Peace Corps Worldwide – Page 57 – promoting Peace Corps writers since 1989

Stephen Franklin (Turkey) writers about his host country

Feb 10 2023

Chicago Tribune February 10, 2023 • Tragedy has long haunted the broad swath of land where earthquakes have just claimed thousands of lives, left many thousands of people injured and plunged already impoverished millions into yet deeper financial despair. For centuries, an angry earth has shaken communities in the sunbaked mountains and valleys that sprawl across southeastern Turkey. But the earth’s latest deadly roar comes at an especially vulnerable moment for Turkey and Syria, where an unusually bitter cold hourly seals the rubble and the earthquakes’ countless bodies. This tragedy is not a distant one for me. As a journalist, I have traveled along Turkey’s southeastern border and visited Syrian refugees and the places where they were living. But the deeper significance is that my wife and I, as Peace Corps volunteers, ran a small, meagerly supported orphanage for Turkish boys in a slum on the far edge of Istanbul more . . .

HOUSE OF FIRE by Elizabeth Di Grazia (Tonga)

Feb 10 2023

House of Fire shows that thirty years of breaking free from a cycle of violence was not enough to prepare Elizabeth Di Grazia for the trials of starting her own family. Growing up in the 1970s, she suffered repeated sexual abuse, incest, and neglect. Although in the Catholic church, she was forced to have a hushed-up abortion at the age of fourteen. Within a year she was pregnant again, by another brother. Di Grazia gave birth to a son who was quickly taken away and adopted into a family she never knew. Elizabeth’s story traces her healing and the creation of an intentional family. She and her partner, Jody, adopted two Guatemalan babies. They learned that provision and protection were not enough, but refused to allow denial and secrets to go unexposed became critical. Elizabeth di Grazia graduated from Hamline University with an MFA in Writing in 2003. She . . .

The Volunteer Who Went onto National Media with His Political Views — Bob Beckel (Philippines)

Feb 09 2023

Jeremiah Norris (Colombia 1963-65) • Robert (Bob) Beckel served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines from 1971 to 1972. Prior to that, Bob graduated from Wagner College in Staten Island, where he played football and worked for Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1968. After returning home from his Volunteer assignment, Bob was a graduate school professor of politics at George Washington University in the District of Columbia. In 1977, Bob joined the U. S. Department of State as deputy assistant Secretary of State in the Carter Administration. In that role, he helped to shepherd the Panama Canal Treaty through the Congress to ratification. The following year, he was appointed as Special Assistant to the president for legislative affairs, working on ratification of Salt II and Mideast treaties. Subsequently, Bob was the campaign manager for Walter Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign. During that campaign, he became known as . . .

Peace Corps assessing a return to Cape Verde

Feb 07 2023

05-02-2023 Africa-Press – Cape verde. In response to a formal request from the government, a team of eight members of the US Peace Corps is visiting Cape Verde until February 19, to assess the possibility of re-establishing a program in the country. According to a note from the Peace Corps, its team should meet with various government institutions, representatives of civil society and Cape Verdean citizens across the country, to assess opportunities for programs in the areas of English language teaching, development youth and environment. With scheduled visits to the islands of Santiago, São Vicente, Santo Antão, Sal, Maio and Fogo, it also intends to assess living conditions that impact potential Peace Corps volunteers, such as in the areas of health, safety, protection, transport and housing. “The team’s assessment will play an important role in determining the feasibility of re-establishing a Peace Corps program in Cape Verde, but it . . .

Ban foreign aid for abortions for PCVs?

Feb 06 2023

Senate debates bill that would expand restrictions on foreign aid for abortions Risch is the primary sponsor of the American Values Act. | Washington D.C., Feb 3, 2023 • Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would expand and make permanent current laws that are designed to prevent the federal government from funding abortions in other countries through foreign aid. The bill, known as the American Values Act, would bolster existing prohibitions on foreign aid for abortions. It would specifically ban aid for abortion as a method of family planning and would prohibit aid money from being used to encourage or coerce abortions or for involuntary sterilization. The bill would also make permanent a ban on the use of funds for the Peace Corps to pay for abortions. The bill would also establish a long-standing restriction on funds to lobby for or against abortion, funds for any organization that supports or participates . . .

CorpsAfrica adapts the Peace Corps model (Morocco)

Feb 05 2023

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Jeanne Paul (Brazil 1964-66) CorpsAfrica Adapts the Peace Corps Model to Build Resilience in Rural Africa BY MARC CHALUFOUR BOSTON UNIVERSITY| Liz Fanning was inspired by her experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco and, with CorpsAfrica, has created volunteer opportunities for young Africans to work in their own countries. In the early 1990s, Liz Fanning spent 1993-95 as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a small Moroccan village in the High Atlas mountains. She studied the impact of human and animal populations on endangered species—and witnessed the power of the Peace Corps’ model to aid communities and build mutual understanding between cultures. She also kept hearing the same question from young Moroccans: “How can I sign up?” Fanning had no answer. The Peace Corps, an independent organization run by the US government, only accepts American volunteers, sending them overseas . . .

Brittney Nadler (Sierra Leone) awarded Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship

Feb 04 2023

Illinois University alumna Brittney Nadler (Sierra Leone 2019-20) was recently awarded a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. Funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University, the Pickering Fellowship supports individuals who seek careers in the State Department’s Foreign Service. Nadler was among 45 awardees selected from nearly 900 applicants. The fellowship will fund a two-year master’s degree in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service. It also will provide extensive professional development opportunities including internships, mentoring and skills training. Nadler will complete a summer internship at the State Department in 2024 and an overseas internship at a U.S. embassy or consulate in summer 2025. Upon successful completion of the program, Nadler will become a U.S. diplomat. Born in Park Ridge, Illinois, and raised in South Elgin, Nadler served as a Fulbright English Teacher in Thailand from 2017-18, bringing 10 of her students to Malaysia . . .

Joe Acaba–First RPCV in Space (Dominican Republic)

Feb 03 2023

NASA Veteran (and RPCV) Joe Acaba to Serve as Agency’s Chief Astronaut at Johnson Space Center By NASA information center // February 3, 2023 A decorated veteran of multiple spaceflights, as well as a former U.S. Marine and former educator, Acaba is the first person of Hispanic heritage selected to lead the office. Acaba takes the place of NASA astronaut Drew Feustel, who spent two years as deputy chief and has been acting chief of the office since NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman left the post late last year. “Congratulations to Joe Acaba on being named the new chief of the astronaut office! Joe is an experienced space flyer and a proven leader, and he will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of NASA astronauts.” “As we build on the International Space Station’s unparalleled success in low-Earth orbit with our eyes on the Moon and then Mars, Joe will play an integral role in . . .

John Clark (Ecuador) joins Sarasota’s Selby Gardens

Feb 02 2023

John L. Clark PhD Joins Botany Staff at Selby Gardens TUESDAY JAN 31, 2023 | Marie Selby Botanical Gardens [in Sarasota, Florida] recently welcomed Dr. John L. Clark to its staff as a full-time research botanist. Affiliated with Selby Gardens as a research associate since 2009, Clark has spent his professional career discovering and documenting plant diversity. His work concentrates on the plant family Gesneriaceae, or gesneriads, an important focus of Selby Gardens’ botanical research and a notable component of its living plant collection. An evolutionary biologist as well as a botanist, Clark studies plant systematics, evolution, and biodiversity, focusing on the identification, classification, phylogeny, and taxonomy of neotropical gesneriads. Gesneriads serve as scientific models for understanding broad patterns in the evolution, pollination, and diversification of plants. About a third of gesneriads are epiphytes (a type of plant that grows on another plant without harming it), and Clark’s . . .

PCVs to Solomon Islands to counter China

Feb 02 2023

US opens embassy in Solomon Islands to counter China By NICK PERRY Seattle Times February 01, 2023 WELLINGTON, New Zealand — (AP) — The United States opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands on Thursday in its latest move to counter China’s push into the Pacific. The embassy in the capital, Honiara, is starting small, with a chargé d’affaires, a couple of State Department staff and a handful of local employees. The U.S. previously operated an embassy in the Solomon Islands for five years before closing it in 1993 as part of a global reduction in diplomatic posts after the end of the Cold War. But China’s bold moves in the region have the U.S. seeking to increase its engagement in a number of ways, such as by donating COVID-19 vaccines, bringing back Peace Corps volunteers to several island nations, and investing in forestry and tourism projects. “The opening . . .

Peace Corps Evacuates Its Volunteers From Peru

Feb 01 2023

As Political Crisis Worsens Natalia Ningthoujam / Feb 01 2023, Peru’s President Dina Boluarte called for a “national truce” as thousands of protesters continued to call for her to resign. Photo by: AFP/Ernesto Benavides Peru has been facing a political crisis that has included deadly crackdowns by its government on its citizens. Now, the Peace Corps has evacuated its volunteers from the South American country. The relocation was confirmed by Troy Blackwell, who is a spokesperson for the Peace Corps, reported Politico. Without revealing the destination, he said that Peace Corps/Peru has “temporarily evacuated all volunteers to another Peace Corps post.” He shared that the safety, as well as well-being of Peace Corps volunteers, is their “top priority.” They are closely monitoring the “security situation with local partners on the ground and the U.S. Embassy in Lima.” A source said that the volunteers are headed to the Peace Corps post in Ecuador. This . . .

The Peace Corps pulls out of Peru

Jan 31 2023

January 30 2023 The Peace Corps has evacuated its Volunteers from Peru amid a political crisis that has included deadly crackdowns by the government on its citizens. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID) released the following statement regarding the ongoing political violence in Peru. The decision comes after weeks of popular unrest against a government that has taken over following a failed December coup attempt by a Peruvian president facing impeachment. The South American country has had a politically tumultuous few years, cycling through several presidents amid various corruption and other scandals. Peace Corps volunteers often work in areas far from national capitals and with less immediate protections than U.S. diplomats — meaning they are sometimes the first group of U.S. workers to be evacuated when unrest hits.

The Peace Corps staff member who became the first Peace Corps photographer | Rowland Scherman

Jan 28 2023

This Profile benefited greatly from a Peace Corps WorldWide publication. by Jeremiah Norris (Colombia 1963-65) • Rowland Scherman writes: Like so many others, I was thrilled by JFKs inaugural speech. Although I wasn’t a professional photographer, I made a few dollars doing portraits out of a makeshift studio or ‘on location’ on the streets of New York City. I shared a crappy little darkroom with a friend. But JFKs words made me think that I could do something more, and could reach a higher potential if I volunteered my work, and myself to the betterment of my country, instead of simply chasing a buck. I thought my services just might somehow be useful to the new administration.” Rowland took a bus to Washington, D. C. to seek work with the Peace Corps, announcing his potential availability as an official photographer. He went to Peace Corps headquarters, then a jumble of . . .

LOVING HIM PEACEFULLY – 1, 2 & 3 | A Spicy Romance (Not Written by an RPCV)

Jan 27 2023

Katherine is living her dream of working as a business executive for a large company. That is until her bosses ask her to sign her name to something legal, but very unethical. Katherine quits because her good name is worth more to her than a cushy salary. With savings to hold her over for a while, Katherine takes a leap of faith and joins the Peace Corps. On the way to her assignment, she meets a very handsome man traveling abroad as well. They have an instant connection and things quickly heat up. Katherine wants to stay focused on her task, but that is easier said than done. Follow Katherine as she embarks on the journey of her life. Will she find love, happiness, or misery, in the deepest parts of the jungle? Loving Him Peacefully 3 Books Box Set by Lisa Martin 102 pages July 2014 $3.99 (Kindle); . . .

U of Illinois Graduate Ajai Rajeev begins life after college with Peace Corps service

Jan 26 2023

The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Aerospace Engineering 1/24/2023 by Debra Levey Larson Ajai Rajeev, BS ’22 Ajai Rajeev (Morocco 2022-24) received his B.S. in ’22 with a major in aerospace engineering and a minor in political science. After graduating, he decided to join the Peace Corps, and is currently serving in Morocco for two years. Learn more about his experiences in Morocco, what he enjoyed while at Illinois, and his plans for the future. • AE: What influenced your decision to join the Peace Corps? AR: When I first entered UIUC, I fully intended to work in the space sector, and I still do, but in a different capacity than what I originally intended after using my time in undergraduate studies to fully understand my best skills and my interests. I want to go into law for the space sector. I felt that going to the Peace . . .