What is the Peace Corps? (Scott)

It just occured to me that some of you who are reading this blog may not be familiar with the Peace Corps. You might even be like some other people I've talked to and have the Peace Corps confused with Green Peace. No, Grandpa, Ashlee and I will not be boarding some tiny ship in the South Pacific to trail and document a Japanese whaling fleet. Sorry, Green Peace, I don't mean to sound offended. I've got nothing against you -- although the volunteers that you post outside of the 24 Hour Fitness at Triange Square can be a bit aggressive, but as Ashlee says, I digress.

So to answer any questions, and to allay any fears, here's some information on the Peace Corps. Just a word of warning, the following information was pulled directly from the Peace Corps' website (http://www.peacecorps.gov/). Considering the very tersely worded warning from the legendary investigative journalist Izzy Stone ("Governments lie.") it is wise to bear this disclaimer in mind when reading this post.

The Peace Corps is a federal government agency established under JFK in 1961. Since its inception, over 195,000 volunteers have served in 139 host countries around the world. Here are some other quick facts and figures:

- There are currently 7,800 volunteers serving
- 60% of volunteers are female and 40% male
- 94% of volunteers are single and 6% are married
- The average age of a volunteer is 27 (Although with the Baby Boomers retiring, the Peace Corps is actively recruiting "mature" volunteers in its 50+ campaign -- the oldest current volunteer is 84).
- Volunteers are currently operating in 76 countries.

The actual goals of the Peace Corps are relatively straightforward:

1)Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
2)Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
3)Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Basically this means that volunteers with a college degree (a liberal arts degree like Political Science qualifies you for anything!) or some sort of specialized practical experience (like running your own business or working on a farm) spend two years living in a remote location in a developing country proving to the local people that, contrary to world opinion, America is not just a nation of self-indulgent couch potatoes. Then, when their service is up, these same volunteers return home and explain to their friends and families that while people in developing countries may speak a different language, practice a different religion, or observe a different culture, they are, in fact, still human beings who have the same hopes, dreams, and fears as us. Have you ever heard of the saying that laughter and tears are universal?

Back to the facts -- volunteers currently serve all over the world: the Caribbean, Central America, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the South Pacific. Volunteers currently serve in six areas:

1) Education
2) Business Development
3) Environment
4) Agriculture
5) Health
6) Information Technology

Different regions of the world call for different volunteers. South America needs agricultural volunteers, Eastern Europe needs business development, and Asia wants Information Technology. And everyone wants teachers -- it's so nice to be in demand.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I will be serving as an English teacher in a secondary school and Ashlee will be working as a health volunteer. As far as we can tell, a large part of being a health volunteer is teaching HIV awareness.

So that covers what the Peace Corps is, where volunteers serve, and what they do. Now on to the question that is probably on most people's minds: what about safety? According to the Peace Corps' website, the organization's top priority is the safety of their volunteers. The Peace Corps professes to go to great lengths to ensure volunteers have the training, support, and information to stay healthy and safe. All locations that volunteers serve in are properly scouted and when it comes to volunteer placement, the Peace Corps considers such factors as access to medical care, availability of communication and transportation, the existence of suitable housing arrangements, and the proximity to other volunteers. Speaking of medical care (this is for you, Annie), the Peace Corps maintains medical teams in every country in which volunteers serve. These units inform volunteers about local health issues and provide them with the necessary medical supplies and vaccinations to stay healthy. If a volunteer becomes ill and cannot be treated properly in-country, the Peace Corps will transport the volunteer to an appropriate facility in a nearby country or to the US.

With all that said, the Peace Corps makes it abundantly clear that the ultimate responsibility for the volunteer's health and safety falls to the volunteer him/herself. Basically the Peace Corp's advice is: "Don't be stupid." Pay attention to the food you eat, the water you drink, and the company you keep.

So that's it -- I didn't mean for this post to drag on so long, and if you kept with me, thanks.