Peace Corps: Public Records

There are times in our nation’s history when the “whole world is watching“. When we are very fortunate, brave Americans step forward, such as in South Carolina last week, and demonstrate how great our country can be. The world is increasingly filled with terror and violence. We see people beheaded, burned, and bombed, targeted because they were of the wrong religion or race. That horror came to America on June 17th in historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Charleston, South Carolina. An assassin, wrapped if only symbolically in the flag of slavery and racial hatred, murdered nine African Americans as they worshiped. The relatives of the martyrs did not respond in turn with hate or anger or call for violent retaliation. Rather at the court proceeding, one by one they displayed the courage of their faith and with a peace exceeding all understanding they forgave the murderer.  Governor Haley . . .

Sunday, the New York Times published an article, “Saving the Cows, Starving the Children”  by SONIA FALEIRO. The author contends that poor children in India are undernourished and one reason is the failure to use cows for beef and feed eggs to these children. To read the article, here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/opinion/sunday/saving-the-cows-starving-the-children.html?_r=0 From that article: “GANDHI famously denied himself food. And by starving himself to protest British rule, he ultimately made India stronger. But India’s leaders today are using food as a weapon, and they are sacrificing not themselves, but others. Their decisions threaten to make India’s children — already among the most undernourished in the world — weaker still. Earlier this month, the chief minister of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, struck down a proposed pilot project to introduce eggs in free government nursery schools in districts populated by economically disadvantaged indigenous groups. . . .

There is much concern, as reported here on the risk/benefits of the use of mefloquine as a anti-malaria  medication for Peace Corps Volunteers.  It is important to raise awareness in the Peace Corps community about this issue. Here is the letter from Dr. Nevin Remington, a leading expert on this medication, to Peace Corps:  text to link to: http://www.remingtonnevin.com/rpcv20150305.pdf RPCVs were urged to read  Dr. Nevin’s letter and review some of the information posted about the drug and then write to Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet urging Peace Corps to accept Dr. Nevin’s recommendations.  See: https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/malaria-mefloquine-and-peace-corps-what-price-protection-part-one/ and https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/malaria-mefloquine-and-peace-corps-what-price-protection-part-two/ In reviewing the following correspondence, it is important to note that Peace Corps is currently being sued by a RPCV over the use of mefloquine. See: John Coyne’s article on the law suit by Sara Thompson: https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/rpcv-sara-thompson/ I would presume that there are legal issues involved that might influence Peace Corps’ public response. I followed my . . .

The Columbia River Peace Corps Association, based in Portland, Oregon is promoting a presentation at Thirsters on Thursday, May 28th, 2015. For those of you lucky enough to live in Portland, here is the information from the Columbia River Peace Corps Association’s newsletter: (Columbia is spelled correctly here, it refers to the River, not the country.) “Maria and James Beebe (RPCVs Philippines) are leading a panel discusion at a Thirsters meeting on May 28 on the relevance of Peace Corps. They need volunteers for the panel discussion and help with the short presentations. Please email beebe@gonzaga.edu ( It may be necessary to copy and paste this email address.) Brief introduction to the history of Peace Corps, including the three goals. Brief comments on the contribution to Peace Corps of Robert Textor, the founder of Thirsters, Brief comments on the current status of Peace Corps and the local Columbia River Peace Corps . . .

In a medically hostile environment, malaria is one of the fiercest enemies. Peace Corps has been fighting it for over fifty years; not only to help the people Volunteers serve, but to protect Volunteers, who are also targets of the disease. From 1961 to 1990, Volunteers in malaria areas, took chloroquine, brand name, Aralen, to protect against malaria. There was a increase in the incidence of  malaria among Volunteers in West Africa beginning in  the mid-80s due to the development of  Chloroquine-resistent malaria. In 1989 thru 1992, Peace Corps Volunteers in West Africa participated in research studies for a  relatively new anti-malaria drug, mefloquine, (for a time, the drug was marketed under the brand name, Lariam). The drug was effective against the chloroquine-resistent form of malaria, but was not without its adverse side effects. RPCV Sara Thompson has filed suit charging that Peace Corps failed to adequately inform her of . . .

This is the headline, today,  from ABC News, reporting  this potential change in policy.  Read the report at: http://abcnews.go.com/International/potential-shift-hostage-policy-officials-recommend-families-free/story?id=30589726 The United States has long had a policy of no negotiation with terrorists and absolutely no payment of ransom to free US citizens held hostage. The policy is based on the rationale that paying ransom would only place a price on other Americans. Unfortunately, the United States has not been successful in rescuing hostage hostages. Families of US citizens, including Warren Weinstein, reported that they were visited by US officials who told them that if they attempted to privately raise funds and pay ransom, they would be prosecuted. “Looking the other way” may be the policy change that would allow families to attempt to ransom relatives held hostage, without fear of prosecution. If it had been in effect, perhaps American hostages would not have been killed. Evidently families did not receive such . . .

The New York Times reported on the death of Warren Weinsten. To read the article, Here is the link:  http://nyti.ms/1DniWd6 From the NYTimes article: “A Fulbright scholar who earned his Ph.D. in international law and economics, Mr. Weinstein was proficient in seven languages. He served as a Peace Corps director in Ivory Coast and Togo. From 2004 until he was captured in 2011, he worked as an adviser for J.E. Austin Associates, a contractor for the United States Agency for International Development.” It was not reported which years Weinstein served as Country Director in Togo and the Ivory Coast. The Washington Post also reported on the  tragic death of Warren Weinstein.Here is the link to read that article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-american-hostage-devoted-life-to-helping-the-worlds-poorest-people/2015/04/23/368fb35c-e9c8-11e4-9a6a-c1ab95a0600b_story.html From the Post article: According to colleagues familiar with a 40-year career that spanned numerous continents and multiple conflicts, Weinstein cast a far longer shadow than they expected from the 5-foot-4 . . .

To read this article published by Devex.com, a website specializing in International Development News, here is the link: https://www.devex.com/news/peace-corps-cites-20-percent-increase-in-sexual-assault-reports-a-sign-of-progress-85889 The article describes Peace Corps efforts to “change the culture” in the agency so that victims of sexual assault receive the “best practices” in support and treatment.  Part of that change is to make Volunteers feel “safe” in coming forward with reports of such assaults.  Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet has been  discussing the work being done by the agency and the problems encountered. In my opinion, the Director is courageous with this  public discussion.

Dona Ermelinda was a midwife in Colombia with whom I worked. If this had been Appalachia, she would be called a granny midwife; in Benin, a “Sage Femme”, a wise woman. In Colombia where we lived, she was a Partera, technically a woman who delivered babies. But she was far more than that; certainly a wise woman, a keen observer, an empirical scientist, the most trusted and important practitioner in our community. She was the gatekeeper. No new practices would be successful without her approval. I struggled to make her my partner.Instead, I became her apprentice. As we walked the hills of Cauca, she would grab my hand, and pound her fingers in it, Anne Sullivan to my ignorance. “Juanita”, she would demand, “Ponga se de atencion!” Pay attention. She explained to me why it was important to massage expectant mothers so that their babies would be in the best position . . .

President Obama promised the world, in his March 7th Saturday address that any “country who wants to be our friend or is our friend” will “Let Girls Learn.” Obama stressed that the barriers to the education of girls and women are not merely the lack of access or the money for uniforms, but can also include the risk of being hurt, kidnapped or worse for girls who want to learn. This is where the prestige and the power of the United States are critical. It is the essential piece to make this campaign successful. Peace Corps can provide the teachers and the advocates, the “boots on the ground.” But, Peace Corps Volunteers cannot intervene politically in a country, nor do they have much power to protect girls. It will take the governments of our host countries, supported by the United States to eliminate these barriers. And Obama has declared: “Let . . .

On August 13, 2013, the  Peace Corps Medical Director addressed the new FDA warnings on the anti-malaria drug,  mefloquine hydrochloride.  His statement was posted on the Peace Corps’s official blog, Passport.  Usually there are no responses to posts on the Passport blog as it usually is informative, but not interactive. For this article, however, PCVs and RPCVsc did comment and those  are important.  To read the article, without the formatting distractions, here is the text to link to: http://passport.peacecorps.gov/2013/08/09/staying-safe-preventing-malaria/ Here is the article,copied and pasted.  The formatting may be distracting. Staying safe, preventing malaria BY PEACE CORPS ON AUGUST 9, 2013 • ( 10 COMMENTS ) By Barry G. Simon, M.D., Peace Corps Medical Director, Office of Medical Services Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated its warning label on the anti-malarial drug mefloquine hydrochloride, and there has been a surge in news coverage lately about the side . . .

The Office of Strategic Partnerships at the Peace Corps is currently managing more than 40  public and private partnerships as well as relationships with 147 colleges and universities.  “Public and private partnerships are a priority”, according to Peace Corps. “They enable us to open doors of opportunity and implement interventions to save lives and create ripples of hope.” Peace Corps Global Partnerships There are two multinational for profit corporations. Peace Corps is involved with the economic developments programs of these two corporations. 1.  Water and Development Alliance (WADA) Agreement From the Peace Corps Press Office: The Water and Development Alliance (WADA) is a partnership between The Coca-Cola Company and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that addresses community water needs in developing countries around the world. In 2012, the Peace Corps partnered with WADA to jointly create water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) training curriculum for the use of . . .

The murder of  Kate Puzey happened during a transition from the Bush Administration to that of Obama. The Peace Corps Director has almost no authority to plan for continuity during these times. The Director may or may not remain during a transition period. There may be only be an Acting Director or a caretaker Deputy Director. Only the newly elected officials can provide for adequate transitional planing. It has not been a priority for politicians of either party. For example, then Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetler and most political appointees, all Bush appointees, resigned the day of the Obama inauguration. No new Director had been appointed. Some of the most egregious Peace Corps tragedies happened during times of such political transitions, in my opinion. A list would include: January 1977 –  PC Volunteer was convicted in Tonga of the murder of fellow Volunteer, Deborah Ann Gardner. He was released to the Peace . . .

Does Peace Corps use the work being done by RPCVs in the field of international development and intercultural studies? This question is not rhetorical. My answer would be “No”.  In the Performance and Accountability Report FY 2014 (PAR-FY 2014), Peace Corps stated the following, page 25: “Outdate Intercultural training materials and practices: The academic field of intercultural studies has made great strides in recent years; however, the agency’ training materials and practices do not yet reflect the latest research and findings around creating, assessing, placing, training, and supporting Volunteers and staff to ensure they have the intercultural competence to successfully live and work in local communities. The agency is in the process of incorporating best practices from the intercultural field, but significant work remains for the agency to be a leader in the field.” If Peace Corps indicated in this report that the tremendous work being done by RPCVs would . . .

Dean Rusk, Secretary of State during the Kennedy Administration, spelled out the role of the Peace Corps in Foreign Policy in this directive.This Airgram went out to all embassies in the Third World.  The actual document was scanned by the Research Staff at the JFK Library and received  February 3, 2015.  The document comes from National Security Files, Box 284, Peace Corps: General, 1/63-3/63. Here are scans of the original document. Side 1 – click for larger image . Side 2 – click for larger image The actual text in the scan of the original document is hard to read when it is reproduced.  I have typed this text from that scan of the original copy, as follows: From: DEPARTMENT OF STATE Date:  March 25, 1963 SUBJECT: PEACE CORPS ROLE IN U. S. FOREIGN POLICY The Peace Corps has been in operation for two years. From the beginning of the Peace . . .