1. Peace Corps Ethiopia Description of Service
Heather Lee Cundiff 100628197
Ethiopia
After a competitive application process stressing applicant skills, adaptability and cross-cultural understanding, Heather Cundiff was
invited to serve as a Volunteer with Peace Corps.
Heather entered Pre-Service Training on June 30, 2014, participating in an intensive 12-week community-based training program
during which she completed the following training requirements:
• Language training: 122 hours of Amharic spoken and written language. Achieved Intermediate—Low on the American
Council for Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency exam at the end of PST.
• Cross Cultural and Administrative: 79 hours
• Technical Training: 197 hours
• Medical and Safety and Security training: 29 hours
Heather was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on September 19, 2014. Heather was assigned to Deneba Secondary
and Preparatory School as a Ninth Grade English Language Teacher in Deneba, Ethiopia of the Amhara region.
Primary Projects:
-Heather taught two class sections of grade nine students at Deneba Secondary and Preparatory School during each of
her two years of service. Each section had between 50-54 students. Over her two years, she directly taught a total of 208
students in the formal classroom setting.
-Her responsibilities at Deneba High school included: lesson planning for four classes each week, direct teaching her
ninth grade classes, monitoring and evaluating her students, providing tutorial classes when necessary, submitting mid-
term and final exam grades, working closely with the English Department to write and type exams for all of ninth grade
English students, as well as administering exams for all of ninth grade.
-She worked on many Second Goal activities in the classroom including informative American holiday activities as well as
the pen pal program with an American sixth grade classroom.
-She worked informally with her school and colleagues to bridge the gaps of cultural understanding by spending time
with faculty in her school's lounge and attending community cultural events
Secondary Projects:
-Personal Blog- Throughout her service, Heather continued to maintain a photography blog at CundiffCreative.com. Her
blog focused on cultural events in her community as well as any projects she worked on in her classroom or English
clubs. She published 48 blog posts during her service, averaged 785 views per month, and averaged views from 83
countries per year. Her blog is also featured on Blogging Abroad, along with many other Peace Corps bloggers.
-Pen Pal Letter Writing to America- Heather coordinated with a school in her hometown of Liberty, Kentucky to write
pen pal letters during both school years of her service. During each school year, Liberty Elementary School's sixth grade
class and Heather's ninth grade classes each exchanged one letter during the school year.
-Speaking to an American Classroom- During Heather's medical evacuation to America, she took the opportunity to
connect with the same sixth grade class at Liberty Elementary School who wrote pen pal letters to her English classes.
She shared a PowerPoint presentation that included information about Peace Corps, her personal experience, Ethiopian
culture, and her work in Deneba with her high school students. She spoke to 62 students and one teacher.
-English Club- In the first semester of 2015, Heather began organizing two English clubs for both ninth and tenth grade
students. She scheduled times for each club to meet twice a week for one hour, totaling four club meetings each week,
two in each shift. Each English club, Smart Language Club and Superman English Club, met 40 times throughout the
school year. Clubs members participated in a variety of activities including speeches, debates, creative writing, dramas,
poster and art projects, vocabulary games, Pictionary, and Jeopardy-style exam reviews.
Superman English Club
• Had a total of 50 registered students (students who attended at least one meeting)
• Had 10 regular attendees (students who attended at least 50% of the meetings)

2. Smart Language Club
• Had a total of 47 registered students (students who attended at least one meeting)
• Had 14 regular attendees (students who attended at least 50% of the meetings)
Other English Club Activities:
-Journaling- Heather worked with students to write their own journal, beginning on the first club meeting. Students had
time at the beginning and end of each club meeting to write their daily activities and reflections. Heather read and
responded to each journal after every club meeting. Students who attended English club regularly had noticeably
improved writing skills by the end of the school year.
-Write On! Competition- Heather's English club members participated in the annual international Write On!
Competition. One of her ninth grade English club students was Ethiopia's ninth grade winner for the 2016 creative
writing competition.
-Reading Project- Heather had five sets of books donated from America, totaling 50 books, to be utilized by her English
club for regular reading groups. She used these books to work with her students on building vocabulary, reading
comprehension, speaking, and reading skills.
-School Tour Videos- After receiving a video tour from Liberty Elementary School in the 2014-2015 school year following
Pen Pal letters, Heather worked with her English clubs to reciprocate. Throughout the 2015-2016 school year, her clubs
create a video to send back to Liberty Elementary School's sixth grade class to incorporate media into the pen pal
program. Her English club students prepared and filmed speeches about the different facilities around the school,
introduced different areas of the compound, and explained the types of things that they do in English club. The video
was also uploaded to YouTube for wide viewing.
-School Book Donations- In May 2016, Heather organized the donation of over 200 books to her school's library to
expand its use. The books arrived from America in July of 2016 and were added to the school's newly constructed
library. The books varied on topic, from science and health to short English novels.
-Debre Birhan English Camp- In July 2016, Heather participated and took two ninth grade students and one counterpart
to the regional English Camp in Debre Birhan. During the week long camp, students were expected to speak only English.
The 25 students had classes in speaking, listening, writing, and reading, as well as other empowering activities. Heather
was responsible for teaching a reading group, art club, and leading a plagiarism talk. She also design and worked with
printers to produce the camp T-shirt for all 40 participants of the camp. She organized with American donors to have 30
books donated and shipped from America. Students were able to keep both the books and t-shirts after camp was
completed. She was the Camp Media Coordinator, responsible for taking photos and videos throughout the week. She
produced a video for the campers and counselors to watch at the end of the week, as well as posted all videos and
photos online and sent to Peace Corps Ethiopia.
-Communities Of Practice Trainer- In May of 2016, Heather worked with Peace Corps staff to lead a Communities of
Practice regional discussion. During this training, Peace Corps Volunteers who had recently finished one year of teaching,
gathered to discuss challenges and successes of their experience. Heather worked as a facilitator for discussion, helped
provide suggestions for any challenges, and brainstormed new ideas based on her personal teaching successes.
-Resource Volunteer for New Trainees- Heather worked as a Resource Volunteer in August 2016. She assisted staff and
other Resources Volunteers during the new trainee's site announcement day.
Pursuant to Section 5 (f) of the Peace Corps Act, 22 U.S.C. No. 2504 (f) as amended, any former Volunteer employed by the United States
Government following Peace Corps service is entitled to have any period of satisfactory Peace Corps Volunteer service credited for purposes of
retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave or other privileges based on length of government service. Peace Corps service shall not be credited
toward completion of a 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 [Volunteer name] served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps
Volunteer. His or her service ended on [date]. He or she 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 the
Volunteer's service, except that the employing agency may extend 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.
Volunteer

3. Signature Group
Affirmed by
Brannon T. Brewer, Country
Director
Signature Date
Peace Corps Ethiopia Privacy Act Waiver

4. Privacy Act Notice: The information requested herein is collected pursuant to Section 5 of the Peace Corps Act (22
U.S.C. 2504 (f).) The information will be used exclusively to prepare the Description of Volunteer Service Statement
which will be permanently retained by the Peace Corps. The Statement will be used to verify service performed.
If you wish you may sign a waiver to provide for the release of a copy of your Description of Volunteer Service Statement
to prospective employers, academic institutions, and apprenticeship or similar training organizations. If you do not sign
a waiver, the Statement will be released only upon written authorization from you.
You should indicate below whether you want a waiver included as part of your Statement.
X Yes, I want a waiver included as part of my DOS.
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Information in the Description of Volunteer Service statement may be routinely disclosed as follows:
1. To other Federal agencies having an interest in employing the former Volunteer, provided that, except for
information required for security clearance, information will be limited to dates of service and a description of
service;
2. Upon request of the former Volunteer, to prospective employees or academic institutions to which the former
Volunteer has applied for admission;
3. To police authorities when properly requested for appropriate cases;
4. To Federal agencies for the purpose of background suitability investigation;
5. To a court or other appropriate tribunal, pursuant to subpoena or other order;
6. To either House of Congress or committees or subcommittees thereof;
7. To the Comptroller General of the United States for the performance of authorized duties;
8. For statistical research not individually identifiable;
9. To the National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration in records management inspections
conducted under authority of 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906.
_________________ __________________ ___/___/___
PCV Name PCV Signature Date