Peace Corps: Public Records

Twice a year, Peace Corps publishes Peace Corps Times, an overview of current Peace Corps Volunteer activities around the world. The current issue, June 2015 to December 2015, focuses on “integrating and promoting gender equality in international development.” It is well written and worth reading.  In a few weeks, Peace Corps will be publishing its Annual Performance and Accountability Report FY 2015. I find it interesting to compare the bureaucratic jargon of previous PAR reports with the clear writing of the current Peace Corps Times. Please note: The Media Library referenced in the magazine is a collection of photos. Email library@peacecorps.gov for assistance in finding historical text documents that are not currently online. Here is the link: http://files.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/media/PCTimes_2015_07.pdf

Nancy Tongue and her Health Justice for Volunteers team have been working to establish adequate post service care for Volunteers who have service connected medical problems.  The GAO has issued an analysis on the benefits afforded RPCVs vs the benefits of Govermemt contractors such as State Department  and USAID.  Here is the first reporting we did on the issue : https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/report-from-congress-on-post-service-disability-benefits/ Now, Jonathan Pearson, National Peace Corps Association Advocate, has summarized the report. Read his commentary at: http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/2015/11/study-examines-peace-corps-workers-comp-program/ Health Justice for Volunteers has reviewed the report and issued a response.  The response points out deficiency with the data in the report.  Follow the link at the bottom of Jonathan’s report to read their response.

John Coyne has been posting a series on early Peace Corps history. One of the articles referenced the early staffer, John Noffsinger.  The link to this article was rendered inactive because Peace Corps/Washington is transitioning to a new all inclusive website.  However, Elizabeth Karr, RPCV and current librarian has generously offered to help all RPCVs who wish to view the digitalized  text documents, such as this one, during this transition period. Elizabeth asks that requests be sent to the email: library@peacecorps.gov As we wait for Mary-Ann Tirone Smith’s review of Peace Corps Fantasies, John’s history becomes even more important.  Here is the link to his posting that included John S. Noffsinger.  Following the link is the article by Paul A. Rodell, RPCV. https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/ivs/ John S. Noffsinger & the Global Impact of the Thomasite Experience* By Paul A. Rodell Peace Corps/Philippines 68-71 Introduction This paper explores the life of a remarkable . . .

Nancy Tongue (RPCV Chile) is a tireless advocate for RPCVs who have had service contacted medical problems and who have had difficulty receiving the help to which they are entitled. She founded Health Justice for Volunteers http://www.healthjusticeforpeacecorpsvolunteers.org Nancy’s group is an associative group of the National Peace Corps Association. The group is working with both the NPCA and Peace Corps to create better solutions for RPCVs. Nancy has updated the work of her organization in an email and also attached the report from the GAO on post service disability benefits. From Nancy’s email message:letter-from-nancy-tongue “The Senate Foreign Relations Office has just posted the findings from their recent GAO report analyzing the difference between the benefits from the USDOL vs: what employees of the State Department receive. You will see that it was noted that they did not conduct actuarial analysis, which was what was needed in order to really understand . . .

Ambassador Stevens was an RPCV. He brought his Peace Corps experience and his values to his appointment as Ambassador to Libya. He was assassinated in an terrorist attack in Libya on September 11, 2012. This week, the then Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton will testify before a House Committee investigating the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attack. .  To understand one accounting of what happened immediately before, during, and after the attack, read the testimony of Gregory Hicks, who was in charge when Ambassador Stevens had left on a mission.  Here is the link: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/08/transcript-whistle-blower-account-sept-11-libya-terror-attack/  

Michael Buckler (Malawi 2006–08) , author of the Peace Corps memoir From Microsoft to Malawi: Learning on the Front Lines as a Peace Corps Volunteer [Hamilton Books, 2010] has written an article for the website Humanosphere — “The not-so-easy task of educating girls“ — updating his efforts as a PCV to “help girls learn.” The piece is critical to understanding the obstacles that many young women face in trying to continue their education. Buckler describes the problems that young women had in his area. The underlying causes were many. Although long distances from home to school plagued both sexes, boys were more likely to commute on a bicycle. Girls also faced intense pressure to drop out of school, get married, and perform domestic chores while at home. Girls who tried to overcome these obstacles by renting rooms near campus often faced unsanitary and unsafe living conditions, including sexual harassment from . . .

The Peace Corps Sexual Assault Advisory Council was mandated by Sec. 8 D. of the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection of 2011. Kate Puzey was a Volunteer in Benin. She was murdered. Her murder remains unsolved.  Kate Puzey was a teacher and she had complained to the Peace Corps Office that a Host National Teacher, with an association with the Peace Corps, was sexually exploiting her female students. She was murdered shortly after making this report.  It is widely believed that her murder was in retaliation for her report. This remains speculation because her murderers have not brought to justice. In the Congressional hearings as the bill was being considered, RPCV women testified about their experience as sexual assault victims during Peace Corps service. The legislation is designed to address this problem. Sexual exploitation of young women in host countries who want to get an education is not addressed by . . .

Peace Corps writers bring their communities to life. From their unique perspective, they allow us to share  a moment in the lives of people we would never otherwise know or understand. Through the years, from letters written on tissue thin airmail papers, to film sent away to be developed, to journals that became books, to videos, Volunteers have sought to bring their world home. Today, blogs are the media of choice for Volunteers. The blogs are unofficial and Volunteers must adhere to guidelines established by Peace Corps. But the stories still say “Look what I see,” “Let me share what I have learned,” “Know these people as I do.” One such special blog is this written by Thomas O. Isom, Volunteer serving now in Mozambique.  Peace Corps has published it on its Passport Blog on the official Peace Corps web page.  Here is the link: http://passport.peacecorps.gov/2015/09/25/losing-a-piece-of-the-past/ It is also reprinted here. . . .

One of the many hidden treasures of Peace Corps history is the RPCV Oral History Collection at the JFK Library, begun more than fifteen years ago by RPCV Robert Klein,(Ghana I). Bob interviewed members of Ghana I for his book, Being First: An Informal History of the Early Peace Corps Robert Klein (Ghana 1961-63) Wheatmark, 2010* and realized how valuable those taped interviews were. He decided to expand to interview as many RPCVs as possible, at his own expense. For years, he crisscrossed the country, interviewing RPCVs and teaching them how to interview others. The JFK Library agreed to archive the tapes. There are now APPROXIMATELY 400 individual RECORDED interviews, one to three hours long. Years of service represented go from 1961 through 2015. All RPCVs may participate. Sadly, Bob died in 2012.  His partner, RPCV Phyllis Noble, (Nigeria 65-67) has continued his work. In an email, Phyllis wrote: “I’m delighted . . .

In 1966, Mary Myers Bruckenstein, RN and Peace Corps Volunteer was teaching in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when she was introduced to a tragic little girl, Berhane Daba. Four year old Daba had polio and couldn’t walk. Her family was unable to care for her. An operation to strengthen her legs left her in a full body cast. The orphanage would not take Daba back because they could not care for her. Mary Meyers-Bruckenstein took Daba into her home and into her life. A life long relationship began.  Merle English describes this beautiful story in an article in the Sunday, August 16, 2015 issue of Newsday. Here is the link to read it. http://origin.misc.pagesuite.com/pdfdownload/c72baa3a-5fc3-4ae2-980f-21248b8e93e9.pdf From the article: “On June 6, in an auditorium at the University of California, Berkeley, Myers-Bruckenstein, 69, a retired registered nurse and former Peace Corps Volunteer beamed like a proud mother as Berhane Daba, an Ethiopian orphan whose . . .

Peace Corps Volunteers are fighting HIV/AID and winning!  Here is the press release from Peace Corps. “WASHINGTON, D.C., August 6, 2015 – Today Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet welcomed U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Deborah Birx, the head of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), for a town hall-style meeting at Peace Corps headquarters. During the discussion, Ambassador Birx and Director Hessler-Radelet spoke of PEPFAR’s progress and reiterated the importance of reaching epidemic control. Ambassador Birx also thanked Peace Corps volunteers for their work in the fight against HIV/AIDS, emphasizing the important role the agency plays in creating sustainable, community-led responses to HIV in countries around the world. “The Peace Corps has been a critical contributor to PEPFAR’s‎ success from the onset of the program,” said Ambassador Birx. “Peace Corps volunteers occupy unique positions of within the communities that they serve, which support PEPFAR’s ability to deliver life-saving . . .

Last February, Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet spoke at Calvin University. The article reports Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet saying: ““Peace Corps does not mind at all if people practice their faith; in fact, we welcome it,” she continued. “We do discourage proselytizing because we are a government agency. But I think individual Christians are able to live their faith and are able to participate in local faith communities as members.” In part as a recognition of this, Hessler-Radelet explained, the Peace Corps recently started a new faith initiative which intends both to connect with faith-based NGOs and networks in the United States, and also to better support communities of faith overseas. While this initiative is a new step for the Peace Corps, Hessler-Radelet does not see it as a dramatic change. To read her comments, here is the link: http://www.calvin.edu/chimes/2015/02/12/peace-corps-director-opens-up-on-faith-development-and-changes-in-the-peace-corps/ I made a Freedom of Information Request, March 30, 2015, to learn more about . . .

 Here is a welcome column by Nicholas Kristof about benevolent billionaires, Bill and Melinda Gates. In this New York Times discussion, Kristof recounts interviews with Bill and Melinda as they reflect on their 15 years work in the developing world. Here is the text to link to: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/19/opinion/sunday/nicholas-kristof-bill-and-melinda-gatess-pillow-talk.html?_r=0 The Gates talk about what they have learned and how they have adjusted their thinking about what works and what is problematic. Their efforts are tremendous and valuable. From the article: “So what mistakes did they make in their philanthropy? They say they started out too tech-focused. Now some of the measures they promote are distinctly low-tech — like breast-feeding, which could save the lives of more than 800,000 children worldwide each year. Likewise, they say, they didn’t appreciate how hard it was to translate scientific breakthroughs into actual progress in remote villages. The challenges of delivering real impact, in environments where . . .

For the last few years, a research team at Baylor University has been studying the possible link between the use of chloroquine (Aralen) and a reduced risk of breast cancer.  RPCV women have been the targeted demographic. Now, this phase of the study is ending, the use of the questionnaire is discontinued, and the methodology is being revised. The following is a review of the project. On Thursday, May 8th 2014, I posted the following on http://old.peacecorpsworldwide.org/pc-public-records/page/6/ I have edited the post. This post does include a link describing the unusual sampling method that the study attempted to use. Baylor  University has received a to study the potential of chloroquine to reduce the risk of breast cancer. The study is funded by a grant from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Projects and administered by the U.S. Department of Defense. (Corrected: July 21, 2015) Chloroquine was taken to guard against malaria. Aralen is the name I knew for . . .

Bill Fitzpatrick (Sierra Leone 1987-89) was a airplane pilot for 25 years working in Africa on conservation projects, emergency law enforcement, search and rescue, medical and fire incidents. His plane disappeared in June of 2013 and plane with his remains has recently been discovered in Cameroon, but the family has been unable to rescue them. The family had asked for help from anyone, including RPCVs who might be able to help them secure the appropriate help to recover his remains. Read John Coyne’s article on this effort. Here is the link: https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/bill-fitzpatrick/ Now, the family has held a funeral, even though they continue to hope to ultimately recover the remains. Here is the link: http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Ridgefield-man-seeks-closure-even-without-6376148.php The US State Department has issued a travel warning to those considering travel to Cameroon. This may be why the family is having difficulty. From the US State Department: “The Department of State warns U.S. citizens . . .