Author - Joanne Roll

  Here is the link to read the latest Issue of Inside Peace Corps https://elink.clickdimensions.com/m/1/42800499/02-t22252-ade13aeef6b0438297841dc4943063c1/1/1/1 You may also go to peacecorps.gov and on the menu, click on NEWS.   Issue 7 contains information on the following: Chief Executive Officer’s Message  (Chief Executive Officer is Carol Spahn. She has been nominated to be Peace Corps Director.  Her confirmatin hearing in the Senate have not yet been scheduled,) Calling all RPCVs to inspire your networks to apply The Return of Volunteers to Service Overseas. Sexual Assault Advisory Council Summit. Revised Volunteer Core Expectations and Staff Responsibilities and Conduct. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Annual Meeting There are also stories of Volunteer service, events planned and “Peace Corps in the News.”

WASHINGTON – Today, the Peace Corps announced the signing of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Reach the World (RTW), an organization dedicated to leveraging widely available technology to ensure that all Americans have access to positive, personal experiences abroad. The strategic partnership will extend the reach and engagement of returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs) in service of the Peace Corps’ Third Goal to promote a better understanding of other nations on the part of Americans. As part of the new collaboration, RPCVs will work together with RTW on two initiatives: The Traveler Program: RPCVs will be matched with American K-12 classrooms and share their experiences serving abroad through media (written stories, pictures, and videos), which are published on Reach the World’s website. Matches typically last six to 12 weeks and will be conducted using RTW’s virtual exchange platform. Meet the World Program: RPCVs will volunteer to visit a . . .

Letter published May 22, 2022 Dear Members of the Peace Corps Community, National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is dedicated to serving the Peace Corps community and supporting the mission of the Peace Corps. NPCA is committed to providing support, resources, and advocacy while promoting a spirit of respect and acceptance of all people. The Board of NPCA takes all allegations of an unsafe or hostile workplace environment for women or others very seriously and has not and will not condone such an environment at NPCA. The allegations referenced in the recent posts online are not new. The Board took action to engage an independent and qualified investigator to conduct a thorough examination of these charges when they were brought to the attention of the Board. The independent investigator concluded that the allegations of misconduct were not credible and that NPCA did not present an unsafe or hostile work environment for . . .

July 25 at 8 PM Eastern / 5 PM Pacific: Join the NPCA Board of Directors and staff online for the 2022 NPCA Annual Board Meeting. Learn more about how you can engage with NPCA — and support the Peace Corps community. Contact boardassist@peacecorpsconnect.org for further assistance and to register. September 24 (time TBD): Join the 2022 Annual General Membership Meeting to hear a report on key achievements and initiatives at NPCA as well as engage in a membership forum discussing Board-proposed actions for what lies ahead for NPCA.

  JULY 19, 2022 MENENDEZ, RISCH, COLLEAGUES CELEBRATE SFRC APPROVAL OF PEACE CORPS REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2022 WASHINGTON –  U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today were joined by Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) in releasing the below statements following the Committee’s passage of their legislation to reauthorize the Peace Corps for the first time in over 20 years. Authorizing the appropriation of more than $410,000,000 per year, the bipartisan Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2022 will extend Peace Corps Volunteers’ health care coverage, statutorily raise Volunteers’ readjustment allowance, expedite return-to-service opportunities for those impacted by COVID-19 and future comparable emergencies, and expand the agency’s Sexual Assault Advisory Council. “Today’s Committee approval of our bipartisan Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2022 is a momentous victory for those of us who appreciate the crucial role that the Peace Corps plays in . . .

Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Archives Project July 2022 Newsletter   Dear Valued Friend, Welcome to our second Peace Corps Oral History newsletter of 2022. We have some important updates to share since our last issue in January. As a reminder, the mission of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Archives Project (OHAP) is to preserve the Peace Corps experience through in-depth oral history interviews of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) and Peace Corps staff. We are excited to announce we have recently expanded this offering to include host country nationals who were staff or interacted with Peace Corps Volunteers. In addition to preserving history we are attempting to capture the spirit of current events as experienced by our interviewees. An amazing example of this is the Virtual Exhibit Departures: Peace Corps Pandemic Stories. Scroll down to learn more. If you have not signed-up already, please click the button below to request an in-depth oral history video interview. Interviews are conducted remotely . . .

ARMENIA P 1 BELIZE C 5 BELIZE P 10 BENIN P 18 COLOMBIA C 1 COLOMBIA P 18 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC P 13 EASTERN CARIBBEAN P 10 ECUADOR P 16 GAMBIA C 1 GAMBIA P 16 GHANA P 13 KYRGYZSTAN C 1 KYRGYZSTAN P 11 MEXICO P 1 NAMIBIA C 1 NAMIBIA P 1 PARAGUAY P 13 PERU C 2 PERU P 10 RWANDA P 16 SENEGAL C 1 SIERRA LEONE P 16 TOGO P 19 UGANDA C 2 ZAMBIA C 10 ZAMBIA P 27 Volunteer type Acronyms: P = two-year Volunteers C = Peace Corps Response Volunteers This information is from FOIA 22-0101 Thank you to the Peace Corps FOIA Office 253

Published May 18, 2022 Chief Executive Officer’s Message   On March 15, 2022, two years after the Peace Corps’ first-ever global evacuation, our first group of Volunteers returned to service in Zambia! Since then, Volunteers and Trainees have arrived in nine countries and many more will depart for their countries of service in the coming months. This long-awaited return is about connecting across difference. It is also about taking action in the spirit of humble partnership and in the face of incredibly challenging and uncertain times. Over the past two years, we have seen staff, returned Peace Corps Volunteers, counterparts, and host families step up in so many remarkable ways to support each other, their communities, and their countries. The care and concern displayed by the Peace Corps network has so clearly demonstrated that the Peace Corps is much more than a service organization. It represents a lifetime of connection and solidarity. The . . .

  https://www.facebook.com/peacecorps The first group of Volunteers to serve in Dominican Republic in two years left for the island of Hispaniola this morning! During service, they will focus on supporting communities to overcome the educational and economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay tuned to follow their journey with us! #PCVolunteersReturn #PeaceCorps #BacktoService 154154 7 Comments 4 Shares  

Peace Corps Commits to Broadening its Approach to Sexual Assault Prevention in New Brief and Roadmap   March 17, 2022 WASHINGTON – Today, the Peace Corps released a brief and roadmap detailing the agency’s commitment to further strengthen its systems, programming and approach to sexual assault prevention and to improving trauma-informed approaches to supporting survivors. Based on recommendations from the independent Peace Corps Sexual Assault Advisory Council (SAAC), feedback received during a public call for input, current research and best practices in the field of sexual violence prevention, the brief outlines how the Peace Corps will broaden its approach to addressing sexual assault. Over the past decade, the agency has intentionally and continuously enhanced its Sexual Assault Risk Reduction and Response (SARRR) program to address sexual violence through an individual-level public safety approach. The brief and associated roadmap detail the agency’s commitment to broaden its focus to also include a . . .

There will be no Government Shut Down.  The Government is funded through September 30, 2022.  Unfortunately, Peace Corps did not receive higher funding, as had been hoped.  Here is the statement from the National Peace Corps Association: Congress has finally passed a budget for fiscal year 2022. It keeps funding flat for the Peace Corps for the seventh year in a row. To ensure a better and stronger Peace Corps as Volunteers return to the field, and to enable the agency to make needed reforms, Congress needs to provide more funding.   By Jonathan Pearson   Congress has completed its work on a budget for fiscal year 2022, passing a $1.5 trillion spending package. That’s the good news. Unfortunately, for a seventh consecutive year, instead of providing new resources to better meet the needs of a changed world, it keeps Peace Corps’ baseline funding flat at $410.5 million. We are nearly . . .

March 11, 2022, UPDATE:  Late on the night of March 10, 2022, the Senate approved the Appropriations Bill funding the federal government until the end of this fiscal year, September 30, 2022.  The House had already passed the Government Funding Bill.  The Bill goes to President Biden for his signature, which he has promised.  No more  “Continuing Resolutions” are necessary.  There will be no government shutdown.  Peace Corps will be able to continue its intention to send Volunteers once more to host countries. Congress must approve a Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government. The deadline to pass the CR is this Friday,  March 11, 2022.  The Resolution must pass both Houses of Congress.  If no  Continuing Resolution is passed, the federal government would “shut down” in the absence of funding, until or unless a new budget is approved or a new Continuing Resolution is passed. Last September 27, 2021, . . .

This article was first published on February 24th and updated on the 26th. https://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/articles/2022-02-24-the-war-of-aggression-against-ukraine-must-stop The War of Aggression Against Ukraine Must Stop “We in the Peace Corps community stand in solidarity with the people and communities in Ukraine who are now in harm’s way. By Steven Boyd Saum, Jeffrey Janis, and Gretchen Upholt   Early this morning, Ukraine — a free and independent nation — became the victim of an unprovoked war of aggression launched by Vladimir Putin, who ordered tens of thousands of Russian troops to invade. Missiles and shells have fallen in cities across the country. Apartment buildings and hospitals have been hit. Civilians have been terrorized and killed, while many thousands huddle in bomb shelters and metro stations. Meanwhile, brave citizens are lining up to give blood, knowing that it will be needed in days to come. We in the Peace Corps community unequivocally condemn these acts . . .

  Chief Executive Officer’s Message: Since the new year, words from Amanda Gorman’s “New Day Lyric” have been echoing in my mind. In it she says, “Tethered by this year of yearning, we are learning, that though we weren’t ready for this, we have been readied by it.” I cannot help but repeat these words as I reflect on the Peace Corps’ journey to return Volunteers to service overseas. There have been bumps in the road, but we have learned a great deal along the way. The challenges have prepared us to meet the moment by infusing new innovation into our time-tested approaches, holding our most valued partners – the communities where our Volunteers are invited to serve – at the center of all we do, and aligning our work more explicitly to our values. The return of Volunteers will be intentional, balancing the health and safety considerations of host communities . . .