2024 – Page 10 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Review | Theroux’s Close Shave by Christopher West Davis

Aug 05 2024

A review by Christopher West Davis (Kenya 1975-78) Originally published in The Hawaii Review of Books Three years ago, Paul Theroux (Malawi 1963-65) ended his birthday card to himself—“Facing Ka‘ena Point: On Turning Eighty,” published in The New Yorker and probably the closest thing to an autobiography he will ever offer—with the perfect vignette. He was sitting, scribbling in his favorite place to write—a folding chair on a Hawaiian beach he has watched erode away for years. A young man comes towards him, limping from a war wound. He said he remembered seeing Theroux in the same place before he went off to Afghanistan. “And you’re still here,” he said, “in that chair!” “I’m not finished,” Theroux replied. And he wasn’t, (likely isn’t still). In the same essay Theroux describes his life as writing one book after another since 1963—amassing thirty-two of fiction, twenty nonfictions, and one . . .

New US Ambassador Mark Christopher Toner (Liberia)

Aug 05 2024

RPCV Ambassador Mark Christopher Toner Arrives in Liberia Months After US Senate Confirmation Hearing By Jaheim T. Tumu August 5, 2024 Monrovia:| New U.S Ambassador to Liberia Mark Christopher Toner arrived in Liberia on Friday, August 2. Amb. Torner is expected to present his official credentials to President Joseph Boakai, and to commence his duties. Ambassador Toner, who will succeed Amb. Michael McCarthy, who was noted for his strong stance against corruption during his tenure, arrival signifies an important moment and era in US-Liberian relations. Toner, a career Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, served as the Minister Counselor for Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France before his appointment as Ambassador to Liberia. Previously, he was a Senior Advisor at the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe and a Senior Faculty Advisor at the National Defense University. Earlier, Toner held positions as the State . . .

THE EMERGING COOPERATIVE ECONOMY by E.G. Nadeau (Senegal)

Aug 04 2024

New — The Emerging Cooperative Economy by E.G. Nadeau (Senegal 1970-72) 246 pages July 2024 $8.00 (Kindle); $20.00 (Paperback) The primary theme of The Emerging Cooperative Economy is that the world today is characterized by concentrated economic and political power, extreme inequality in access to basic goods and services, and environmental devastation. However, we are not stuck with such a dysfunctional economy forever. During the coming decades, we can transition to an international economy based on increasing political and economic democracy, meeting human needs, and sustaining the environment. This book presents a possible path for moving toward a more cooperative society and economy by 2050. Released in July, The Emerging Cooperative Economy describes the co-operative economy as “an economy that puts the wellbeing of the many ahead of the wealth and power of a few”, meeting human needs and protecting the planet. The first section looks at the world’s economic history, from the . . .

Lisa Einstein (Guinea) | at Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Aug 03 2024

RPCVs in the news CISA names Lisa Einstein as Chief AI Officer CISA said Thursday the appointment reflects the agency’s commitment to advancing the responsible use of AI to meet its cyber defense mission and assist critical infrastructure operators and owners in pursuing the secure and safe development and adoption of AI tools. CISA Director Jen Easterly said Einstein has played a central role in helping the agency understand and respond to rapid AI advancements, which have significant implications for CISA’s critical infrastructure security and cyber defense missions. “Beyond her technical expertise, she’s an inspirational leader who has brought together colleagues across the agency around a clear and impactful vision. I could not be more thrilled to have her take on this important new role, which will help us continue to build AI expertise into the fabric of our agency and ensure we are equipped to effectively leverage the . . .

Lisa Einstein (Guinea) | A Poem About Teaching

Aug 03 2024

August 14, 2017 A volunteer explains — with poetry — why teaching physics to girls in Guinea, west Africa is so important to her By Lisa Einstein (Guinea 2016-18) This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American . . . I sat on the porch in my village of farms, When a young girl approached me, a babe in her arms. We started to talk, though a lot went unspoken. Her words were Pular and her French, it was broken. I asked her what grade she was in and she scoffed. “Failed the Brevet so dad married me off. The class all must pass this exam to continue To high school. I didn’t, in take 1 or take 2. Mon mari, il est vieux, an old man I don’t see. And now with this child? . . .

Steve Kaffen (Russia) writes from The Olympics

Aug 03 2024

It’s my tenth day in Paris and eighth day since the Olympics began. Residents have left town on vacation, many after renting out their homes and apartments. They have been replaced by a world of visitors. Some 45,000 volunteers, for the Olympics and the Paralympics, are everywhere, in metro stations, on street corners, and near sports venues carrying big cardboard hands with fingers pointing in the venue’s direction. If they don’t know the answer, they look it up on their cell phones or they ask a colleague, and rarely do they improvise a response. They have set a standard of excellence for the volunteers of the USA’s upcoming World Cup to meet and best. Police are omnipresent, on most corners and clustered in the streets and in and outside the sports venues, carrying machine guns. It’s daunting at first, but after a while they become invisible. I have 15 . . .

OTHER RIVERS by Peter Hessler (China)

Aug 02 2024

A new book — Other Rivers: A Chinese Education By Peter Hessler (China 1996-98) Penguin Books July 2024 461 pages $16.99 (Kindle); $19.69 (AudioBook); $25.94 (Hardback) An intimate and revelatory account of two generations of students in China’s heartland, by an author who has observed the country’s tumultuous changes over the past quarter century More than two decades after teaching English during the early part of China’s economic boom, an experience chronicled in his book River Town, Peter Hessler returned to Sichuan Province to instruct students from the next generation. At the same time, Hessler and his wife enrolled their twin daughters in a local state-run elementary school, where they were the only Westerners. Over the years, Hessler had kept in close contact with many of the people he had taught in the 1990s. By reconnecting with these individuals — members of China’s “Reform generation,” now in their . . .

JACKLEG BOYS by Mark G. Wentling (Honduras/Togo)

Aug 02 2024

A a new book — Jackleg Boys by Mark G. Wentling (Honduras 1967-69), (Togo 1970-73) Vanguard Press 506 pages August 2024 $19.99 (Paperback) Jackleg Boys unfolds with a gripping tale of survival, transformation, and the bonds forged in the crucible of adversity. Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War’s aftermath, Henry and Randy, once privileged sons of an aristocratic Virginian family, find themselves grappling with the ruins of their past. As they navigate the harsh realities of a war-torn landscape, life becomes a catalyst for a perilous journey westward. In a quest for survival, the duo must shed their former identities and confront the moral complexities of their choices. This historical novel explores the lengths individuals go to endure and adapt in the face of calamity, challenging notions of privilege, identity, and the pursuit of a new beginning. Jackleg Boys is a riveting narrative that explores . . .

American University | Top Producer of Peace Corps Volunteers

Aug 01 2024

According to Foreign Policy Magazine Newswise — Washington, D.C. (July 30, 2024) – American University’s (AU) School of International Service (SIS) was identified in the top-tier of international relations programs around the world at the undergraduate, masters, and PhD levels by Foreign Policy magazine. The SIS masters and undergraduate programs both rank in the top 10, with the master’s program placing eighth and the undergraduate program also ranking eighth, up one spot from previous rankings. In their first published rankings since 2018, Foreign Policy added two additional sets of rankings in each category, one by policymakers and the other from think tank staff. SIS’s undergraduate program ranks 10th amongst policymakers and 11th amongst think tank staff. SIS’s master’s program ranks 10th amongst policymakers and 12th amongst think tank staff. “We’re proud of this recognition,” said SIS dean Shannon Hader, MD, MPH. “It speaks to our success in educating global leaders who will engage with . . .

WE CAME, WE SAW, WE CHANGED edited by Dennis Warner (Tanzania)

Jul 31 2024

A new book — We Came, We Saw, We Changed:Creating a Peace Corps Legacy in Tanzania 1964-1966 by PCV Members of Tanzania 5; Dennis Warner, Editor Independently Published June 2024 245 pages This book provides a glimpse of some of the most memorable experiences in the lives of 74 Tanzania-5 Peace Corps Volunteers in the 1960s as they ventured into the little-known cultures of a country striving to enter the modern world. Told in their own words, this diversity of stories form a mosaic of life as the volunteers go about their work and play in towns, villages, and the bush. A total of 58 short stories describing key memories are clustered as “Recruitment and Training, Life in the Bush, Village Life, Urban Life, Work Assignments, Travel and Transport, Social Encounters, Health, and Post Peace Corps Stories. A common thread in most of the stories is how the experiences of . . .

The Peace Corps & National Service

Jul 31 2024

Polls suggest young Americans are less enchanted with their country than previous generations. Yet even those who want to serve their country, conducting some form of national service, are too often turned away by top programs. The opposite should be true: Volunteer organizations such as AmeriCorps, Teach for America, the Peace Corps and the newly formed American Climate Corps should be well-funded and encouraged. National service could become a pervasive post-graduation option that all young Americans consider. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this year proposed a national service plan that would have granted young adults the option of enrolling in a year-long military training program or committing to civil service one weekend every month for the same amount of time. The proposal was highly unpopular, with Brits balking at what they saw as the effective conscription of their nation’s youths. The idea has more support here in the . . .

Foreign Policy Reporter Bryant Harris (Morocco)

Jul 30 2024

Bryant Harris (Morocco 2011-13) is a freelance reporter in Washington covering the nexus of foreign policy, national security and US politics. He has years of experience covering Congress for Defense News and Al-Monitor with additional bylines in Foreign Policy, and IPS News. Prior to that, he covered the White House for Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest newspaper. He is on Twitter @brykharris_ALM Of his Peace Corps assignment, Bryant writes: I collaborated with the Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports and counterparts from the town of Ben Guerir to promote positive youth development and lifestyles. After researching and analyzing challenges facing the community in a Community Needs Assessment Report, I began work with approximately 100 youth to create programming at the local youth center and coordinated language immersion camps in my site as well as in other locations throughout the country. Most notably, I worked with several community counterparts and organizations . . .

Margaret Seufert obituary (Paraguay)

Jul 28 2024

Margaret Rose (Peggy) Seufert died on July 21, 2024 in Alexandria, Virginia. Born on November 1, 1954, in St. Joseph, Missouri, Peggy was the daughter of Henry Seufert and Colleen (Delaney) Seufert. Peggy’s mission in life was to help other people, especially the less fortunate. She sought to help people find and apply local human and financial resources to solve the problems they faced. Peggy served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay (1977-79) and subsequently served in senior positions with the Peace Corps in Poland, Romania, Thailand, and the agency’s headquarters in Washington. In Romania, Peggy was instrumental in supporting the initial development and subsequent spread of “Girls Leading Our World” (GLOW), a Peace Corps program where Peace Corps volunteers encourage girls to become active citizens by building their self-esteem and confidence and increasing their self-awareness. More than 25 years after GLOW began in a single country, it . . .

Suzanne LeClerc (Gabon) and Protas Madlala wed

Jul 28 2024

In South Africa between 1987 and 1993, the National Party entered into bilateral negotiations with the African National Congress (ANC), the leading anti-apartheid political movement, for ending segregation and introducing majority rule. In 1990, prominent ANC figures such as Nelson Mandela were released from prison. Apartheid legislation was repealed on 17 June 1991, leading to multiracial elections in April 1994. In June 1985, the ban on marriage between people of different ethnic backgrounds was finally lifted. The laws were repealed by the Immorality and Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Amendment Act, which allowed interracial marriages and relationships. . . . The Wedding On the morning of the wedding, Protas Madlala and Suzanne Leclerc (Gabon 1979-82) rode to the church together. It was customary for a bride and groom to arrive separately, but caution prevailed. Although there had been talk of the South African government relaxing its laws, and an official from . . .

Kim and Vinny Aliperti (Tunisia) and the Billsboro Winery

Jul 26 2024

Kim and Vinny Aliperti met as Peace Corps volunteers in Tunisia from 1992 to 1994, They were married when they returned to the United States, and their honeymoon took them to some wineries. They say they quickly realized they were meant to run a winery. They knew they weren’t cut out for the suit-and-tie city life, and as they walked the vineyards, they knew what we wanted to do. Vinny had been hooked on winemaking as a teenager in his grandfather’s cellar in Queens, NY where he was first introduced to his family’s annual tradition. After the Peace Corps, Vinny was offered an apprenticeship at Wolffer Estate in the Hamptons on Long Island. After three vintages (1997-1999) producing mostly Chardonnay and Merlot with long-time winemaker Roman Roth, he moved with Kim to the Finger Lakes to begin his next chapter at the Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard. It was there . . .

Archive - 2024