So, Peace Corps informed us that they issued a “new policy” regarding cell phones and sim cards when traveling. I have requested a copy of this new policy twice, but have been ignored both times. If there is a policy, it stands to reason that there would be details in writing. If an actors’ union can have details in writing, then shouldn’t a government agency be able to put something together? It certainly seems reasonable to me.

PC does not officially require PCVs to purchase cell phones, though most of us choose to do so. (Actually, I have some friends who told me they were pressured into getting cell phones; that they did not want to have them as part of their service. Some people really want to more rustic, old-school experience.) They also don’t require us to purchase laptops or dongles, which are wireless internet devices with monthly plans. That being said, they only use electronic devices to contact us and to inform us about anything. They don’t use regular mail very much (although they say they will give us that option).

The way cell phones work here is unlike the US. At home, you get one phone, one provider, one plan for so many minutes/text messages per month. I used Sprint, which gave me unlimited nights & weekends of talk time. Here, you buy a phone from somewhere; a network service provider, a China shop, an electronics shop, etc. Then you buy a sim card from one of the 3 service providers (I use Orange, for example). The sim card gives you your phone number. You can store contacts either in your phone’s memory or in your sim card’s memory. You buy prepaid airtime which can be used for both making calls and texting; when you run out of airtime, you have to go buy more. One thing that is nice is that only the person sending the text or dialing the other person pays for the call/message. At home, both parties use up airtime minutes to talk and to send AND receive text messages. Here, people generally have 2 or 3 phones, 1 for each network provider. Providers don’t all have the same coverage, so sometimes one will work where another won’t. Most of us PCVs have just 1 phone, but 2 sim cards. Sim cards must be registered with providers in the country, generally with a copy of your passport.

So, this “new policy” requires that we purchase a new sim card and pay for the air time to text Peace Corps with our new number every time we leave Botswana. I think this is unjust for several reasons. One, I have never heard of a single employer or organization in the United States that requires a person to be available for contact by their employer while away on vacation, on personal Time Off. Second, I have never heard of an employer/organization in the US that would require the employee/volunteer to have to pay for that organization’s convenience of contact. Third, the 1-3 days chasing down all components for registering each sim card in each country can drastically cut down on the actual holiday time a person can enjoy. Peace Corps won’t give us extra leave days to deal with their sim card policy. Fourth, sim cards don’t work this way in Europe or in the US. For those who go to one of those continents on leave, it would seem that they are now supposed to buy new cell phones with new plans. That is an extremely expensive proposition (with hefty early-termination fees, in the case of the US). Fifth, even the PCVs who don’t have cell phones (or don’t plan to travel with them, like me) apparently have to purchase a sim card and somehow get the number to PC, even though they wouldn’t be able to use it. That is just plain wasteful, in my opinion.

While I can understand PC’s concerns for safety while we travel, I find their requirement to be unjust, unfair, and somewhat unethical. If they were to purchase these tools they want us to have, I would be less disgusted. If they would even listen to our concerns (which I laid out in 2 emails, and all of which were ignored; I was instead lectured about their safety reasons). I also am not comfortable with the “Big brother” attitude of following us around the globe on our supposed “Time Off.” The heated response I got from Peace Corps made me believe that they would revoke my New Year’s leave if I did not cave to their demand, although of course they did not spell this out.

Considering how Peace Corps does not support us regarding site, counterpart, and housing issues, this is just one more reason for me to deeply consider ETing.