1. Mr. Eric Balas served as an Environmental Health Volunteer in Panama from 2014-2016, where he underwent training in Spanish, the local language Ngäbere, technical skills, and culture. 2. In Panama, he was assigned to the village of Candela where he supported the community's aqueduct system and took on additional projects at the community's request, such as helping to build a community center. 3. Over his two years of service, Mr. Balas assisted with numerous community projects, provided technical guidance on water infrastructure, and taught English classes.

1. Apartado 0843-01531, Panamá, República de Panamá
Edificio 240, 3o Piso, Calle Víctor Iglesias, Ciudad del Saber, Clayton, Corregimiento de Ancón, Ciudad de Panamá
Tel: (507) 317-3300 Fax: (507) 317-3344
Description of Peace Corps Service
Eric Balas
Republic of PANAMA 2014-2016
Volunteer ID: 100633464
After a competitive application process that emphasized technical skills, motivation, cross-
cultural awareness, and adaptability, the United States Peace Corps invited Mr. Eric Balas to
serve as an Environmental Health (EH) volunteer in the Republic of Panama.
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
Mr. Eric Balas entered into an intensive 10-week pre-service training on June 18, 2014. During
that time and throughout his 27-month service, he successfully completed the following training
and development:
 106 hours of formal instruction in Spanish
 10 hours of formal instruction in Ngäbere (the local indigenous language)
 143 hours of technical training (water systems, latrines and sanitation, and health and
hygiene practices and education)
 30 hours of cultural diversity training
 40 hours of medical, safety and administrative issue training
 190 hours of program events (such as interviews, community placement analysis, and
field trips)
ASSIGNMENT
On August 28, 2014, Mr. Eric Balas completed training and was sworn in as a Peace Corps
Volunteer. He was assigned to Candela a small village in the province Comarca Ngäbe-Bugle,
roughly 400 km west of Panama City. Ngäbere, an indigenous language, and Spanish are both
widely spoken in the community. Mr. Balas was assigned to Candela to provide technical
support to the community in the maintenance of their aqueduct system which had been
completed with the assistance of a previous Peace Corps Volunteer. He was also assigned to be
open to providing assistance and capacity-building in non-sector-specific pursuits as requested
by the community.
SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS
1. Mr. Balas supported the planning, grant solicitation, and construction of a
community-led project to build a community center while giving formal and
non-formal trainings in project management.
2. Mr. Balas promoted sustainable water system management efforts by advising
and supporting the community-led water committees in organization methods
and approaches to maintain the gravity-fed aqueducts, and by offering his
technical opinions and assistance on aqueduct construction and maintenance.

2. Apartado 0843-01531, Panamá, República de Panamá
Edificio 240, 3o Piso, Calle Víctor Iglesias, Ciudad del Saber, Clayton, Corregimiento de Ancón, Ciudad de Panamá
Tel: (507) 317-3300 Fax: (507) 317-3344
3. Mr. Balas collaborated with and provided his assistance to Peace Corps
Volunteers in 8 other communities across Panama in water committee seminars
and other formal trainings related to water and sanitation topics.
4. Mr. Balas developed and instructed 11 English classes to an average of 5 adult
and child students from his community tailored their specific language levels
and fielded requests on specific topics and subjects.
Primary Projects
1. Community Center: During his initial community analysis, the community deliberated and
formally explicated to Mr. Balas a desire to build a community center to address the absence of
a centrally-located, covered structure specifically dedicated to community meetings and events.
Mr. Balas agreed to offer project management trainings, and apply for a grant to fund the
necessary materials. He led 2 formal training sessions to the beneficiaries of the community
center in methods to solicit aid from organizations and the government, successful meeting
techniques, successful work day methods, fund management, and maintenance of a community
center. Mr. Balas worked with and coached the community-elected project president and
accompanied him to a Peace Corps leadership seminar to learn new and enhance his existing
project management skills. Mr. Balas wrote a grant and solicited donors in the United States to
fund the costs of the project, and managed the funds while coordinating the purchase and
transportation of the materials. Community members elected and delegated a community
member to lead and make all construction-related decisions while working in tandem with the
project president to plan work dates and mandate responsibilities of community members. The
community worked as a team to design the structure, haul every material by hand to the work
site, and provided nearly all manual and skilled labor to build the community center.
2. Water Committee Management: Mr. Balas organized and led 8 community meetings
encouraging proactive and engaged participation by all community members in the maintenance
of the aqueduct system among other issues. He accompanied the committee on 4 aqueduct
maintenance work days to offer technical assistance. Mr. Balas formed relationships with the
government health ministry by attending 4 meetings at the government office and attended 2
meetings with a local government representative to promote community-government
collaboration and to notify interested governmental officials in the activities of the Candela
water committees. He conducted a water analysis on 2 separate occasions collaborating with
the health ministry and another Peace Corps Volunteer doing graduate school research, and
shared the results with the community in order to inform and persuade adoption of water
potabilization. He gave formal and informal trainings on water committee management, water
purification methods, aqueduct maintenance, and committee funds management. Mr. Balas was
approached by a community member who is a leader of a church located in a neighboring
community and asked for an analysis of and old and poorly functioning private aqueduct that
served the church. Mr. Balas suggested reconstruction of the aqueduct´s spring box and the
church funded and transported all necessary materials to accomplish the task. He designed the
spring box and built it with the help of several church members and two other Peace Corps
Volunteers.
SECONDARY ACTIVITIES/PROJECTS
1. Water and Sanitation Seminars and Trainings: Mr. Balas facilitated and collaborated
training sessions on water and sanitation topics in 8 communities with other Peace Corps
Volunteers across Panama. He used his skills and expertise along with his experiences in his
community of Candela to promote sustainable water system management and healthy sanitation
and hygiene practices to participants. Mr. Balas enhanced his knowledge and skills by

3. Apartado 0843-01531, Panamá, República de Panamá
Edificio 240, 3o Piso, Calle Víctor Iglesias, Ciudad del Saber, Clayton, Corregimiento de Ancón, Ciudad de Panamá
Tel: (507) 317-3300 Fax: (507) 317-3344
facilitating and was able to learn from participants as well as other Peace Corps Volunteers. Mr.
Balas was able to apply these new skills and knowledge to his work, and share new information
and methods to community members of Candela.
2. English Classes: The community approached Mr. Balas soliciting his support in learning
the basics of English in order the aid with and supplement school curriculum of community
children and to satisfy their curiosity of learning another language. He designed and taught a
one-hour class available to children and adults. Mr. Balas stressed the basics of English
grammar and vocabulary, but also fielded specific questions from children about their
homework and adults who wanted to help their children complete assigned English classwork.
Mr. Balas taught 11 one-hour classes to average of 5 adult and child students over the course of
his service. Participating community members were able to learn some basics of the English
language from a native speaker, and were uniquely exposed to American culture by learning
some American-specific colloquialisms and vocabulary.
Language Skills
Mr. Balas has achieved an Advanced-Low competency level in Spanish during his service and
effectively used Spanish to communicate while working in his community, with Panamanian
government and non-government agency counterparts, and in daily life. In addition, Mr. Balas
learned basic Ngäbere, an indigenous language, which he used in basic conversations with
community members who often possessed limited or no Spanish skills.
Mr. Balas completed his Peace Corps service in Panama on September 2, 2016.
Pursuant to section 5(f) of the Peace Corps Act 22 U.S.C 2504 (f) as amended, any former
volunteer employed by the United States Government following his Peace Corps Volunteer
service is entitled to have any period of satisfactory Peace Corps Volunteer service credited for
purposes of retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave and other privileges based on length
of federal government service. Peace Corps service shall not be credited towards completion of
the probationary or trial period or completion of any service requirement for career
appointment.
This is to certify in accordance with Executive Order 11103 of April 10, 1963, that Eric Balas
served successfully as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His service ended on September 2, 2016. He is
therefore eligible to be appointed as a career-conditional employee in the competitive civil
service on a non-competitive basis. This benefit under the Executive Order extends for a period
of one year after termination of Volunteer service, except that the employing agency may honor
the period for up to three years for a former Volunteer who enters military service, pursues
studies at a recognized institution of higher learning or engages in other activities that in the
view of the appointing agency, warrant extension of the period.
Diane Carazas Mr. Eric Balas
Country Director Peace Corps Volunteer
Date Date