The Peace Corps

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 25, 2016 – Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet is saddened to confirm the death of Peace Corps volunteer Andrew Jennings Farr. Andrew, 25, passed away in an automobile accident in Mozambique on March 25, 2016. “Andrew was passionate about learning as much as possible from his Mozambican community members and dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others,” Director Hessler-Radelet said. “He was respected by his fellow teachers and a wonderful role model for his students. We are devastated by this tragic loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Farr family during this difficult time.” A native of Irmo, South Carolina, Andrew served as an education volunteer in Mozambique, where he taught secondary school physics in the village of Chitima, Tete Province. In his Peace Corps application, Andrew wrote that in order to adapt to the Mozambican culture, he planned to “simply listen, . . .

While most people know Harris Wofford for his work on civil rights and his time as a U.S. Senator (D-PA), he is known best in the Peace Corps as a special assistant to President John F. Kennedy, close friend of Sargent Shriver, and a key person with Shriver in creating the Peace Corps.  Harris will celebrate his 90th birthday on April 9 and the NPCA is preparing a proclamation from the Peace Corps community to honor  to honor Senator Wofford on his birthday. The NPCA is inviting all RPCVs to send along letters, cards, and gifts which they will deliver to Harris along with the proclamation. Please send along anything you’d like to include to their office to arrive no later than Friday, April 8.  Address cards,letters and gifts to: Senator Harris Wofford c/o National Peace Corps Association 1900 L Street NW, Suite 610 Washington, DC 20036  

  In 2014, the Peace Corps modified its application process to make it more efficient. The first full year of the new process was 2015. The fiscal year for Peace Corps ends on September 30. The applications received during 2015 could still be in the “pipeline” on the September 30th fiscal deadline. So the following statistics are just a snapshot of the status of these applications as of that date. I made a Freedom of Information request to receive these statistics. I will submit a new request for further information asking about the final determination of all the applicants received during 2015, specifically, how many invitations were finally issued to those who had submitted applications in 2015 and of those, how many accepted. Finally, I will ask how many host country requests could not be filled because Peace Corps did not have funding for those Volunteer positions. Here are the statistics, as of September 30, 2015 APP: number of candidates who reached . . .

Alana DeJoseph (Mali 1992–94), director of the film “A Towering Task” was recently interviewed by Ann Paisley Chandler for HuffPost Impact. The interview, entitled “A Towering Task: A Peace Corps Documentary.” The Peace Corps is more relevant today than it ever was, but it’s not the same Peace Corps of the 60s. There is a fascinating story that has never been told. Please consider supporting this campaign today. • Ann Paisley Chandler: What inspired you to start A Towering Task? Alana DeJoseph: One in every 1,450 Americans is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. As Americans we care about how we show up in the world, and I think lately people are frustrated rather than proud about our interactions with the rest of the world. The foreign aid budget is less than 1% of the entire US budget, and of that 1%, the Peace Corps’ budget is about 1%. The Peace Corps has had incredible ripple . . .

  Emphasize the Peace Corps’s Third Goal Most people are aware of the Peace Corps’s first two goals—contribute to the developing of critical countries and regions, and promote international cooperation and goodwill—but few have ever heard of the Third Goal, which many RPCVs view as the most important. The Third Goal states that RPCVs should help to educate Americans about the world beyond its borders, enabling citizens to participate in foreign affairs with greater sophistication and sensitivity. The agency could continue the service of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers by establishing opportunities for RPCVs to tell their stories through public schools and a variety of national organizations, including the Library Association, Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, League of Women Voters, National Council of La Raza, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Organization for Women. While today there is a Third Goal Office in the agency it should be . . .

It isn’t until you lose something that you realize how important it was. For several years now, I have appreciated John Coyne and Marian Beil’s amazing website on so many levels. I have used it for research, to keep up-to-date on everything Peace Corps, for historical information, to fritter away many an hour, and to learn of the next great Peace Corps book. It made me feel good to know this incredible body of work was at my fingertips anytime I needed a dose of Peace Corps in my life. And then the website went down. To be revamped, John assured me. It would be back up soon, he said. Days went by without John’s familiar emails in my inbox, enticing me to spend another few educational minutes on one of the great articles at peacecorpsworldwide.org. When just weeks before I had filed away several of John’s updates, knowing that I would . . .

                                                                                                            In 21st century campaigns we’ve become accustomed to candidates stating their priorities by saying what they’ll do on Day One. On that day, he or she will end Obamacare or defund Planned Parenthood. What John F. Kennedy did, on the first day of the second month of his administration—March 1, 1961—was sign an executive order creating The Peace Corps.  This grass-roots, volunteer approach to the social and economic development of Third World countries, Peace Corps “symbolized what America wanted to be, and what much of the world wanted America to be: superhero, protector of the disenfranchised, defender of the democratic faith,” wrote Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman in her 1998 book, All You Need Is Love. In the U.S., in 1961, a new generation of citizens took it as a challenge and a gift when Kennedy called on Americans to “ask what you can do for your country.” Mostly young volunteers . . .

The Peace Corps has added a new link to its official Home page. At the bottom of the page, the last section is “Donate”. Each link describes Peace Corps  programs for which Peace Corps can accept tax deductible donations. The projects include Volunteer Projects, Special Funds, and Country Projects. Here is the link for more information: https://donate.peacecorps.gov/donate/projects-funds/#issue Peace Corps has also created Memorial Funds for Fallen Volunteers, at the request of the families. These funds support project that honor these Volunteers.  For more information, go to: https://donate.peacecorps.gov/donate/projects-funds/memorial/ All of the contributions go to fund the projects. The administrative costs are included in the Peace Corps budget and do not come from the donations. The web pages are comprehensive and also ask for feedback on the new site.