Letters from Alfonso: Learning to Listen: The first-hand account of a Colombian village's birth and growth--important lessons for the Peace Corps, NGOs, and the rest of us

Construction, development projects, slum improvement—rewarding work for Peace Corps volunteer Earl Kessler. But when residents of a Colombian town wiped out by flood took the future into their own hands, his life intersected with that of Alfonso Perez Correa, and he learned lessons in local participation and empowerment that have helped bring success in meeting community needs all over the world.

Earl Kessler has been engaged in the design and development of shelter and urban programs since 1965 when he began his career in international development as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia.

He earned a master of architecture degree in the Planning for Developing Countries Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He has worked on urban strategies for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and USAID; and with the USAIDShelter Team in Haiti, as well as inclusive urban development work in India with the ADB.