The Peace Corps – Page 28 – Peace Corps Worldwide

2023 Winner of Peace Corps Writers’ Award as “Writer of the Year”

Aug 01 2023

Richard Wiley (Korea 1967–69) Richard Wiley, who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Korea, 1967-69, is an American novelist and short-story writer whose first novel, Soldiers in Hiding, won the 1987 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Since then, he has published seven other novels and a wide variety of short stories. His subsequent novels, Fool’s Gold, Festival for Three Thousand Maidens, and Indigo received favorable notice in America’s flagship book periodical the New York Times Book Review, and elsewhere. Despite this, only his more recent book Ahmed’s Revenge, published by Random House remains in print. Richard holds a B. A. from the University of Puget Sound and an M. A. from Sophia University in Tokyo. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he studied under the venerable John Irving. Since 1989, Richard has been a Professor of English at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He . . .

CALLING ALL RPCV WRITERS!

Aug 01 2023

Fall RPCV Writers Workshop Are you writing a novel, a memoir, a scholarly essay, poems, and/or short stories? Whether what you’re working on is about the Peace Corps or not, you are invited to the Second Peace Corps Writers Workshop this October on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. The Workshop—open to a maximum of 15 RPCV writers—will be held from Thursday, October 5, to Sunday, October 7, at Shore Retreats on Broad Creek. The cost ranges from $100 to $500, depending on the applicant’s economic circumstances, and includes shared living quarters and most meals. If interested, please contact Matt Losak (Lesotho 1985-87) at: tokamaphepa@aol.com. The Workshop, organized by Peace Corps Worldwide and supported by the Peace Corps Fund, will be led by Mark Brazaitis (Guatemala 1991-93), an English professor at West Virginia University, where he directs the Creative Writing Program and the West Virginia Writers’ Workshop. The author of . . .

OBLIVIA – A novel about a missing PCV

Jul 30 2023

The Peace Corps Failed to Properly Supervise Missing Volunteer and Lost Track of Him GAO-01-970R Published: Jul 20, 2001. Publicly Released: Jul 20, 2001. Walter J. Poirier, a Peace Corps volunteer, was reportedly last seen in La Paz, Bolivia in February 2001. This report reviews (1) whether the Peace Corps failed to properly supervise Mr. Poirier’s activities and (2) the actions taken by the Peace Corps and the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia when they learned that Mr. Poirier was missing. GAO found that Mr. Poirier failed to follow Peace Corps location and notification procedures. Although the Peace Corps Associate Director responsible for Mr. Poirier while he was in Bolivia knew that Mr. Poirier was not following these procedures, he took no steps to correct the situation and, as a result, lost track of Mr. Poirier. Furthermore, the Associate Director’s failure to adequately monitor Mr. Poirier contributed to the . . .

Jennifer Ching Peace Corps Response Volunteer (Ethiopia & Botswana)

Jul 29 2023

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Don Messerschmidt (Nepal 1963-65) From the Peace Corps Website, May 25, 2023 Jennifer Ching, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Ethiopia from 2016 to 2018, is now a Peace Corps Response Volunteer serving in Botswana. Jennifer, who is Chinese and lived in Malaysia as a child, shares why Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month is important to her, how her Asian American identity impacted her service as a Volunteer, and her favorite cultural traditions. 1) Why is AANHPI Heritage Month important to you? AANHPI Heritage month is important because it increases the exposure and promotion of the presence of these groups of people in the social consciousness. It’s also important to me because it spotlights my people and culture, as well as our contributions in the United States, both historically and during the present day. . . .

Riall Nolan (Senegal) has published ONE BEATS THE BUSH

Jul 28 2023

One Beats The Bush by Riall Nolan (Senegal 1965-68) The Book Folks Publisher June 2023 235 pages $16.99 (Hardcover) Vietnam veteran Max Donovan is in Bangkok, and very hungover, when his friend “Fat” Freddie Fields is arrested in San Francisco for the murder of an Australian diplomat. He knows his old buddy would never hurt a fly, so he rushes back to the Bay Area to help. There he locks horns with the District Attorney who seems intent on pursuing the case. Suspecting Freddie is being framed, Donovan tries to rustle up some cash to bail him out, but only succeeds in getting into trouble with the local mob. He’ll have to solve the case on his own. Unfortunately, the only clue he has suggests the answers lie in the jungle-covered mountains of Papua New Guinea, and the shark-filled waters of the Coral Sea. As he comes face to . . .

Jing Li (Ukraine)

Jul 27 2023

With a non-traditional journey from Peace Corps Ukraine to product innovation, Jing Li blends her unique skills and experiences to lay the foundation for the next generation of leaders through education, technology, sustainability, and diversity. She founded the nonprofit Project Ollie to provide Ukrainian educators and learners with humanitarian support and tools to thrive. She helped reduce food waste through IoT sensors, and she advocates for inclusion and diversity in the workplace as well as in the open water swimming community. She was a four-year letterwinner in swimming at Georgia Tech and the former president of the NorCal GT Alumni network. Ukraine Fundraiser: Lyceum of Shevchenkove My name is Jing Li and I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2010-2012. I lived in a small village called Shevchenkove, which is located about 75km south of Kharkiv. This village sits along the 1 main road/rail line between . . .

RPCV Professor Roger K. Lewis, FAIA (Tunisia)

Jul 26 2023

President and Director at Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation Roger K. Lewis, FAIA (Tunisia 1964-66) President and Chairman, PCCF Architect, Professor Emeritus of Architecture, University of Maryland RLewis@PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org Scores of memorials in Washington, DC, honor America’s historic events, patriotic leaders and the millions of individuals who have served and sacrificed at home and overseas in defense of our country and freedom. Yet absent in the heart of the nation’s capital is a commemorative work about a different manifestation of America’s history, about this country’s enduring ideals and values symbolized by Peace Corps service. Who is Roger K. Lewis (Tunisia 1964-66) Professor Roger K. Lewis, FAIA helped start and subsequently nurture the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, established by the University in 1967. During the School’s early years, in addition to teaching design, he initiated and taught two seminal courses: Introduction to the Built Environment (ARCH 170), a wide-ranging survey of architecture and urban design . . .

2023 Winner of Peace Corps Writers‘ Publisher’s Special Staff Award

Jul 25 2023

Back to the Future in Bandipur Chin Kumar Shrestha’ (Staff/Nepal) translated by Mike Gill (Nepal 1967-70) English version edited by John Comings (Nepal 1969-72) This autobiography by a Nepali provides all RPCVs a window into the impact they had on the people who trained them, worked with them and were their friends. “I really enjoyed reading From Bandipur and Back (Ghumiphiri Bandipur), by my old friend Chij Kumar Shrestha, and happy to be included in the English translation. There is a special reason for my pleasure. Chij and I are almost the same age and have had many of the same experiences. This book presents the story of how a young man educated in a village school overcame countless obstacles as a result of his diligence, hard work, and honesty, rising to a position of great public success in a city like Kathmandu. At the same time, this book . . .

Peace Corps Volunteers arrive in Sierra Leone

Jul 23 2023

The delegation was received and welcomed by their Deputy Chief of Mission in the country, Ambassador Reimer disclosed that the volunteers will focus on improving education and health systems in the country as they will be working directly with the people of Sierra Leone to achieve the broader goal of a sustainable health and educational transformation.

Dan Link: Naked and Afraid! (Nicaragua)

Jul 20 2023

Dan Link is a graduate of Webster Thomas High School, class of 2008. After completing his high school education, he pursued further studies at Monroe Community College in 2012. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in marine biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, showcasing his dedication and passion for the field. As a participant in the reality TV show “Naked and Afraid XL,” Dan Link displayed his survival expertise and skills in various challenging environments. His impressive background in marine biology and adventurous spirit added a unique and captivating dimension to his appearance on the show, earning him recognition and admiration from viewers. While he may not have a prominent online presence, Dan Link’s notable achievements and survival prowess continue to leave a lasting impact on those who follow his remarkable journey. Dan Link, a contestant on “Naked and Afraid XL,” boasts an impressive background as a . . .

Terrance Stevenson New Head of Sea.citi (Armenia)

Jul 19 2023

The new RPCCV leader of Sea.citi, a nonprofit that aims to engage Seattle tech workers with civic life Terrance Stevenson (Armenia 2012-14 & PC Staff 2015-19) is bringing his passion for peace-building, community development, and innovation to the Seattle tech industry. Stevenson this week was named director of Sea.citi, a nonprofit that launched in 2018 and aims to help tech workers engage with civic issues. It focuses on issues such as housing affordability, climate change, transportation infrastructure and digital equity. How did you end up landing this gig? Terrance Stevenson: I began my career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia. Living and working in this beautiful, conflict-affected country — where I had to learn a new language and culture as a starting point for community service — sparked my passion for peacebuilding, community development, and innovation. I’ve been blessed to find career opportunities that bridge these passions and a city (Seattle) that . . .

2023 Winner of the Peace Corps Writers’ Moritz Thomsen Award for Best Book about the Peace Corps Experience

Jul 16 2023

A Five Finger Feast Two Years in Kazakhstan, Lessons from the Peace Corps by Tim Suchsland (Kazakhstan 2007–09) author and illustrator • A Five Finger Feast is a collection of coming-of-age stories set to the backdrop of Kazakhstan, with the ups and the downs, the excitement and the thrill of living abroad as a young person and working in the Peace Corps. Tim Suchsland, a teacher and artist, takes the reader on a very interesting journey into a vast corner of the world that none of us has ever seen, of which we know virtually nothing, which borders on Russia’s infamous Siberia and yet is populated with very interesting people — Kazaks from many tribes, Armenians, Volga Germans and Russians — each with a story of how their people came to be in the village of Valenka, twenty miles from the Russian border and 840 miles (22 hours by road) from . . .

Peace Corps staff member made $258,000 after killing a woman

Jul 15 2023

July 14, 2023 Sweeping Peace Corps legislation headed to the U.S. Senate includes a provision allowing the agency’s director to suspend without pay any employee who engages in serious misconduct. The proposal follows a USA TODAY investigation that exposed for the first time a leading Peace Corps official who remained on the payroll for 18 months after he went on a reckless drunk driving spree that left a Tanzanian mother dead. That case was one of several troubling instances behind the provision in the new bill, which was approved by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week, according to Rep. John Garamendi (Ethiopia 1965-67), D-Calif. who introduced the bill in the House. “We noted that the director did not have sufficient administrative authority to deal with profoundly disturbing problems,” said Garamendi, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia. John Peterson, now 68, received more than $250,000 in salary and . . .

2023 Winner of Peace Corps Writers Award for Best Book of Non-Fiction

Jul 12 2023

Benjamin Franklin’s Last Bet by Michael Meyer (China 1995-97) The incredible story of Benjamin Franklin’s parting gift to the working-class people of Boston and Philadelphia — a deathbed wager that captures the Founder’s American Dream and his lessons for our current, conflicted age. Benjamin Franklin was not a gambling man. But at the end of his illustrious life, the Founder allowed himself a final wager on the survival of the United States: a gift of two thousand pounds to Boston and Philadelphia, to be lent out to tradesmen over the next two centuries to jump-start their careers. Each loan would be repaid with interest over ten years. If all went according to Franklin’s inventive scheme, the accrued final payout in 1991 would be a windfall. In Benjamin Franklin’s Last Bet, Michael Meyer traces the evolution of these twin funds as they age alongside America itself, bankrolling woodworkers and . . .

Film of RPCVs returning to Sierra Leone

Jul 12 2023

The Peace Corps Returns A Documentary film by Steve Kovacs and RoseAnn Rotandaro. In the summer of 2011 twenty Peace Corps Volunteers returned to Sierra Leone, West Africa. For most of them, it was the first time returning to the country since they had served in the 1960’s and 1970’s. They came to reconnect with their friends in Sierra Leone. It was an auspicious time for their trip. The nation was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary of independence from Great Britain. The year also marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Peace Corp’s arrival in Sierra Leone. From 1961, and for a 30-year period, 3,500 the U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers served in Sierra Leone. Then, in 1991, a civil war broke out and ravaged this small nation for over eleven years. It claimed 50,000 lives and victimized more than 20,000 surviving citizens victims by amputating limbs and other acts . . .