By Janaki Chadha 

Kingsbridge native Jade Vasquez has wanted to join the Peace Corps since she was a high school student. Now, she is part of the organization as a Youth Development Volunteer in rural El Salvador, working with at-risk youth in a community where higher education is scarce and gang violence and poverty are rampant. 

Vasquez is a long way from home, though she certainly misses it. These days, her experience has offered some perspective.

“It’s funny, because growing up [in the Bronx], a lot of people see how difficult it is and they just want to leave, so that was always my plan,” said Vasquez. “But now that I’ve been doing all of these things and have been to all of these places, I really love the Bronx, and I appreciate it a lot more than I did before.”

The problems in the Bronx somewhat mirror those on the outskirts of more populated regions of El Salvador, though they are on a different level. Anti-gang initiatives and school options are more accessible in the Bronx, but programs in El Salvador are scant. Access to education is there, though remote communities are challenged by faraway schools and transportation costs.

For this, Vasquez and a few fellow Peace Corps volunteers started a scholarship program called “Aid El Salvador” to offer students the chance to continue their education. The program, she explained, is, “for Peace Corps volunteers in El Salvador who are interested in soliciting funds or soliciting donations from the U.S. from friends and family to support sending these kids to high school and college.”

Her years as a student have strengthened the importance of scholarships in her mind.  “I went to college pretty much on full scholarship, and I wouldn’t have been able to go if I’d had to pay myself,” she said.

Vasquez, volunteering in El Salvador since January 2013, has been interested in international relations and issues within developing countries since her younger years. During her time as an undergrad at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, she studied abroad in Ecuador and Peru, where she also volunteered in local communities. It was there she realized the Peace Corps was for her, seeing it as the, “closest thing to hands on or grassroots development that I can do without having to pay out of pocket to do it.”

Vasquez stressed the importance of volunteerism, in any form, but also talked about the personal fulfillment she has gained during her travels with the Peace Corps. “I feel like I’m doing a lot, but we always say the people volunteering always get a lot more out of the experience than the people they’re helping.”

Those who wish to donate may contact Vasquez via email at jadedeevasquez@gmail.com.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.