UH Hilo alumnus doing Peace Corps education assignment in Sāmoa
Joshua Tarbox became a Peace Corps Education volunteer after graduating from UH Hilo in 2014; he’s now helping a Samoan village with sustainable fish farming.
Inspired by participating in the Study Abroad Program while an undergraduate at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, alumnus Joshua Tarbox decided to embark on a Peace Corps experience shortly after graduating in 2014. He recently wrote to Carolina Lam, director of global education at UH Hilo, to share his current experience as a Peace Corps Education volunteer in Sāmoa.
Adventurous at heart, Tarbox, who hails from Fairbanks, Alaska, and earned a bachelor of arts in communication from UH Hilo, is now living in the village of Manunu, Sāmoa, which has a population of about 300 people. The main food source of the village comes from a family owned plantation in the surrounding mountains. There is no readily available fresh fish since Manunu is far into the mountains and the river nearby does not contain fish big enough to consume.
To help solve this problem, Tarbox worked alongside villagers to build a permanent fishpond for the community, providing a space for fish to thrive and the people to later have the fish available for consumption and ultimately sale.
“The nutritional value which comes from having a fish pond ecosystem will be the first in history for the village of Manunu,” says the UH Hilo alumnus. “The amount of employment later gained from selling fish from future family-built ponds will boost the village economics greatly.”
Here is Tarbox’s full message about his work:
I wanted to share with you and anyone that may be interested a unique project of mine that was just completed here in Samoa.
These are some pictures our new village community fish pond/hatchery. It is a sustainable fishing initiative in the works to better the nutrition in the village and eventually serve as an income generator. The “Vailepa o Manunu” Community Development Fish Pond Project will enable families to harvest locally grown fish, which will significantly boost the village nutrition.
Unlike many villages in Western Samoa, Manunu is far into the mountains and has no access to the sea. We have partnered with the Ministry of Fishery in Samoa and they have provided us with a sustainable freshwater fish, Tilapia, to jump start our fish hatchery. Yesterday they delivered 450 fish!
One of the greatest parts is that this fish hatchery is a pilot pond, and the community leaders are learning the ins and outs of constructing a sustainable fish pond. The village leaders want to implement more of these ponds at their own houses!
Eventually, the Village Committee plans to use this pond as an income generator and sell these fish.
Please let me know if you have any questions and feel free to use any of the photos or text in this email, we would love to spread the word about sustainable fish farming.
Best,
Josh Tarbox
PCV Samoa
Motivated by a love of volunteering and making a difference
According to the 2014 press release about Tarbox being selected for the Peace Corps Education Assignment in Samoa, he was motivated to join the Peace Corps because of his long time love for volunteering and making a difference.
“My time at the University of Hawaiʻi has come to an end and I have realized that my next step is taking the knowledge I have gained from school and applying it to the outside world,” he says in the 2014 release. “My motivation to become a Peace Corps volunteer stems from my family, life experiences living abroad, traveling, and studying international communication and social issues.”
During his first three months of service, Tarbox lived with a host family in Sāmoa to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the language and cultural skills necessary to assist his community, he was sworn into service and then assigned to Manunu village, where he is spending two years with the local people.
More photos of the fishpond project in Manunu village (click to enlarge)
Tarbox also teaches in the village
Contact Carolina Lam for more information about global education at UH Hilo.
About the writer of this story: Susan Enright is a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
