December 9, 2022 – Peace Corps Worldwide

The Volunteer Who Became a Highly Published Novelist — Roland Merullo (Micronesia)

Dec 09 2022

(A substantial portion of this Profile was drawn from an interview by Mike Mastromatteo of Catholic News Service, in September 2021.) by Jeremiah Norris (Colombia 1963–65) • Roland Merullo served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Micronesia from 1979 to 1980, after receiving a B. A. and an M. A. in Russian Language and Literature from Brown University. He then worked in the Soviet Union for the U. S. Information Agency, and before publishing his first book, he was employed as a cab driver and carpenter. Roland taught creative writing at Bennington College and Amherst College and was a Writer in Residence at Miami Dade College and North Shore Community College. His first published essays appeared in the early 1980s, including a humorous “My Turn” column for Newsweek. Thereafter, a virtual flood of essays and novels followed. His first novel, Leaving Losapas was published in 1991. It was quickly followed . . .

Ethiopia RPCVs Plead with US for Help on Tigray

Dec 09 2022

Ex-Peace Corps Volunteers plead with US for help on Tigray BY CARA ANNA ASSOCIATED PRESS NAIROBI, Kenya — More than 350 former Peace Corps volunteers and a trio of former U.S. ambassadors have written to U.S. congressmen urging them to condemn the violence in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, warning that “as the fighting ostensibly winds down, we are quite sure that the war will continue on a much more pernicious level.” The letter seen by The Associated Press also asks lawmakers to press for humanitarian aid to all parts of Tigray, urge the United Nations to investigate and advocate for media access to the region “to document human rights abuses.” Communications links remain difficult to parts of the Tigray region of some 6 million people, and only a small number of former volunteers have reached friends there. But “we have avoided explicit discussions on what is occurring due to safety concerns and . . .

Peace Corps Guyana Return to Sites

Dec 09 2022

The new batch of Peace Corps volunteers POLITICS 18 new Peace Corps volunteers sworn in On Wednesday, December 8, 2022 at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, Georgetown, United States Peace Corps Guyana hosted the Swearing In ceremony for its 33rd group of Volunteers; the first to return after the global evacuation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of evacuation in March 2020, 54 Volunteers were serving in 9 of the 10 regions. These 18 Volunteers who arrived in Guyana on September 29, 2022 underwent an intensive ten-week pre-service training. They will now live and work in local communities along the coast, partnering to address early childhood literacy, adolescent health, and environmental stewardship. U.S. Ambassador to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer herself, administered the oath of service and Peace Corps pledge to the group on behalf of the Peace Corps. Ambassador Lynch remarked . . .

Archive - December 9, 2022