Peace Corps: Public Records

From time to time, I have heard RPCVs talk about not being able to access their COS or personnel records because Peace Corps didn’t have them or they had been destroyed.  Today, on the FaceBook page of the US National Archives, I found this posting that documents the rumor about such a fire: (Note:  This does not mean that Peace Corps records were destroyed or damaged.  It just documents that there was such a fire.  I am trying to get information from Peace Corps about PCV personal records that may have been damaged.) “US National Archives shared Preservation Programs at the U.S. National Archives‘s pos Our staff in the Preservation Program in St. Louis work with documents that were damaged in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center. Some of the documents that are our staff treat are contaminated with mold. To keep our staff safe and healthy, we recently had . . .

Correction:  The link I initially provided to this report does not work and when I tried it from the blog,  I got the message “Access denied.”  I was able to access other OIG reports from copying and pasting the URL.  However, this report will not allow that. The report can still be accessed by going to the Peace Corps official website.  Instructions are included further down. The relationship between the Inspector General and the Director of the Peace Corps is not  always adversarial. The Inspector General may also provide information to the Director  designed to identify a problem and provide suggestions for resolution. Here is an example of such a Management Advisory dated November 21, 2014. In the discussion, the IG does, however, refer to reporting requirements the IG believes are the obligation of the Peace Corps staff. To read the report with its specifics, as well to see how . . .

Alana DeJoseph is an RPCV (Mali 1992-1994) and an experienced professional producer of documentaries and is now undertaking the monumental task of creating a documentary on the history of the Peace Corps. The NPCA is supporting her effort, but it is, unfortunately, not an official program of the Peace Corps. To read about her work and make a contribution to support the effort as well as contribute your own memorabilia, here is the link: http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/2015/01/a-towering-task-telling-the-peace-corps-story/ In Alana’s own words, from her article: Imagine a thorough, in-depth documentary about the whole history of the Peace Corps – not just the 60s, not just individual Volunteer experiences, but a thoughtful consideration of the agency’s past and its relevance in the future. Think of the discussions in line at the coffee shop going from “Didn’t the Peace Corps have something to do with Kennedy?” to “I understand that the Peace Corps was in Afghanistan, . . .

Every year, federal agencies publish a Performance and Accountability Report. Although written in bureaucratic/management jargon, it has important information and worth reading and reviewing. Please read the report. Many may disagree with my review and that would be to the good.  The more eyes the better. The report is listed on the official Peace Corps website. Here is the link: http://files.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/policies/annrept2014.pdf FY2014 ended September 30, 2014 and the data derives from that time. There were 6,818 Volunteers serving in the field, 63% of the Volunteers were female and 37% male. The low number of Volunteers reflects both the decrease in applications seen in 2012 and 2013 and the evacuation of Volunteers for security and safety reasons. Peace Corps has an excellent record for removing Volunteers, safely, swiftly, and silently, when a deteriorating political situation puts them at risk. Such evacuations were conducted in the Ukraine and Kenya. Programs were suspended . . .

Kate Puzey was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin who was found brutally murdered in her village, in March 2009.  It has been alleged that she was murdered because she complained to her Peace Corps Director that a teacher, associated with the Peace Corps, had been sexually exploiting his students.That person as well as his brother are among suspects who have been in prison for five years in Benin, but there is not sufficient evidence to bring any one to trial. In March of 2014, Congress wrote to the F.B.I., the State Department, and the Inspector General of the Peace Corps requesting greater collaboration among the three in solving the case.To read John Coyne’s review of this request and the history of Kate Puzey, here is the link: https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/congress-2/ Here is the link: to read the Congressional request: http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2014_Puzey_Investigation_DearColleague.pdf In that letter, there is reference to the collaboration between the three Agencies . . .

The JFK Library has issued a special  Christmas letter that President Kennedy wrote to a little girl who was concerned about the safety of Santa Claus!  Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q7HJSMsq20 In President Kennedy’s last year in office, he successfully negotiated a limited test ban treaty with the Soviet Union.  From the Department of State:  Here is the link: http://www.state.gov/t/isn/4797.htm Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water BUREAU OF ARMS CONTROL, VERIFICATION, AND COMPLIANCE Signed at Moscow August 5, 1963 Entered into force October 10, 1963 On a personal note, if I may, this was a special Christmas surprise for me.  October 10, 1963 was the day I became a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Jonathan Pearson, Advocate for the National Peace Corps Association,  is reporting: “Tuesday night, as President Obama signed a $1.1 trillion appropriations bill to fund most of the federal government for the remainder of the current fiscal year, one very small component of the bill means fairer treatment for female Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs). Included in the Peace Corps section of the 1,600 page spending package is corrective language that will implement the provisions of the Peace Corps Equity Act (S. 2291; H.R. 4578). The legislation was designed to support PCVs the same as others serving our nation overseas, should a Volunteer seek to terminate a pregnancy in the rare instances of rape, incest or life endangerment.” Here is the link to read his entire article: http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/2014/12/peace-corps-equity-victory/ Why is this important? The Hyde Amendment passed in the 70s stipulated that no federal funding could be used for abortion services except in . . .

The Office of the Inspector General has released a report on its investigation of the medical care that PCV Nick Castle received while serving in China.  To read the report, here is the link: OIG Report on Medical Care of Castle We were able to obtain the actual report because the Office of the Inspector General has released the report to the public. We made a FOIA or Freedom of Information Request in order to get the report as soon as it was published.  The Summary of Findings is taken directly from the report. Here is a Summary of the Results from that report.  I converted the PDF into a word document, so it may be difficult to read.  The actually report is 32 pages long.  There is a Synopsis in the beginning of the report.  This Summary of Results begins on about page 30. Summary of Results During OIG’s . . .

Nick Castle was a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in China. He died while under the care of the Peace Corps doctor. There has been much controversy over the medical treatment that Castle received. His family has filed suit against the Peace Corps, charging that his death was avoidable. The New York Times  published an article, “Trail of Medical Missteps in Peace Corps Death“, July 25, 2014, detailing the events leading up to Castle’s death. The Inspector General of the Peace Corps has now completed her evaluation of the care that PCV Castle received immediately before his death. That report has not been released to the public.The New York Times has published a new article, by Sheryl Gay Stolberg, following up on the earlier article. and does includes the statement that the Inspector General found ““cascading delays and failures in the treatment” of Mr. Castle. To read the entire NYTimes article, . . .

The Voice of American webpage has the following announcement: VOA News November 13, 2014 7:46 AM The United States has announced it will set up a Peace Corps program in Myanmar, also known as Burma. It is the latest way in which the U.S. has expanded cooperation with the long-isolated Southeast Asian country. A White House statement said there is no better way for the U.S. to demonstrate its commitment to Myanmar than through such “people-to-people connections at a grassroots level.” It says the first Peace Corps volunteers will arrive in Myanmar in late 2015 and will undergo three months of training before moving to their work sites for two years. The announcement coincides with a visit to Myanmar by U.S. President Barack Obama, who is attending a regional summit and meeting with the country’s leaders. During the visit, Mr. Obama has expressed concern that Myanmar is slowing, or even . . .

Are Peace Corps applications really at an historic high? Well not exactly. They are evidently the highest since data was kept electronically, beginning in the late 90s. It has always been a numbers game and one brave RPCV staffer refused to play it. Long before Marian Haley Beil (Ethopia I 62-64) was publisher of Peace Corps Worldwide and before she partnered with John Coyne to promote Peace Corps Writers through newsletters and websites, she was one of the first women staffers at Peace Corps Washington From 11/1965 to 12/1969 Marian worked at the Peace Corps in the Reports and Special Studies Branch (cleverly named by her boss – RSS! These are the initials for Robert Sargent Shriver, Director of the Peace Corps, then ) of the Office of Volunteer Support, first as Deputy Chief of the branch and later as Chief. Among other things, the branch was responsible for all reporting . . .

Thank you to John Coyne for forwarding the following Peace Corps Update designed specifically for RPCVs.  I believe that it is published through the Office of the Third Goal.  The webpage has a menu specifically designed to link RPCVs to more information. Here is the link to view that entire webpage: http://www.mailoutinteractive.com/Industry/View.aspx?id=626719&q=799195384&qz=899601 Of real interest to RPCVs might well be  the description of the positions open with Peace Corps Response.  Scroll down to that heading. Much of this information can be found in other parts of the official Peace Corps website.  However, this Update is designed specifically for RPCVs and includes the personal letter from Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. At first glance, I am not sure how much of an incentive the loan program would have to those RPCVs struggling with gigantic student loan debt.  The plan appears to require  120 payments be made first. I think that is ten years. . . .

The Washington Post reports that the Peace Corps’ local network in Liberia helped the CDC  begin its ebola fighting efforts. Here is  the link to the article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-ebola-fighters-head-to-africa-but-will-the-military-and-civilian-effort-be-enough/2014/10/25/1ceba6a8-5b99-11e4-8264-deed989ae9a2_story.html Thanks to the National  Peace Corps Association for posting the information about the Washington Post article on their Facebook page. From that article, read the following: Greg Thorne, the deputy team leader for the CDC in Liberia, wrote to Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet this past week, thanking the agency for smoothing the path for American public health workers in the county of Gbarpolu. “We, the CDC team members, entered Gbarpolu as strangers,” Thorne wrote. “Carried by community goodwill . . . and connected by our Peace Corps colleague’s extensive local network, we were able to rapidly integrate with the county leadership and earn the trust necessary for them to openly discuss challenges and take our suggestions to heart.” The Peace Corps staffers have . . .

Peace Corps applications were at an historic low for 2013. A campaign to increase applications for 2014 was successfully. It is not known how this will translate into serving Volunteers. It is possible, however, to look at the consequences of the lack of an adequate number of applications for 2013. The Peace Corps Performance and Accountability Report Fiscal Year 2013 reported “The number of applications has produced challenge in meeting the demand for skilled Volunteers at the quantity requested by posts.” Peace Corps does not include comprehensive demographic statistics in its annual reports. To obtain this information, it was necessary to make a FOIA request. The request was made on July 14, 2014 and this information was not received until October 22rd. It is not known if some or all of these positions were filled in 2014. Absent current data, it is difficult to know exactly what is happening with . . .

The National Peace Corps Association is a membership association for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. It is not an official part of the Peace Corps. However, it has always advocated for the Peace Corps Community. Now the Peace Corps has established  a more formal relationship with the NPCA. This Memorandum of Understanding was signed during the NPCA’s annual gathering last June. Read the Memorandum of Understanding between the Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps Association by clicking MOU between Peace Corps and NPCA The following description of the activities is from that Memorandum of Understanding: “V. AREAS OF COOPERATION A.   Under this MOU, subject to certain limitations applicable to each party, the Peace Corps and NPCA intend to collaborate on areas of mutual interest that may include, but are not limited to, activities and initiatives that serve to educate the public on the Peace Corps and its mission, programs, and . . .