The Peace Corps

Zamboanga Adventure: Exploring Asia’s Latin City (Yakan Weaving Village) Wazzup Pilipinas! •    Located in upper Calarian, northwest of downtown lies the Yakan Weaving Village. The place does not look like a village because it’s quite small and you’ll surely miss it so easily because the only signage available is a dirty and worn-out tarpaulin that says Yakan Village Weaving Association with the word “Association” blocked by a wood used to put the signage in place. There’s another signage beside it situated on top but its obviously not helping much because majority of the signage only displays a cola brand advertisement. It seems they desperately need some funding to come up with a more decent signage. I hope the government could at least support them to become at least more visible for potential tourists. I admire what the Department of Tourism (DOT) is doing by inviting members of the media on a media junket and introducing . . .

  Long-time Book World freelance reviewer Dick Lipez, with two of his Donald Strachey mysteries, which will be released later this month. (Author photo courtesy of Joe Wheaton; book covers courtesy of ReQueered Tales)     Richard “Dick” Lipez,(Ethiopia 1962-64) whose freelance work appeared in The Washington Post for more than 30 years, was a good friend to Book World and a trusted reviewer for our readers. Dick died this week at his home in Becket, Mass. He was 83. My colleague Nora Krug looked forward to editing him, both for the pleasure of his essays and the charm of his emails. “All of his reviews were witty and wise,” she says. “He always had something insightful and droll to say about every book, even ones he didn’t like.” (His most recent round-up of new thrillers and mysteries ran last week.) Dick was not only an astute critic of mysteries; . . .

Peace Corps Commits to Broadening its Approach to Sexual Assault Prevention in New Brief and Roadmap   March 17, 2022 WASHINGTON – Today, the Peace Corps released a brief and roadmap detailing the agency’s commitment to further strengthen its systems, programming and approach to sexual assault prevention and to improving trauma-informed approaches to supporting survivors. Based on recommendations from the independent Peace Corps Sexual Assault Advisory Council (SAAC), feedback received during a public call for input, current research and best practices in the field of sexual violence prevention, the brief outlines how the Peace Corps will broaden its approach to addressing sexual assault. Over the past decade, the agency has intentionally and continuously enhanced its Sexual Assault Risk Reduction and Response (SARRR) program to address sexual violence through an individual-level public safety approach. The brief and associated roadmap detail the agency’s commitment to broaden its focus to also include a . . .

There will be no Government Shut Down.  The Government is funded through September 30, 2022.  Unfortunately, Peace Corps did not receive higher funding, as had been hoped.  Here is the statement from the National Peace Corps Association: Congress has finally passed a budget for fiscal year 2022. It keeps funding flat for the Peace Corps for the seventh year in a row. To ensure a better and stronger Peace Corps as Volunteers return to the field, and to enable the agency to make needed reforms, Congress needs to provide more funding.   By Jonathan Pearson   Congress has completed its work on a budget for fiscal year 2022, passing a $1.5 trillion spending package. That’s the good news. Unfortunately, for a seventh consecutive year, instead of providing new resources to better meet the needs of a changed world, it keeps Peace Corps’ baseline funding flat at $410.5 million. We are nearly . . .

Here is our list of RPCV & staff authors we know of who have published two or more books of any type. Currently, the count is  446. If you know of someone who has and their name is not on this list, then please email: jcoyneone@gmail.com. We know we don’t have all such writers who have served over these past 60 years. Thank you.’   Jerome R. Adams (Colombia 1963–65) Tom Adams (Togo 1974-76) Thomas “Taj” Ainlay, Jr. (Malaysia 1973–75) Elizabeth (Letts) Alalou (Morocco 1983–86) Jane Albritton (India 1967-69) Robert Albritton (Ethiopia 1962-65) Usha Alexander (Vanuatu 1996–97) James G. Alinder (Somalia 1964-66) Richard Alleman (Morocco 1968-70) Hayward Allen (Ethiopia 1962-64) Diane Demuth Allensworth (Panama 1964–66) Paul E. Allaire (Ethiopia 1964–66) Allman (Nepal 1966-68) Nancy Amidei (Nigeria 1964–65) Gary Amo (Malawi 1962–64) David C. Anderson (Costa Rica 1964-66) Lauri Anderson (Nigeria 1963-65) Peggy Anderson (Togo 1962-64) James Archambeault (Philippines 1965-67) Ron Arias (Peru . . .

About 1,500 pounds of supplies are on their way to Ukraine from Massachusetts. Three former Peace Corps volunteers in Stoughton collected clothing, medical supplies and food to send to two shelters in western Ukraine and a children’s hospital in Lviv. The group has also collected more than $3,500 in cash to help them ship the supplies overseas. “I thought it would be a few friends and family I bribed to help, and my house (Friday) had 800 pounds of boxes that we dropped off (Saturday),” said Norfolk resident Katie Yanosick, who helped organize the effort. Yanosick said 60 boxes totaling 1,500 pounds were shipped on Saturday. The group is going to keep collecting supplies to send to Ukraine. If you are interested in supporting their mission, click this link to reach their Amazon Wish List. Donations can also be made to @katherine-yanosick on Venmo. Yanosick said some of the donations will . . .

March 11, 2022, UPDATE:  Late on the night of March 10, 2022, the Senate approved the Appropriations Bill funding the federal government until the end of this fiscal year, September 30, 2022.  The House had already passed the Government Funding Bill.  The Bill goes to President Biden for his signature, which he has promised.  No more  “Continuing Resolutions” are necessary.  There will be no government shutdown.  Peace Corps will be able to continue its intention to send Volunteers once more to host countries. Congress must approve a Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government. The deadline to pass the CR is this Friday,  March 11, 2022.  The Resolution must pass both Houses of Congress.  If no  Continuing Resolution is passed, the federal government would “shut down” in the absence of funding, until or unless a new budget is approved or a new Continuing Resolution is passed. Last September 27, 2021, . . .

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Marnie Mueller (Ecuador 1963-65) On Saturday, Rep. John Garamendi (Ethiopia 1966-68), a senior member of the armed services committee spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss Russia’s invasion. He joined a one-hour briefing with 50 members of Congress. Garamendi, who represents parts of Northern California between Sacramento and San Francisco, shared his candid conversation with Zelenskyy. “He knows that he is at the top of the kill list, and he knows that his life is in jeopardy but he has pushed that aside to lead this nation. An incredible man of courage and leadership,” Garamendi said. Garamendi said Ukraine’s president emphasized that Russian forces are moving away from targeting the Ukrainian military and are now attacking communities. “He went into detail about high schools, kindergarten schools, apartment buildings, government buildings, presumably with the intent of breaking the wheel of the Ukrainian people,” Garamendi . . .

By LISA RATHKE Associated Press, March 5, 2022 The Peace Corps will start sending volunteers overseas again in mid-March after it evacuated them from posts around the world two years ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government program announced Thursday. An initial group of new volunteers and those who were evacuated in March 2020 as the coronavirus began to spread across the globe will go to Zambia and the Dominican Republic this month, according to a Peace Corps statement. The Peace Corps plans to return volunteers to their posts throughout the year, based on the number of COVID-19 cases and hospital capacity in the host country and the Peace Corps’ ability to transport volunteers to medical evacuation centers if there’s an emergency. It is currently recruiting for 24 posts. Besides their primary work on local issues, volunteers will be involved in COVID-19 response and recovery, the Peace Corps . . .

Special Edition Chief Executive Officer’s Message In this special edition of Inside Peace Corps, I want to acknowledge the fear and heartache we all have for the people and the country of Ukraine. Ukraine has been a partner to the Peace Corps since 1992. In the 30 years since, nearly 3,500 Volunteers have been warmly welcomed into communities across the country. Our hearts go out to these community members and long-time members of the Peace Corps network as well as all Ukrainians. It has been so incredibly moving to witness the outpouring of support for Ukraine from around the world, including from within the Peace Corps network. I am forever in awe of how this group of global leaders comes together in moments like these to stand for world peace and friendship. In response to the refugees coming across the Ukrainian border, our Peace Corps/Moldova team has been working around the . . .

This article was first published on February 24th and updated on the 26th. https://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/articles/2022-02-24-the-war-of-aggression-against-ukraine-must-stop The War of Aggression Against Ukraine Must Stop “We in the Peace Corps community stand in solidarity with the people and communities in Ukraine who are now in harm’s way. By Steven Boyd Saum, Jeffrey Janis, and Gretchen Upholt   Early this morning, Ukraine — a free and independent nation — became the victim of an unprovoked war of aggression launched by Vladimir Putin, who ordered tens of thousands of Russian troops to invade. Missiles and shells have fallen in cities across the country. Apartment buildings and hospitals have been hit. Civilians have been terrorized and killed, while many thousands huddle in bomb shelters and metro stations. Meanwhile, brave citizens are lining up to give blood, knowing that it will be needed in days to come. We in the Peace Corps community unequivocally condemn these acts . . .

Community Voices: An improved Peace Corps for the next generation by David Schaad (Iran 1971-73) The United States is on the verge of sending our most valued treasure — our people — overseas to serve as Peace Corps volunteers once again. For the past two years, the Peace Corps, like much of the world, has been grounded by COVID-19, with no volunteers currently serving abroad. This is about to change, and as the Peace Corps gets ready to relaunch, it’s my hope, as a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in Iran from 1971 to 1973, that it does so even better than before. The good news is that this is possible. While nearly 7,000 Americans serving in some 60 countries came home in 2020, the 240,000 Americans who served since the agency’s founding in 1961 didn’t sit still. We organized, drew on the knowledge and experience of the community, . . .

    “Following up on the idea he launched at the University of Michigan, President Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961. Three days later, R. Sargent Shriver became its first Director. Deployment was rapid: Volunteers began serving in five countries in 1961. In just under six years, Director Shriver developed programs in 55 countries with more than 14,500 Volunteers.”   Peace Corps is one of President Kennedy’s greatest living legacies. I never had the privilege of serving as a PCV, but I did have the honor of working for Peace Corps HQs for four years — in the department that handles the recruitment and placement of Volunteers — and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I love that I am still connected to so many of my Peace Corps friends. Here I am in 1995 with the first Director . . .

Hundreds march, rally in central Phoenix to support Ukraine, end Russian invasion by Haleigh Kochanski Arizona Republic Hundreds of members and supporters of the Ukrainian community in Phoenix gathered Sunday to march in support of Ukraine’s independence and demand an end to Russia’s violent attacks on the country. People began assembling at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in the area of Seventh Avenue and Camelback Road at noon to prepare signs for the march. “The freedom march is to support Ukraine, get heavier sanctions now, urge everybody to stop buying Russian oil and gas, and basically to get Putin out of Ukraine,” said Vera Hoerner, secretary with the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America. “There is no reason for this to be happening. Ukraine did not provoke anybody.” Hoerner’s cousin, Nadiya Nava, said she has many family members in Ukraine. “I have friends and cousins, my father, sisters, nephews. I talk with my . . .

To the Editor Caledonian Record   I had the great pleasure to live in Ukraine from 2010 to 2014, serving as country director for the Peace Corps. I oversaw the work of some 1000 Americans of all ages who served across that nation, teaching English, developing communities, and supporting youth. I traveled throughout the country and found the Ukrainians to be warm, welcoming, and ready to embrace a better future after so many years of Soviet and Russian domination. In my last year, we evacuated all the American volunteers just before the Russians invaded Crimea and areas of eastern Ukraine. I cannot begin to describe how heartbroken our Americans were to depart this nation they had come to love, leaving behind so many friends and colleagues. I returned to Ukraine in 2019 as part of an international election observer team organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. . . .