November 2020 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Talking with Liz Fanning (Morocco) about CorpsAfrica

Nov 30 2020

Liz, where are you from in the States and where did you go to school? I was born and raised in New York City. I attended public schools, including the Bronx High School of Science, then I went to Boston University for undergrad and NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service for an MPA (on the Sargent Shriver RPCV Scholarship!). What led you to start your foundation? Your idea? I started CorpsAfrica to build on the enormous success of the Peace Corps. When I was a PCV, I met many educated young Moroccans who would ask me if they could be PCVs in order to help their country, and I had to say no. Their questions dogged me for 20 years because they deserved that opportunity. When the Peace Corps first started 60 years ago, in many African countries there were maybe two college graduates in the whole country. Now . . .

Review —THE COUSCOUS CHRONICLES by Richard Wallace (Morocco)

Nov 30 2020

The Couscous Chronicles — A Peace Corps Memoir Richard Wallace (Morocco 1977–79) Self-published July 2020 260 pages $14.95 (paperback), $0 (Kindle) Reviewed by Liz Fanning (Morocco 1993-95) • I loved this book. The Couscous Chronicles: A Peace Corps Memoir was a delightful trip down memory lane just when I needed it most. Hard to say if I would have enjoyed it as much if I hadn’t served as a PCV in Morocco myself, 20 years after Richard. I imagined a similar memoir written about a vastly different place, like Vanuatu, Namibia or China, and yes, I believe I would have enjoyed it just as much! Maybe even more, because I would have learned a ton. For me, this book was an important acknowledgment of the power of the Peace Corps — I the friendships, experiences, and the earnest good work that is universally synonymous with “PCV.” I’ll keep my dog-eared . . .

Danielle Nierenberg (Dominican Republic) fighting the famine with Food Tank

Nov 27 2020

UN Warns of an Impending Famine With Millions in Danger of Starvation By Thalif Deen Relief Web UNITED NATIONS, Nov 27 2020 – The numbers are staggering — as reflected in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which has triggered a new round of food shortages, famine and starvation. According to the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP) 690 million people do not have enough to eat. while130 million additional people risk being pushed to the brink of starvation by the end of the year. “Hunger is an outrage in a world of plenty. An empty stomach is a gaping hole in the heart of a society,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week pointing out that famine is looming in several countries. Striking a personal note, Guterres said he could have never imagined that hunger would rise again during his time in office as Secretary-General. The WFP singled out 10 countries with . . .

Alana DeJoseph talks about filming A TOWERING TASK

Nov 25 2020

“A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps” Alana DeJoseph Raising the Bar From Quaint to Crucial BY JOAN MEAD-MATSUI NOVEMBER 4, 2020 • Being a returned Peace Corps volunteer herself, Alana DeJoseph, producer, director, videographer, and editor, couldn’t help but think that an in-depth, comprehensive Peace Corps documentary was needed. “Peace Corps Film Director Reflects” ignites future discussions about the significant role the Peace Corps has played in the world with an eye on the future. Alana’s “A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps,” a film she directed, follows the agency’s beginnings, first volunteers, and evolution in a style that will capture your heart and remind you how we can make a positive difference in our world. Alana’s heart has always been in documentaries. She has worked in video and film production for more than 30 years and while reflecting on her experiences in the . . .

RPCV (Swaziland) Catholic priest appointed USCCB associate general secretary

Nov 24 2020

Illinois priest appointed as USCCB associate general secretary Catholic News Service Nov 20, 2020 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Father Michael J.K. Fuller [Swaziland 1990-92], a priest of the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, has been named associate general secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBB). In a Nov. 19 announcement, Msgr. Jeffrey Burrill, USCCB general secretary, said the appointment was effective immediately. Fuller has worked as the executive director of the USCCB’s Secretariat of Doctrine and Canonical Affairs since August 2016 and will continue to lead the secretariat and serve as the administrator of the conference’s pastoral offices. “I have had the privilege of working with Father Fuller for the last four years,” Burrill said in a statement released by the conference. “He has extensive experience working with conference committees and staff as well as with several of our key collaborating organizations.” He said Fuller “has gained the trust . . .

Review — NEIGHBORS: VOLUME TWO by Lawrence Lihosit (Honduras)

Nov 24 2020

Neighbors: Oral History From Madera, California, Volume 2 by Lawrence F. Lihosit (Honduras 1975-77) Self-Published 200 pages August 2020 $20.00 (Paperback) Review by Joanne Roll (Colombia 1963-65) • In the age of Twitter and Text, Lawrence Lihosit has once again demonstrated the power of the oral history interview. This is Lawrence Lihosit’s second volume of Neighbors. In Volume One of Neighbors, Lihosit published Oral Histories which he had recorded with some of his neighbors in this California Central Valley town of Madera. In Neighbors Volume Two, Lihosit continues with 21 more Oral Histories. Lishosit and his family have lived in Madera since 1995 and these interviewees are truly his neighbors. His own history as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras (1975-1977) and his years of writing and traveling, as well as working as an urban planner, are reflected in the organization of the book as well as the care with which he . . .

“All In My Family” by Rich Wandschneider (Turkey 1965-67)

Nov 23 2020

Published in Writers on the Range When “All in the Family” hit the TV screens in 1971, the war in Vietnam was raging, cities from Washington, D.C., to Detroit, were charred from riots in the wake of Martin Luther King’s assassination, and many young people like me were leaving those cities, moving West to rural America. Archie Bunker stayed in Queens, where a “bar was a man’s castle,” while daughter Gloria and son-in-law “Meathead” tried to help Archie grasp hippies and anti-war protests. We called ours the “back to the land” movement, and we chuckled with Meathead as Archie Bunker got chuckles from our dads. But we were done watching “Leave it to Beaver” and “Ozzie and Harriet.” Our flexible families were radically changing. Well, the family has changed again, and, I’d argue that my own, occasionally dysfunctional family is closer to what’s happening in America now than . . .

Washington Post obit of Laurence Pope (Tunisia)

Nov 22 2020

By Harrison Smith November 16, 2020 Laurence Pope (Tunisia 1967-69), a veteran diplomat and counterterrorism expert who came out of retirement to serve as the top U.S. envoy to Libya weeks after the 2012 attack that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi, died Oct. 31 at his home in Portland, Maine. He was 75. The cause was pancreatic cancer, said his wife, Elizabeth Pope. In his 31 years as a diplomat, Mr. Pope helped shape Iran and Iraq policy at the State Department, was appointed ambassador to Chad by President Bill Clinton and served as political adviser to Gen. Anthony Zinni, head of Central Command, which manages U.S. forces in the Middle East. He had been retired for more than a decade when Islamist militants launched an assault on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012. The attack marked the first time a U.S. . . .

RPCV Drew Days III (Honduras) – first African American to head Justice Department Civil Rights Division dies

Nov 22 2020

Drew S. Days III (Honduras 1967-69), who was the first African American to head the civil rights division of the Justice Department and later became solicitor general under President Bill Clinton, died on Sunday at a long-term care facility in East Haven, Connecticut. He was 79. His wife, Ann Langdon-Days (Honduras 1967-69) said the cause was complications of dementia. Born in the segregated South, Days went to Yale Law School, fought for civil rights through the courts and enjoyed a meteoric career that might have led to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court if not for his legal opinion in an obscure child pornography case. He knew from an early age that he wanted to work for civil rights. “I rode segregated buses and I was from the era with the segregated lunch counters and water fountains,” he recalled in a 2014 interview with the Touro Law Review. . . .

A Writer Writes — “A Season of Survivor Was Filmed on an Island Nicer Than Mine“ by Harry Seitz (Tonga)

Nov 21 2020

• I served in the Peace Corps in Tonga from 2014–2016. Some of the volunteers got sent to sites in the capital. They had electricity, running water, supermarkets, the works. A few of the others were sent to ’Eua, a large island close to the capital. Life was a little more difficult there, but they still had all of the basic amenities. The remainder and I were sent to Vava’u, the main island of which is relatively developed, but also much further away from the capital. I alone was sent to Ofu. While technically a part of Vava’u, it is an outer island. No roads, no restaurants, and very limited electricity. Ferries didn’t even run there. I had to hitch boat rides with my neighbors every other weekend to buy food on the main island of Vava’u. Lifuka (Survivor Island) Lifuka is a part of the Ha’apai group of islands. . . .

New Harris Wofford Award recognizes AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alumni

Nov 21 2020

(WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov 19, 2020) – AmeriCorps today announced the Harris Wofford Joint Service Award, a new award for individuals who have served in both Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. Honoring the legacy of the late Senator Harris Wofford, who helped establish both the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, the award will recognize more than 10,000 individuals who have already chosen to serve their country at home and abroad through both programs, as well as the thousands more who make that same commitment in the future. The Harris Wofford Joint Service Award will be available to individuals who have successfully completed both a full year of service in AmeriCorps, as well as service in Peace Corps or Peace Corps Response. “Each year, thousands of Americans make the commitment to serve through AmeriCorps and Peace Corps. Our country needs their service now more than ever, and this award is just one way we . . .

WHAT IS ETHIOPIA? — the coloring book

Nov 20 2020

Andrew Tadross (Ethiopia 2011-13) has published a coloring book for all ages, entitled What is Ethiopia? that comes at a disquieting time for Ethiopia, and attempts to show Ethiopia as the sum of its parts. The book takes you on a journey to understand “What is Ethiopia?” There are 24 pages of illustrations of Ethiopian people, cultures, food, landscapes, wildlife, architecture, and history all to be colored. The illustrations are complemented by engaging descriptions and narratives about Ethiopian life by Andrew. Additionally, there is a trivia quiz. The sole artist of all 24 illustrations is Biniyam Alazar, a 19-year-old secondary school student from Bahir Dar. Biniyam aims to continue in the art profession. He has an interest in painting and has become proficient in digital illustration. As he develops his skills, Biniyam would like to get into graphic novels, comic books, and other mediums that are novel for Ethiopians. He would . . .

She helped South Korea in Its time of need. In the pandemic, it repaid her.

Nov 20 2020

NYTimes November 20, 2020 SEOUL, South Korea — Sandra Nathan spent 1966 to 1968 in a South Korean town as a young Peace Corps volunteer, teaching English to high school girls. Fifty-two years later, Ms. Nathan, now back in the United States, received a care package from South Korea that nearly brought her to tears. Ms. Nathan, 75, had been feeling increasingly isolated at home in Stephentown, N.Y. Reports about the exploding number of Covid-19 cases in the United States had made her anxious about going outside, where experts warned of second and third waves of infection. Then, early this month, she received a packaged labeled “Covid-19 Survival Box.” It was a gift from the South Korean government that contained 100 masks and other items “as a token of our gratitude for your dedication to Korea.” “It was as if this box had been traveling to me since 1968,” . . .

Review — Relicarios: The Forgotten Jewels of Latin America by Martha J. Egan (Venezuela)

Nov 19 2020

Relicarios: The Forgotten Jewels of Latin America By Martha J. Egan (Venezuela 1967-69) Papalote Press 175 Pages September 2020 $75.00 Hardcover Reviewed by Marnie Mueller (Ecuador 1963-65) • Soon after I agreed to review Martha J. Egan’s new book, Relicarios, the Forgotten Jewels of Latin America, I had second thoughts about doing it. How could I, who have strong political opinions about the Conquest of Latin America by Spaniards and the consequent oppression of indigenous populations, be open enough to the material to give it an objective consideration? I still vividly recall arriving in the colonial city of Quito, Ecuador in March of 1964, where I witnessed the subjugation of Indians in the streets, soon discovering that they were literally considered untouchables, as they reflexively covered their hands with their ponchos if I reached out to shake theirs. It was caste-mandated that they do so. Still, I went forward with . . .

RPCV Jason McFarland (China) appointed to National Liturgical Council

Nov 19 2020

November 18, 2020 • Assistant Director of ACU’s Centre for Liturgy, Dr. Jason McFarland (China 2012-14), has been appointed to the National Liturgical Council to advise on matters pertaining to Catholic liturgical worship in the Australian context. Dr. McFarland teaches Liturgical Studies and Sacramental Theology and is Assistant Director of the Australian Catholic University (ACU) Centre for Liturgy. He is the author of the influential book Announcing the Feast: The Entrance Song in the Mass of the Roman Rite, which has informed liturgical practice in many parts of the English-speaking Church. The National Liturgical Council is an advisory body established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, advising the Bishops Commission for Liturgy on matters pertaining to Catholic liturgical worship. In announcing the appointment, the Chairman of the Bishops Commission for Liturgy Archbishop Pat O’Regan cited the appreciation of the Commission for Dr McFarland’s fine work as an editor at the . . .

Archive - November 2020