Author - Joanne Roll

    The University of New Mexico was the training site for Peace CorpsTrainees bound for South America, from 1962 to approximately 1967.  Selection was an important part of the training process. Trainees were observed at all times and subject to psychological testing and evaluation in addition to the elaborate background checks.  The University of New Mexico has archived important documents from Peace Corps Training.   Thank you to the Archivists at the University of New Mexico’ s Center for Southwest Research.  The archivist emailed me a digitial copy of the memo. I had to reformate it in order to post it here.  The text was not changed. Here is the citation: Box 1 in the Selections 1962-1963 folder of UNMA 150, the Peace Corps Collection, Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico. _____________________________________________________________________ PEACE CORPS — Washington 25, D. C. MEMORANDUM TO ALL PEACE CORPS STAFF AND TRAINING  PERSONNEL . . .

    Here is Glenn Blumhorst Report about his experience. From the NPCA webpage:   “There is a great need for Spanish-speaking volunteers to serve in hospitality centers at the southern border. NPCA President Glenn Blumhorst (Guatemala 1988-91) recently took a leave of absence to lend a hand. Here’s his story and how you can volunteer with Annunciation House. “I can empathize with them; I’ve been in their shoes,” said Lupe, the Amtrak ticket agent in El Paso, Texas. I was dropping off Fortunato and his six-year-old daughter, Lourdes, for their four-day trip to Bellingham, Washington, with connections in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Seattle. I was moved by how kind and considerate Lupe was to these particular travelers – refugees who had made the arduous journey from their village in Guatemala to the United States, desperately seeking the safety and economic security that we Americans take for granted. “I can too,” I . . .

    From the website of the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience — “The Committee for a Museum of the Peace Corps Experience was founded by returned Peace Corps Volunteers in 1999 in Portland, Oregon.  As a 501(c)(3) private, non-profit organization, the Committee has an established record of artifact acquisition, professional exhibitions and modest fundraising. The Committee expanded its focus to the national level in 2016 during Peace Corps’ 55th Anniversary.  Twelve dedicated returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) from across the country stepped forward to comprise a core planning group. The Committee dramatically increased its activities in 2017 with a planning retreat in Denver preceding the annual Peace Corps Connect conference.  Momentum built when Committee members met face-to-face for the first time and reconfirmed their commitment to building a museum, both online and physical. They formulated four strategic initiatives – Operations, Collections, Fundraising, Technology – which provide the road . . .

Thank you to Alan Toth who posted this link on his Facebook page. Alan Toth is a RPCV and a documentary film producer: http://www.alantoth.net/about Walker Marsh is a serving Peace Corps Volunteer and wrote this article about a cyclone which hit Mozambique on March 15th. https://06880danwoog.com/2019/03/21/walker-marsh-reports-from-mozambique-we-need-urgent-help/?fbclid=IwAR22arcEbtCmTVaEF6XV8blmv4fZ2_tncJu-ujfXWnC0PYDhHJzHfa3Qo20    

    Peace Corps held a contest for serving Volunteers asking them to create a video  showing a  Day in the Life of people  they served.  The ten finalists are posted on You Tube and this Peace Corps link will bring you to the videos.  They are great!  https://www.peacecorps.gov/peace-corps-week/ (Personal Note, in my opinion. So many of the Peace Corps public records describe the Volunteer in terms of his or her relationship with Peace Corps Washington, despite Shriver’s inverted pyramid.  So many of the writings of RPCVs describe Host Country Nationals in terms of their relationship to us, the Volunteers.  These videos focus on the daily lives of Host Country people, their dignity, their work, their joy. They are beautiful. Please watch them and add to the number of views.) This is my favorite video . . .

    H.J.Res.31 – Consolidated Appropriations Act 2019 • For the Peace Corps (including transfer of funds) For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.), including the purchase of not to exceed five passenger motor vehicles for administrative purposes for use outside of the United States, $410,500,000, of which $6,000,000 is for the Office of Inspector General, to remain available until September 30, 2020: Provided, That the Director of the Peace Corps may transfer to the Foreign Currency Fluctuations Account, as authorized by section 16 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2515), an amount not to exceed $5,000,000: Provided further, That funds transferred pursuant to the previous proviso may not be derived from amounts made available for Peace Corps overseas operations: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not to exceed $104,000 may be available for . . .

    February 7, 2019 WASHINGTON – Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen released the following statement on the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) initiative introduced today during a launch event at the White House with President Donald J. Trump, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump, leaders from across the U.S. government, and global stakeholders. “Since its formation in 1961, the Peace Corps has advanced the empowerment of women as a pillar of development, recognizing that expanding opportunities for women can transform their futures and the futures of their families. Having served the Peace Corps in various capacities, I am especially honored to reaffirm this commitment through the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity initiative, a whole-of-government approach to advancing workforce development, promoting women’s entrepreneurship and access to capital, and removing barriers that prevent women from fully participating in the economy.   “I want to thank Ella Zande for joining us . . .

    From the National Peace Corps Association Website: Central America Reporting for WorldView “We’re accepting article proposals for the Summer issue of NPCA’s WorldView magazine on the Central American migrant caravan heading to the U.S. border. The deadline for brief proposals is Friday, February 22.We’re looking for writing that gives WorldView readers a better picture of life’s challenges in these countries. If you are a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who has a first-person story, let us know. WorldView will try to explain: what drove thousands of people from Central America to walk four or five thousand miles to our U.S. border? Who are they and which countries do they come from? Why did they leave their homes? Could U.S. foreign policy and international assistance have served these countries better? Please submit a brief proposal and your background on the subject.” Click on the following link to read more on . . .

https://www.peacecorps.gov/news/library/peace-corps-sends-over-300-americans-service-abroad-january/   February 6, 2019 WASHINGTON – Over 300 Americans departed in January for Peace Corps service. They will spend the next two years working with communities in Albania, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Myanmar, South Africa and Thailand. Peace Corps Response volunteers will undertake shorter-term, high-impact service assignments in China, Eswatini, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Rwanda, Ukraine and Zambia. The new trainees gathered at staging events across the United States, including the District of Columbia, Los Angeles, Miami and Philadelphia. These pre-departure orientations are the first stage of Peace Corps service for trainees where they receive a stateside introduction to volunteer safety and service aboard. “Welcoming new Peace Corps trainees to Ecuador is an exciting part of my job,” said Peace Corps Ecuador Country Director Michael Donald. “The trainees bring with them different skills and life experiences that will enrich their communities in Ecuador and the Peace Corps community as a whole.” . . .

Here is the link to the article posted  on the National Peace Corps Association website which we have posted below. https://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/articles/peace-corps-community-response-to-the-partial-government-shutdown?utm_source=National+Peace+Corps+Association+E- Newsletter&utm_campaign=d220bb5209- “As the partial shutdown of the federal government – the longest in history – enters its second month, it is imperative that our political leaders pass appropriations legislation that will allow the Peace Corps and other federal agencies to get back to work. We are very proud of the service and sacrifice of the thousands of individuals who work for the Peace Corps. Hundreds of these workers remain on the job – many without pay – to make sure the more than 7,000 volunteers serving in the far corners of 65 countries are safe, secure, and receiving basic support.   What exactly does the continued partial government shutdown mean for the Peace Corps? Steady at the helm, Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen assures us that the agency is fine, . . .

This plan is dated December 18, 2018. Here is the most important statement: “The agency has, therefore, determined that the Peace Corps is not required during a lapse in appropriated funding to take any action to evacuate Volunteers and return them to their homes of record. The Director has determined that all Peace Corps U.S. direct hire and FSN employees overseas are reasonably necessary for the protection of human life and property and, in particular, are required to ensure the health, safety and security of currently serving Volunteers.” Read the entire plan, here: https://files.peacecorps.gov/documents/open-government/Peace_Corps_Operations_Plan_in_the_Absence_of_Appropriations.pdf Everyone is urged to read the whole plan.  It would not be appropriate, in my opinion, to excerpt sections as the whole plan has to be considered in its entirety.  However, the above statement, again in my opinion, does answer the most important question about the immediate impact on serving Volunteers.

WASHINGTON – Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen released the following statement on the passing of President George H.W. Bush.  https://www.peacecorps.gov/news/library/statement-peace-corps-director-jody-olsen-passing-president-george-hw-bush/ “As we pause for a National Day of Mourning today, we send our deepest condolences to the Bush family. We also express our tremendous gratitude for President Bush, for his leadership, his kindness and his lifetime of serving others. In 1985, as vice president, George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara joined then-Peace Corps Director Loret Miller Ruppe on a visit to Mali, where they met with Peace Corps volunteers working on projects in agriculture, energy conservation and rural development. Later, as president, he stated, “The United States Peace Corps built its reputation the old-fashioned way, step by step, village by village, family by family, bringing the world a bit closer one friendship at a time.” “George Bush was a steadfast friend to the Peace Corps and we will . . .

  “The Congressional Research Service (CRS) works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. … Its highest priority is to ensure that Congress has 24/7 access to the nation’s best thinking.”  Its current summary report on Peace Corps Issues, updated on October 12, 2018,  can be read at: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS21168.pdf Peace Corps funding is discussed in detail and that is important.  The information helps to answer the question:  What happens to Peace Corps funding after December 7, 2018? The federal government’s budget runs from fiscal year beginning on October 1, and ends on September 30, of the next year.  Congress failed to pass a new budget by October 1, 2018 for fiscal 2019.  Instead, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution, funding agencies at the old 2018 level. For Peace Corps, this means funding continues at . . .

  “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.” John F. Kennedy May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963