Peace Corps Worldwide

Peace Corps Volunteers are the ones who tell the real story of the Peace Corps. They tell of their experiences in essays, articles, short stories and memoirs. Stories that are the historical documents of the agency. These remembrances are valuable to the host country as future generations will know how American Peace Corps Volunteers came to teach their children, care for their parents and grandparents, and help develop their country. By reading what PCVs have to say, host country nationals will know what once their homes were like, and these PCVs cared enough to write down the memories of living and working with their ancestors. For us, they are a treasure of literature and life.  

Guyana has made positive impacts in reducing poverty within the country; however, it was once one of the poorest in South America. Due to the discovery of oil production in 2019, Guyana’s GDP per capita is quickly increasing and the country could continue as one of the countries with the fastest economic growth as new oil production begins. The country is rich in natural resources and in addition to abundant rainforests and agricultural land, the country’s natural reserves also include gold and diamonds. Guyana’s proud decline in poverty shows a change from 60.9% of the country’s population living in poverty in 2006 to 48.4% in 2019, according to the World Bank. Accessibility to education and health care still needs improvements since COVID-19 additionally worsened conditions in these sectors. There are five charities operating in Guyana to make positive changes for the people living in Guyana. One of them was started by . . .

New book —  Australia by Bus by Steve Kaffen (Russia 1994-96) Independently published 313 pages April 2024 Kindle Unlimited $4.99 (Kindle)  • • •  Australia is an ideal country to explore by bus. While most visitors spend their time in the urban centers, Australia’s scenic gems, historic sites, and vibrant cultures, including those of native Aborigines and other Indigenous groups, are scattered along the coasts and in the vast interior of desert, mountains, and windswept brush of the Outback. Buses go to these places. Because of the time limitations that most visitors have for travel, and the extreme distances to many points of interest, bus travel might effectively be combined with flights to the nearest cities. Bus travel is more than transportation; it is part of the journey. A visitor can fly over and look down, hopefully on a clear day. He or she can whiz past by train and catch panoramic . . .

In the news — • • •  Christophe Andre Tocco nominated to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania   Christophe Andre Tocco (Morocco 1996-98), a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister, is currently the Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Bureau for Planning, Learning and Resource Management where he oversees the Office of Policy, and the Program Office. Previously, he served as Senior Development Counselor and U.S. Delegate to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee. Other assignments include USAID Mission Director, Democratic Republic of Congo; Deputy Mission Director, Democratic Republic of Congo; and Deputy Regional Mission Director, USAID Senegal. Earlier assignments include Supervisory Program Officer for USAID Senegal and for USAID Rwanda and Morocco Country Desk Officer. Before joining the Foreign Service, Tocco was a Peace Corps Volunteer in . . .

Here is our new list of RPCV & staff authors we know of who have published two or more books of any type. Currently—in April 2024–the count is 538. If you know of someone who has and their name is not on this list, then please email: jcoyneone@gmail.com. We know we don’t have all such writers who have served over these past 63 years. Thank you.’ Jerome R. Adams (Colombia 1963–65) Tom Adams (Togo 1974-76) Thomas “Taj” Ainlay, Jr. (Malaysia 1973–75) Elizabeth (Letts) Alalou (Morocco 1983–86) Jane Albritton (India 1967-69) Robert Albritton (Ethiopia 1963-65) Usha Alexander (Vanuatu 1996–97) James G. Alinder (Somalia 1964-66) Richard Alleman (Morocco 1968-70) Hayward Allen (Ethiopia 1962-64) Diane Demuth Allensworth (Panama 1964–66) Paul E. Allaire (Ethiopia 1964–66) Jack Allison (Malawi 1967-69) Allman (Nepal 1966-68) Nancy Amidei (Nigeria 1964–65) Gary Amo (Malawi 1962–64) David C. Anderson (Costa Rica 1964-66) Lauri Anderson (Nigeria 1963-65) Peggy Anderson (Togo 1962-64) James . . .