The Peace Corps – Page 25 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Brandeis University remembers Lawrence Fuchs (Philippines staff)

Sep 22 2023

In the news Faculty, alumni remember Prof. Lawrence Fuchs An American Studies pioneer, a giving mentor, a champion of social justice First Peace Corps Country Director in the Philippines Photos/Brandeis University Archives by David E. Nathan, March 21, 2013 Former colleagues and students this week remembered longtime professor Lawrence Fuchs as an intellectual giant whose accomplishments in and out of the classroom were matched only by the outsized impact he had in shaping Brandeis’ core values. Fuchs, the Meyer and Walter Jaffe Professor of American Civilization and Politics, died on March 17 at the age of 86 at his home in Canton. He was a longtime resident of Weston. Fuchs began his Brandeis career in 1952, while still a doctoral student at Harvard. He retired 50 years later, having established himself as a renowned authority in the emerging field of American studies, a giving mentor to students . . .

Peace Corps + Corps Africa

Sep 21 2023

Today the Peace Corps, 62 years after this challenge from JFK’s inaugural address, unveils an innovative program that brings American Peace Corps Volunteers shoulder-to-shoulder with future leaders at CorpsAfrica. This historic partnership, announced amidst Peace Corps leadership participation in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Climate Week events, reflects the agency’s commitment to global collaboration and sustainability. Led by Liz Fanning (Morocco 1993-95) and recipient of the 2019 NPCA Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service, CorpsAfrica joins hands with the Peace Corps to empower volunteers and African leaders embarking on a year of service. As the Peace Corps continues to expand its footprint, it proudly announces the imminent arrival of volunteers in Sri Lanka, bringing the total number of actively serving volunteers to over 2,200 across 60 countries. This initiative marks a significant stride towards advancing development, nurturing friendships, and achieving sustainability goals on a global scale. . . .

“The Mending Fields” by Bob Shacochis (Eastern Caribbean)

Sep 20 2023

I WAS ASSIGNED to the Island of Saint Kit in the West Indies. Once on an inter-island plane, I sat across the aisle from one of my new colleagues, an unfriendly, overserious young woman. She was twenty-four, twenty-five . . . we were all twenty-four, twenty five. I didn’t know her much or like her. As the plane banked over the island, she pressed against the window, staring down at the landscape. I couldn’t see much of her face, just enough really to recognize an expression of pain. Below us spread an endless manicured lawn, bright green and lush of sugarcane, the island’s main source of income. Each field planted carefully to control erosion. Until that year, Saint Kit’s precious volcanic soil had been bleeding into the sea; somehow they had resolved the problem. The crop was now being tilled in harmony with the roll and tuck of the land and the island . . .

“Water” by Rachel Schneller (Mali 1996-98)

Sep 19 2023

Water When a woman carries water on her head, you see her neck bend outward behind her like a crossbow. Ten liters of water weights twenty-two pounds, a fifth of a woman’s body weight, and I’ve seen women carry at least twenty liters in aluminum pots large enough to hold a television set. To get the water from the cement floor surrounding the outdoor hand pump to the top of your head, you need help from the other women. You and another woman grab the pot’s edges and lift it straight up between you. When you get it to the head height, you duck underneath the pot and place it on the wad of rolled-up cloth you always wear there when fetching water. This is the cushion between your skull and the metal pot full of water. Then your friend lets go. You spend a few seconds finding your . . .

Danielle Guerin (Cameroon)— “Farm Girl”

Sep 18 2023

In the news by Karl Schneider Indianapolis Star Rural landscapes blanketed with row crops and pastures peppered with faded red barns are the stereotypical scenes of Indiana agriculture. But a new type of farming is taking root in a far different setting — crops growing amid bustling streets, residential neighborhoods and commercial districts. These urban farms are tucked into inconspicuous vacant lots, oases where leafy greens and vegetables flourish in areas once overgrown and strewn with trash. In many cases, the hidden gems provide a rejuvenating source of healthy foods in areas where grocers and supermarkets may be sparse. Danielle Guerin (Cameroon 2014-16), an Indianapolis native who took a roundabout route to growing food in the city, is one of the new breed of farmers. She’s well on her way to helping her community — and, hopefully, inspiring a new generation of urban farmers. Farming wasn’t part . . .

Review | AMERICAN VOODOO by Joseph Theroux (Samoa)

Sep 16 2023

American Voodoo (with William Faulkner) by Joseph Theroux (Western Samoa 1975-78) Kilauea Publications April, 2023 190 pages $3.00 (Kindle); $10.00 (Paperback) Reviewed by Stephen Foehr (Ethiopia 1965-66) • This novel reads like a police report. The style has a James Ellroyness quality — just the facts, sketch descriptions, no setups, expositions, or transitions. Get on with the story. The reader is immediately captured by the fast pace and carried along in the torrent of a murder mystery. But an astute reader will tweak something is afoot by the name on the cover, the credit on the title page, and the subtitle “with William Faulkner in Louisiana.” Joseph Theroux’s name is on the cover in the usual author’s slot. The title page credits Lloyd Osbourne as the writer, edited by Joseph Theroux. The editor’s note identifies Joseph Theroux as the secretary for the Cemetery Advisory Committee. Lloyd Osbourne is quoted, . . .

“The Slave Boy Who Became a Priest” by Kevin Denny (Malawi)

Sep 15 2023

Kevin Writes — I have appreciated the recent writing in which RPCVs personalize the impact the Peace Corps has had on their lives. I have a story I would like to add to the collection. It is a story that covers less than a day, but it is one that makes me value my experience more every day. • The Slave Boy Who Became a Priest by Kevin Denny (Malawi 2964-66) It was my last day in Malawi. I had said good-bye to the village I had known for two years and the was making my last stop at the post office. There I ran into Father Tovey, an Anglican priest, who asked me when I was leaving. I told him the Peace Corps lorry would be at my door early the next morning to start me on my homeward journey. Then he asked me a rather strange question: . . .

SIXTY YEARS OF SERVICE IN AFRICA by Julius A. Amin

Sep 14 2023

Sixty Years of Service in Africa: The U.S. Peace Corps in Cameroon by Dr. Julius A. Amin Routledge Press October 2023 272 pages $170.00 (Hardcover) Based on previously unused primary sources obtained from both sides of the Atlantic, this study provides a more fundamental, consistent, and balanced source-based assessment of the role of the US Peace Corps across its entire existence in Africa. The study sheds light on a new and intriguing historical perspective of the Peace Corps’ meaning and significance. Though the main thrust is Cameroon, the study offers a window to understanding Peace Corps performance in all of Africa, and the larger global community. It examines volunteers’ service in countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Guinea, showing how the agency transitioned from a Cold War agency to the Post-Cold War era, while asking important questions about the continuous relevance of Peace Corps in Africa. In addressing the . . .

RPCV’s High Atlas Foundation supporting Morocco earthquake victims

Sep 13 2023

Supporting Morocco Earthquake Victims On September 8th, 2023, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco. The earthquake was centered in the Atlas Mountains, about 50 miles southwest of Marrakech. Moroccan authorities are struggling to meet the needs of the devastated population, and have been slow to accept foreign aid. This leaves NGOs as a vital lifeline for the hundreds of thousands of affected civilians. Donating to trusted charitable causes and non-profit organizations is the best way to support people affected by the disaster. We’ve listed organizations that either have teams on the ground or are supporting partner organizations with vital funding or supplies. We’ve also included a few actionable tips to help you avoid fraud and stay safe while you donate. What Happened? A large earthquake has devastated parts of western Morocco, creating an increasingly desperate humanitarian situation. With an initial shock measured at 6.8 on the Richter scale, it’s the . . .

“Teaching in Ethiopia” by Tom Weck

Sep 13 2023

by Tom Weck (Ethiopia 1965-67) After graduating from Stanford University, I felt compelled to give back something to those who were less fortunate than I. I joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Ethiopia in a solo posting in the tiny village of Haik teaching English, math and science to 7th and 8th graders. I taught every period of every day (I got to teach Science as well – as a bonus) to about 25 students in each class and thoroughly enjoyed them. All were eager, if not desperate, to learn as they knew that a good education was their ONLY path out of a life of abject poverty (at the time Ethiopia was the second poorest country in the world). Memorization The standard approach to teaching throughout the country was rote memorization. The teacher wrote out an English sentence or math problem on the blackboard, . . .

PCV Murder in Tonga

Sep 11 2023

The Peace Corps Volunteer, Dennis Priven, who murdered PCV Deborah Gardner in Tonga in 1976, and never was charged for her death, has died. The Tonga RPCV community found out that Priven died on April 1, 2023. Priven was ruled not guilty in the Tonga judicial system, with national Peace Corps intervention, based on an insanity defense. He returned to the U.S. where he was briefly hospitalized but checked himself out. He eventually got a government job and reportedly retired on a government pension. The story was retold in Philip Weiss’s 2005 nonfiction book, American Taboo and fictionalized in Jan-Worth (Tonga 1976-78) novel Night Blind published in 2006. Recently a 1970s Tonga RPCV Tom Riddle found this obituary: Dennis Priven, age 70, of Brooklyn, New York passed away on Saturday, April 1, 2023. He was born in Brooklyn on May 28, 1952 to Morris and Dorothy Priven. He . . .

9/11 at Peace Corps NYC

Sep 10 2023

“One Morning in September” — 9/11 Nov 11 2019 One Morning in September by Edwin Jorge (Jamaica 1979–81) Edwin Jorge was the Regional Manager of the New York Peace Corps Office and was at work in Building # 6 of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The building was destroyed when the North Tower collapsed. At a commemoration service held at Headquarters in Peace Corps/Washington a year after 9/11 Edwin spoke about the attack and what happened to the Peace Corps Office. His comments follow. ONE YEAR AGO TODAY, on the morning of September 11, 2001, I sat down at my office desk and turned on my computer. As the computer booted to life, I glanced up and looked out of the windows of my office on the sixth floor of the Customs House in the heart of the financial district of New York. From where I sat, . . .

TAKING THE PLUNGE INTO ETHIOPIA by William Hershey (Ethiopia)

Sep 10 2023

Taking the Plunge Into Ethiopia: Tales of a Peace Corps Volunteer by William L. Hershey (Ethiopia 1968-70) University of Akron Press September 2023 134 pages $18.99 (Kindle); $24.95 (Paperback) William Hershey served as the only Peace Corps Volunteer in the small Ethiopian town of Dabat. He taught seventh and eighth grade students the English that they would need to continue their educations and brighten their futures. He became part of the community, eating the local food and doing his best to communicate in Amharic. He also navigated cultural gaffes — having his house stoned by disgruntled students angered at being assigned to clean the outhouses; and nearly sparking international trouble by clashing with a player from a rival school during a heated basketball game. Decades later as a journalist, he used his once-in-a-lifetime Peace Corps experience to reflect on immigration, global goodwill and the hope the United States should . . .

ME MADAM by Dorothy Crews Herzberg (Nigeria)

Sep 10 2023

Me, Madam: Peace Corps Letters from Nigeria 1961-63 Dorothy Crews Herzberg (Nigeria 1961-63) Arc Lights Books February 2014 170 pages $5.18 (Kindle); $5.18 (Paperback) When Dorothy Crews Herzberg joined the Peace Corps in 1961, she was unaware that the program had not yet been approved by the U.S. Congress. The Corps’ proponents were hedging the strategy that having four hundred volunteers already working overseas would strengthen their case. While serving in the Peace Corps Dorothy Crews married Hershel Herzberg, and from 1961 to 1963 they wrote letters to her parents. Dorothy’s father saved and carefully preserved the fragile blue air letters. Every page of “Me, Madam” illuminates the energy of Nigeria immediately after independence. The author’s letters convey with intimacy what it was like to be there as the people struggled to create a new democracy.

The Volunteer Who Discovered the First Area of Human Occupation in Costa Rica

Sep 09 2023

by Jeremiah Norris (Colombia 1963-65) Michael Snarskis attended the University of Iowa, graduating in 1964, then Yale University majoring in Spanish in 1967. After one year of law school, he joined the Peace Corps as a Volunteer in Costa Rica, 1967-69. There his interest in archeology was awakened and on his return to the U. S. he studied archelogy at Colombia University. After three years of field work in Costa Rica, he received a Ph. D. in 1978 with a dissertation on the Archaeology of the Central American Watershed of Costa Rica. When he received his doctoral, there was almost no scientific archeology in Costa Rica. Michael founded the archeology department at the Museo National de Costa Rica in San Jose, Costa Rica, and directed it for ten years. As an archeologist and conservationist, Michael worked for the Tayutic Foundation which seeks to preserve and explore the Guayabo . . .