Since his first job delivering newspapers in the perpetual rain of the Pacific Northwest, Kevin Corbin hasn’t shied away from hard work under challenging conditions. He has, in fact, sought out those opportunities—especially if they involved public service.
He fought forest fires with a helicopter crew, directed an AIDS organization, then a farmers’ market, before joining the Peace Corps, where he lived and worked in an orphanage for children affected by HIV and AIDS in South Africa. “I learned then that education is one of the key starting points for human development,” he says.
Before joining EDC in 2008, Corbin worked for World Education, with a focus on Egypt, and Save the Children in Indonesia. Today, he is deputy director of Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2), a USAID-funded partnership that brings education improvement and work training to the people of Mindanao, the Philippines.
What drew you to international development?
I’ve had many mentors. My mom was the first. She was the director of our local community action council. And my brother was the senior director for Special Olympics. Those guys led me down the path. I’ve gleaned other approaches, interpersonal skills, and traits from other people along the journey.
Describe Mindanao—the people, the region, and the challenges.
Mindanao is interesting because it hasn’t been dominated by another culture since the 1300s. It was animist for centuries before Arab traders introduced Islam, and it has remained fairly autonomous throughout history. It’s in many parts Muslim, though there are pockets of Christianity.
It’s a terribly disadvantaged part of the Philippines in terms of education, health, and basic services. So you’re dealing with a conflict-affected region with an extremely challenged infrastructure. The roads are poor, and the region frequently loses electricity and access to water, yet it is rich in natural and human resources. It’s super hot: 100 degrees with 80 percent humidity is common. It’s a difficult place to work, yet filled with inspiration, curiosity, and hope.
What would you say to someone considering a career in overseas development work?
The two skills or values that I would mention are respect and patience. If someone has respect for the world and environment that we occupy, and the patience for when that respect is tested, then they will do really well in any context. As for missing family and friends, I think it’s healthy. And, developing new families and friends is a major bonus.
You’re training for a triathlon that starts in the South China Sea. What do you do to prepare?
I don’t do much to prepare. I’ve been running and biking most of my life—mostly replacing driving with biking or running whenever possible. I’ve been doing more events in the Philippines as there’s such a large and diverse active community here. It’s a fun diversion on the weekends.
How do you keep going?
Dividing whatever it is (the run, a report, the week) into small, manageable chunks. Then, each achievement of that piece becomes a milestone, and you move on to the next.
Does anything about this work surprise you?
Development work has a unique ability to surprise, challenge, and inspire a person daily. But, in the end, it’s about creating a more just and equal world. That’s at the very core of why we’re in this work. EDC is working to reach the hardest-to-reach people in the world. You cannot get to these areas without dedicating a couple of days to ride on airplanes, in vehicles, on a boat to another island, and then grab another boat from there. I’m surprised each time I get into the field and see curiosity and optimism flourish among such hardship.