. 

According to the MEC’s director,“Each year around 100 students complete different levels of Interchange English. In 2007, we had the most students we ever have had: by the end of July 161 students had received Certificates of Completion from MIDM. These classes provide an opportunity for the local community to study and improve their English, to learn more about the USA and other countries, and develop new methodologies for teaching. We believe that English is the world’s major language of international communication and is not limited to any country, region, or culture.”

Mary American Corner, Mary city:
In Fall 2007, FoT worked with MAC staff, FoT members and other RPCVs to put together a donation of English language teaching books, reference materials, English novels, educational software, and TOEFL prep books/ CDs for students applying to international universities.  These materials have already been put to use in MAC seminars, clubs, computer classes, and in the lending library- resources that are provided to hundreds of local students, teachers and community members, often with the assistance of area Peace Corps Volunteers. 

According to the MAC’s director, “The MAC is very busy; people are greatly interested in Education, mostly in exchange programs.  We see our mission here to help people as much as possible to ‘open the window to the world,’ and you and your team help us in this service.”