May 2, 2024 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Published in American Diplomacy by Mark G. Wentling (Honduras, Togo)

May 02 2024

RPCVs in the news — Tough Love and the Diplomacy of Foreign Assistance May 2024 by Mark G. Wentling (Honduras 1967-69) & (Togo 1970-73) • • • Providing aid to low and middle-income countries (LMIC) is at the heart of our relationships with those countries. The concept is that needy countries on this list of 132 LMICs, particularly the 45 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the bottom range of this list, require external aid for their development. However, almost all the countries on the LMIC list are the same as they were over 30 years ago, and they are no closer to graduating into a higher income category. It is highly doubtful if any LMIC will achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals set for 2030. This raises several fundamental questions about the return on the US government’s investment. What are the cost-benefit and recurrent costs analyses? Do the returns justify the . . .

“Hi, I’m RPCV Bob Vila” (Panama)

May 02 2024

I’ve spent my career helping people upgrade their homes and improve their lives. You probably know me from TV, where for nearly 30 years I hosted a variety of shows—This Old House, Bob Vila’s Home Again, Bob Vila, and Restore America with Bob Vila. Oh, and let’s not forget my cameo appearances on Tim Allen’s sitcom, Home Improvement, where I got to star as myself. That was something else! Before my life in broadcasting, I launched my own residential remodeling and design business. Earlier still, I served as a Peace Corps volunteer, building houses and communities in Panama 1969-70. I learned firsthand about home building from my father, who built our family home by hand. I’ve written more than a dozen books about remodeling, buying your dream home, and visiting historic homes across America. It’s fair to say that buildings, especially homes, are my life’s work. Over the years I’ve supported many . . .

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