Peace Corps News

Suspect in the killing of a Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell surrenders to Philippine authorities

Suspect in the killing of a Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell surrenders to Philippine authorities
"I admit it, yes. I killed her, but I did not do whatever other people are thinking I did," Juan Duntugan told ABS-CBN television, apparently referring to speculation that Julia Campbell may have been killed during an attempted rape or robbery. "I did not plan to kill Ms. Campbell, harm her," Duntugan said, appearing remorseful and shaking his head. National police chief Oscar Calderon said police were "documenting his statement in the presence of a lawyer."

Campbell, 40, of Fairfax, Virginia, went missing April 8 during a hike to Ifugao province's famed mountainside rice terraces. Duntungan's wife sold Campbell a soft drink before her solo hike, and a boy has told police that he saw him near the grave that day. Duntugan, a local woodcarver, went into hiding the next day. A police autopsy showed that Campbell, who had worked as a freelance journalist for The New York Times and other media organizations, was killed by multiple blows to the head, and that her arms were injured, indicating she tried to defend herself.

"The case is in the hands of the Philippine National Police," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Stacy MacTaggert said. "We are pleased with any progress in the case. However, I think it would be premature to comment further until the Philippine authorities have completed their work. "The U.S. Embassy and the Peace Corps are working closely with our colleagues in Washington to make sure the family is apprised of all updates in the case. Obviously they are grieving and upset and we have to remember to respect them."

Friends and sympathizers of Campbell plan a big memorial service next Thursday in Bicol, where she last worked as an English teacher.The Bicol region, southeast of Manila, includes Albay's provincial capital Legazpi and Donsol township in nearby Sorsogon province, which is famous for whale sharks and is where Campbell helped launch an ecology awareness campaign.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, said Thursday that Campbell "has become a beloved personality here in the Philippines because of the work that she has done in Bicol region."

Jose de Venecia, speaker of the House of Representatives, said Campbell will be awarded the Philippine Congressional Medal of Achievement, the highest decoration by the legislature. He described her as a "martyred volunteer." He said the award will be presented in June to a representative of Campbell's family and the U.S. Peace Corps through its director, Ronald Tschetter, in Washington. Campbell "touched thousands of Filipino lives during her posting in Luzon as a high-school teacher of English and Western literature," de Venecia said. The citation honors Campbell for bringing "light and joy into the lives" of many Filipinos. "She epitomized the ideals of the Peace Corps and of the American people," the citation says.  Read more.

Read our chronological listing of all the stories on the search for Julia Campbell since her disappearance on April 8.

Caption: Peace Corps Director Ronald A. Tschetter, who was in the Philippines to assist the search for Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell, speaks with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the presidential palace in Manila April 18, 2007. Campbell was found murdered in the Philippines after her body was found in a shallow grave in a remote, mountainous area, the police said. Photo: Reuters/Cheryl Ravel

Direct Relief International and BD Launch Volunteer Service Program to Improve Healthcare in Ghana

Direct Relief International  and BD Launch Volunteer Service Program to Improve Healthcare in Ghana
Direct Relief International, a humanitarian medical aid nonprofit organization, and BD, a leading global medical technology company, today announced a joint volunteer initiative to strengthen healthcare in two areas of Ghana. Working side-by-side for three weeks with clinic staff from Direct Relief partners at the Maranatha Maternity Clinic and Motoka Clinic, 12 BD employee volunteers from around the globe will help build local healthcare capacity in the region. Thomas Tighe, the head of Direct Relief International, was formerly the Chief of Staff of the Peace Corps and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand.

"This unique collaboration will strengthen health services for people in Ghana, where access to diagnostic and treatment services is scarce," said Direct Relief President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Tighe. "BD has been a leader in sharing its healthcare products for humanitarian purposes, and we are honored that the company is sharing its most valuable resource its employees' tremendous talent toward the same end. These upgraded facilities will become major health resources for the entire region."

The Maranatha Maternity Clinic serves approximately 250 patients per month, of whom approximately 40 percent are unable to pay for their medical treatment. The rural Motoka Clinic, established in 1996, is the only source of healthcare for nearly 100,000 people in its district. Services offered at the clinic are complemented by regular mobile clinics conducted in villages that are only accessible by boat.

BD and Direct Relief have worked together since 1996, helping people in developing countries and disaster-ravaged areas, supplying and delivering specifically requested medical supplies to communities in greatest need. BD and its associates are contributing money, products, talent and time to help people in Ghana treat disease and improve lives by raising health standards.

Direct Relief has assisted public and private healthcare facilities in Ghana since 1991 by supplying more than $5.5 million (wholesale) of critically needed medicines, medical supplies, nutritional products and medical equipment. Limited access to clinical and laboratory health services is a major constraint to battling disease in developing countries. The majority of the disease burden exists in non-urban locations (districts and rural villages), and access to health services in these locations is often poor to non-existent. Malaria, tuberculosis, malnutrition and HIV/AIDS are primary health concerns in Ghana. Read more.

Forbes has given Thomas Tighe's Direct Relief International a perfect score of 100% for fundraising efficiency for the fifth straight year in the magazines annual evaluation of America's leading nonprofit organizations
In the category of donor dependency, which "tries to measure how badly a nonprofit needs [a] contribution to break even," Direct Relief was assigned the highest score of any U.S. charity, 154%. The organization also received a score of 99% in the "charitable commitment" category, which measures "how much of the total expense went directly to the charitable purpose."

About Direct Relief International:
Founded in 1948, nonsectarian, and funded entirely by private contributions;
Provides humanitarian medical material assistance to people in developing countries and areas hit by natural disaster or civil strife;
In fiscal year 2006-- $190 million wholesale value in medical material assistance to 56 countries;
$10 million in cash investments to strengthen local health services;
$23.8 million courses of treatment provided;
$30 million in aid to the U.S Gulf States following Katrina;
Over $15.5 million in aid furnished to California nonprofit clinics since 2003.

Thomas Tighe moderates discussion of NGO's with Bill Clinton and Paul Orfalea in Santa Barbara
As part of a $400,000 commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative, the Orfalea Family Foundation is providing financial assistance to medical material aid nonprofit Direct Relief International for warehouse capacity building, including software and mechanical equipment, to increase the organization’s global disaster preparedness. The grant was finalized at a public dialogue on global issues with former President William J. Clinton and Kinko’s Founder Paul Orfalea in Santa Barbara. Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief as well as COO of the Peace Corps under President Clinton, moderated the event.

“It was an honor to moderate a discussion with President Clinton and Mr. Orfalea,” said Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief. “You cannot have a more energetic and committed representative for low-income communities than President Clinton and I’m thrilled that UCSB students had the opportunity to hear his optimistic outlook.”

With these funds, Direct Relief will be undertaking a significant and ground-breaking improvement to its enterprise software, which forms the backbone of its inventory and worldwide shipping logistics. The change will enable the organization to handle greater volumes of material aid quicker and to more partners. The Orfalea grant will also make possible the acquisition of an additional forklift and pallet rider at Direct Relief’s main warehouses, which will double the productivity level of the picking and inventorying processes. Direct Relief maintains 62,000 square feet of space between two warehouses in Santa Barbara, with a standing inventory of approximately $100 million in medical material supplies and pharmaceuticals.  Read more.

Read more about Thailand RPCV Thomas Tighe and Direct Relief International.

Spotlight on Peace Corps Vanuatu

Amy Schmitz and Jason Harris have life-changing experience in Peace Corps in Vanuatu
Schools in Vanuatu would shut down for two months during the hurricane season, Schmitz said. “For those months everyone left the school except us,” she said. This is when the couple was truly secluded. They were without phone service, electricity and running water. They had to collect rain water as their water source. They had to walk everywhere as there were no roads. “It’s not your typical Peace Corps experience,” Harris said. 

While Schmitz and Harris had some hairy experiences, they said they wouldn’t change their time in Vanuatu for anything. “It was fabulous. It was the most amazing experience,” Schmitz said. “I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would, and more. What I enjoyed about it was different than what I originally thought I’d enjoy. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

“You learn to relax and I learned what I can and can’t do,” Harris said. “It taught me flexibility because we didn’t have the materials there (we’d have elsewhere).” “I learned tolerance and patience,” Schmitz said. “You have to keep an open mind. It also made me aware of the kind of teacher I wanted to be.”

The two believe it was a good idea for them to wait until they had been married a few years before they went into the Peace Corps. “That’s what made it work,” Schmitz said. “You have to have a strong relationship. It’s stressful to live in a new culture, and if we wouldn’t have known each other (as well as we did), it would’ve been even more difficult.” The couple has two children: 3-year-old Theron (named after a Peace Corps volunteer they served with) and 1 1/2-year-old Aran. “I hope our kids have the same curiosity about the world and cultures that we do,” Schmitz said. “I also would like to instill in our children a sense of gratitude for the country we live in and a desire to help others less fortunate than ourselves. If they should choose to serve in the Peace Corps, I would be very supportive of that decision.”

“I also hope our kids will travel independently and even join the Peace Corps to get a better sense of the world and a realization that there actually are other countries, cultures and ideas out there — not just for personal growth and sharing with others, but to develop a sense that American foreign policy matters to the world,” Harris said. “We are not alone and should not act like it.” Read more.

Vanuatu Peace Corps Volunteer Tim Dobson has a volcano at his doorstep
"The island of Ambae, which is about 2 miles from my island, which I can see from m front yard, was supposed to erupt the whole first year I was there. It is an active volcano with a lake in its crater. So as the story goes all we needed was a decent earthquake to crack the lake bottom so the water could flow in and really get the pot stirred up. Well, the whole time I was there we had about 15 to 20 tremors but I guess none quite big enough to trigger the volcano, so no show. The day I land back in the states, the sucker goes off! 9,000 or so feet up in the air it shoots smoke and ash. The story they are telling back on Maewo, is that the gods were upset that the white man left, that’s me, and there not sure he will return, however, when he gets back from America bearing gifts, the water which flows freely on Maewo will put the volcano out. I told you it was a different culture. I’ll let you know how it turns out."

"Other than the obvious modern amenities, what are some of the differences and similarities if any between the two cultures? You know people are people no matter where you are. Everybody wants a good life and to provide for their children. The difference in life styles are too many to write and most people wouldn’t or don’t care to understand. The people on Maewo where I live, live in poverty by most people’s standards … but they are not starving, they grow their own food and we have plenty of water. They are very happy people, you never hear them complain, they laugh a lot, not too many worries. It really is what most people in America say they work their butt off trying to achieve." Read more.

Vanuatu RPCVs Christie and Eric Nelson provide an example for vehicle-addicted Americans that there is another way to move
The source of Eric and Christie Nelson’s motivation - the impetus for walking an hour to church, biking for miles on a scorching summer day to get to college classes, trudging through snow to run errands or go to work - is varied. Eric said his mom walked to work for years. And his first dramatic foray into alternative forms of traveling occurred while the Albert Lea resident was attending the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City. "I biked home from school one year," he said. Christie said she grew up in a nonrecycling, conversion-van driving family, but majoring in biology and environmental studies changed her thinking. "It brought a new level of awareness and responsibility, I guess," she said.

"The physical, emotional and spiritual gains are great when you bike and walk. I think all of us know exercise is essential for a healthy body. It feels good to move our bodies, propelling it with our own power. In addition to keeping fit, we look forward to our commute as a time to refresh our minds, reconnect with one another and thank our Creator for the blessings of the new day."

The couple, who met while fifth-graders in Albert Lea, had an eye-opening experience about appreciating the luxuries of America while serving in the Peace Corps in the South Pacific island-country of Vanuatu. And they learned about America’s natural resources and beauty - not to mention getting a lesson about their personal stamina - while spending four months walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail. "When people say, "Oh, it’s not walking distance,’ that expression just tickles me," Christie said. "Because what’s walking distance? Is it Georgia to Maine? That’s walking distance." Read more.

Read more about Peace Corps Vanuatu.

Read more about bicycles and the Peace Corps.

Warren Wiggins: Architect of the Peace Corps

Obituary for Warren Wiggins, Architect of the Peace Corps
Warren W. Wiggins, 84, the major architect and organizer of the Peace Corps who wrote the basic philosophical document that shaped its mission, died of atypical Parkinson's syndrome April 13 at his home in Haymarket.

In 1961, Mr. Wiggins, who became one of the top leaders of the high-profile agency in its earliest years, was an unknown foreign policy adviser whose brief paper, "A Towering Task," landed in the lap of the Peace Corps' first director, R. Sargent Shriver, just as he was trying to figure out how to turn President John F. Kennedy's campaign promise into a working federal department.

The response to it became legendary in the agency as "the midnight ride of Warren Wiggins." Shriver, burrowing through correspondence shortly after midnight on Feb. 6, 1961, was electrified by the treatise, which urged the agency to act boldly. A small agency was more likely to fail because its projects would not be consequential enough, Mr. Wiggins wrote. Using specific examples, with a proposed staff size and budget, Mr. Wiggins suggested that Kennedy act through an executive order for the quickest start.

Shriver fired off a telegram at 3 a.m., directing Mr. Wiggins to appear later that morning at the Mayflower Hotel, where he had his office. When Mr. Wiggins appeared, he was astonished to find that his exposition had been mimeographed and distributed to Shriver's task force. According to the 1994 work "A History of National Service in America," Shriver ordered everyone to read the paper, then said it came closer to expressing his views than anything he had seen.

"Shriver from the beginning saw him as someone who had the spirit of moving big and fast," former senator Harris Wofford (D-Pa.), who was there, said in an interview. "The Peace Corps, small and symbolic, might be good public relations, but a Peace Corps that was large and had a major impact on problems in other countries could transform the economic development of the world."

At the time, Mr. Wiggins was a 38-year-old deputy director of Far East operations in the International Cooperation Administration, just the sort of bureaucrat the new administration disdained. But he was no stereotype; he was "totally dissatisfied with the manner in which American overseas programs were run," wrote John Coyne, a historian of the Peace Corps.  Read more.

Excerpts from "A Towering Task"
"Many Americans feel that there is a necessity to add another "tool" or "resource" to those presently available for accomplishing needed changes abroad. Not only do we need to bring another kind of asset to bear on our foreign problems, there is an urgency in these problems that demands we move more quickly. The National Peace Corps is a program that will allow the United States to move faster in many situations. This progress often requires the availability of large numbers of personnel, which would be provided under this program. The National Peace Corps would provide another way to expand education, to build a road, to promote 4-H Clubs, or to eradicate malaria. As such it holds forth the promise of potential accomplishment abroad of great importance to America."

"Less discussed but perhaps of great significance is the possibility that as Americans serve abroad over a period of time they become more oriented to the world scene and are better prepared to participate in world affairs. Many draw a parallel to the impact of American attitudes of having 14 million Americans under arms in World War II, a considerable portion of whom served abroad."

"Most of the academic and other institutional approaches to the opportunity of the National Peace Corps suggest tentative pilot projects, involving small numbers of people and consequently a limited political, economic and psychological impact. This cautious approach is proposed by many because of the clear possibility of a fiasco. The organization and administration of a large number of Americans working on a variety of programs and projects in many countries with varying cultures and needs undeniably is an extremely complex and difficult undertaking. It is the prevailing view that if a great many Americans are scattered abroad and if significant numbers of them fail either in their own eyes or in the eyes of the recipient peoples, or if large numbers of the Americans have severe health, emotional or other problems, the resulting criticism will extend far beyond the project per se."

"In other words, it is here postulated that a "small," "cautious" National Peace Corps may be worse that no Peace Corps at all. It may not receive the attention and talent it will require even for preventing trouble. A. slow, cautious start may maximize the chance of failure. A small, cautious National Peace Corps may be a diversionary path of inconsequential accomplishment and major administrative and diplomatic trouble."

"The purpose of this paper is to advocate consideration of a "quantum jump" in the thinking and programming concerning the National Peace Corps. Its postulate is that America ought to consider initiating the program with several thousand Americans participating in the first 12 to 18 months - say, 5,000 to 10,000. The ultimate level of manpower to be utilized in this program will of course depend upon its initial success and difficulties. However, the potential of this program is great and it may prove to be the case that it should be at the 30,000, the 50,000 or possibly even at the 100,000 level. Even this latter higher level Corps over the past 35 would mean that only one out of every 30 years. (?) youths would serve in the Peace Corps."

"Such a national effort on the part of the United States can not be undertaken easily or without a great deal of thought and preparation. This paper does not advocate that there is a clear conclusion that we ought to have a large National Peace Corps. What it does advocate is that a National Peace Corps starting on a small scale and growing, say, to the 5,000 level on a worldwide basis, is a marginal undertaking and may, on balance, cause more trouble than it is worth. Because this paper postulates that there is a large and fundamental motivation behind the Peace Corps idea of national and international importance, it advocates making a real assessment of the relative value and cost of starting large and accelerating to the extent that the program's contribution is commensurate with its cost."

"The Executive Branch should decide that the Peace Corps will be launched in calendar year 1961 and at a level sufficiently large to: 1) Assure maximum chance of success; 2) demonstrate that major activities can be undertaken in particular countries; and 3) test the wisdom of a variety of types of approaches and activities. Thus, it is believed that in February President Kennedy should decide that, even in advance of legislation and formal administrative structure, the Peace Corps will be launched with a major Presidential statement or speech, that a call for volunteers will be thus issued, that preparatory work for a series of specific pilot projects will begin, that screening of applicants will be under way, that to the extent necessary appropriate contracts will be negotiated and that selected foreign governments will be contacted."

"The Administrator of the National Peace Corps would be charged with the development of an immediate program which would look toward the utilization of, say, 5,000 to 10,000 youths in the next 12 to 18 months. Certain major projects should be undertaken, such as the Philippines proposal contained in this paper, which would utilize 1,000 youths the first year. Probably a parallel English teaching program for Nigeria ought to be instituted immediately, involving another thousand teachers. The National Peace Corps could also be effectively used in health programs such as malaria eradication and smallpox vaccination, particularly in Africa. The existing voluntary agency programs for youths abroad should be expanded as rapidly as possible to absorb up to an additional thousand youths in the next 18 months. Maximum utilization should be made of National Peace Corps personnel in the regular "Point IV" activities of ICA abroad in some 60 countries, which could probably make use of 1,000 youths in the next 18 months. Likewise, Peace Corps personnel could be attached to the 40 university contracts abroad, adding, for example, another 300 to 400 to the total."

"These and the host of other activities that have been suggested should be carefully screened and selected projects initiated. The actual final number to be enrolled in the Peace Corps in the first 12 to 18 months should of course depend upon the volume of good programs that can be developed and successfully administered."

Read the original document "A Towering Task" that shaped the Peace Corps' mission.

Read John Coyne's special issue of "Peace Corps Writers" commemorating "A Towering Task."

Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell Missing in Philippines

Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell Missing in Philippines
The Philippine police and military are searching for a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer missing for nearly a week in a mountainous northern area, officials said Saturday. Julia Campbell, 40, was last seen on April 8 in the town of Banaue in Ifugao province, where she had planned to hike alone, said U.S. Embassy spokesman Matthew Lussenhop. The area, about 160 miles north of Manila, is famed for its mountainside rice terraces and pine forests. The armed wing of the Communist Party -- the New People's Army -- also operates there.

The Peace Corps started looking for Campbell after she missed appointments on April 11. "Embassy security officials and Peace Corps security and local authorities are in that region right now looking for her or finding people who may know where she is," he said. Regional police commander Chief Superintendent Raul Gonzales said at least four teams from the provincial police office have been mobilized for the search, after the U.S. Embassy told them Campbell was missing. He said the directive to conduct the search came from the national police headquarters in Manila.

Maj. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang said members of an army company in Banaue also joined the search Saturday, after receiving an order from the military's Northern Luzon Command. A military helicopter will help with the search, he said. "We were unaware of the incident. We learned only today that someone has been missing," he said.

Campbell, of Fairfax, Va., has been teaching college in Albay province's Legazpi city, southeast of Manila, since March 2005. She was planning to hike in a hilly area near Batad village, about a mile east of Banaue's town center, the embassy said. The embassy appealed to the public for any information on the welfare and whereabouts of Campbell. It offered a reward, but did not specify an amount. Campbell, who worked as a journalist in New York, contributed a story to CNN about the death and destruction in the wake of supertyphoon Durian, which hit Legazpi in late November. Read more.

Related Stories:

Read more about Peace Corps Philippines.

Read more about Peace Corps Volunteer Walter Poirier III, missing in Bolivia since 2001.

Read more about Peace Corps Volunteer Richard Starr, held hostage in Colombia for over two years.

Read more about Safety and Security of Peace Corps Volunteers.

Caption (bottom photo): A Bangaan Village in Ifugao Province near Banaue. Julia Campbell had been planning to hike in a hilly area near Batad village, about a mile east of Banaue's town center. Photo:  My Visita Iglesia Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

A majority of adults (55%) support increasing the federal budget to allow everyone who is qualified and wants to serve in full-time service programs such as the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps to do so

A majority of adults (55%) support increasing the federal budget to allow everyone who is qualified and wants to serve in full-time service programs such as the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps to do so
In a recent Harris Poll, nearly three in four (73%) U.S. adults agree that it is important for young people to serve their country, but that this service should be voluntary. When given an array of non-military civilian service opportunities, like tutoring and mentoring disadvantaged youth, improving health services, building affordable housing, cleaning parks and streams and helping communities respond to disasters or a military option, almost two-thirds of adults (63%) agree that there should be another option in which young people can serve their country.

These are some of the results of a Harris Poll of 2,337 U.S. adults conducted online between January 11 and 18, 2007 by Harris Interactive(R). This survey was conceived and developed by Harris Interactive and was not commissioned by any organization. However, valuable input was sought and received from the National Youth Leadership Council.

Adults are not ready to reinstitute drafting young adults into service -- military or civilian. Slightly more than four in 10 adults (43%) support a draft of young adults where they could choose to serve in the military or in non-military civilian service. Only one in four (24%) support a draft for military service and far fewer adults support a draft of young adults only for non-military civilian service (14%). However, over three-quarters (77%) disagree with the concept that it is not important for young people to serve their country.

A majority of adults (55%) support increasing the federal budget to allow everyone who is qualified and wants to serve in full-time service programs such as the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps to do so. Just under one-third (30%) oppose this idea. Support for increasing the federal budget for these programs is consistent across the generations as well as between the genders. There is also strong support for this idea amongst those who have earned post graduate degrees (64%).

Looking across party lines, somewhat stronger support for increasing the federal budget comes from Democrats (61%) and Independents (59%), than from Republicans (52%). Nevertheless, it appears to have bipartisan support. When we look at political ideology, it is a little different. While two-thirds of Liberals (66%) support an increase in the federal budget, only 44 percent of Conservatives feel the same way.

"What is significant about these results is the agreement across demographic groups and ideological lines. Republicans, Democrats and Independents all support higher funding for non-military civilian service opportunities," said Chris Moessner, Research Director in the Youth and Education Research Practice at Harris Interactive.

Jim Kielsmeier, President and CEO of National Youth Leadership Council offered these comments, "When the need is clear, America's youth respond. Military enlistments went way up after 9/11. Likewise, the volunteer response by AmeriCorps members and college and high school students to Hurricane Katrina was dramatic. Hundreds of thousands of young people headed to the Gulf Coast to help out -- often filling in for deployed National Guard troop. The current generation of draft-eligible youth and their younger counterparts are volunteering at record rates according to the Corporation for National and Community Service, the government's primary volunteer service agency and AmeriCorps manager. An estimated 55 percent of youth ages 12 to 18, about 15.5 million, volunteer." Read more.

Senator Chris Dodd says he would like to expand the Peace Corps to 100,000 from the 7,000 currently serving
A former Peace Corps volunteer, Dodd said he would like to expand the corps to 100,000 from the 7,000 currently serving. There are only two Arab-speaking countries — Jordan and Morocco — with Peace Corps volunteer programs. "We haven't been asked to be something larger than ourselves for a long time," he said. Read more.

"John Kennedy, when he sent off the first Peace Corps volunteers...said you know it’s going to be a great thing in 40 or 50 years from now there will have been a million young people in this country that will have served their nation in a foreign nation..That’s going to help us in the conduct of foreign policy with a better understanding of what’s going on."

"Well, there have only been 170,000 of us that have come back as Peace Corps volunteers, but that experience was life altering and changing. You respected other people, you listened to them. It gives you a better perspective on your own country. I came back with a deeper appreciation of what the United States was and what it could do as a result of that experience." Read more.

Read more about National Service and the Peace Corps.

Spotlight on Peace Corps Mongolia

Peace Corps Volunteer Michelle Toon writes: From the West Side to Mongolia
"I've been in Mongolia for seven months. After landing in Ulan Bator, I and 56 other Peace Corps trainees were bused to a "ger camp." A ger is a traditional Mongolian home that can be described as a round felt tent supported by wooden poles. Though it was June, it felt like February. It had snowed two weeks earlier. Mongolia is a country of extremes. Its sun is as oppressive as its poverty. The summers are short and blazing and the winters long and bitter - 30 degrees below zero bitter. Its people are generous to a humbling degree. Nothing is mine or yours. They consistently say the word manai, which means our. Our Mongolia. Our project. Our Michelle. Waking up that first morning in the ger camp, the mountains were staggering. There is something familiar yet inexpressible about the landscape here. The people are reflections of it. They build little mountains on the roadsides in the form of Buddhist shrines. And with their ceremony and solemnity they are mountains themselves." Read more.

Caption: Ulan Bator Photo:  chill Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0

Stephanie Trafton serves as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia
In June 2006, Stephanie arrived in Khujirt, the 13th century capital of the great Mongolian Empire. She arrived somewhat overwhelmed. In a cell phone interview to her in Mongolia last week, Stephanie related the following: "Picture this," she explained. "You're dropped off in front of a ger (a nomadic felt dome tent) that is completely bare (sans a wooden futon that is broken, and two cabinets), you don't know anybody besides the director of the school who knows absolutely no English, you're hungry but have no electricity yet, and no wood for the stove.

"The only water you have is the stuff in your Nalgene bottle because you don't know where the well is yet, and school wasn't starting for two days. The director said you should be 'amarij bain' (resting)." That didn't dissuade her from changing her mind. To her, it was a way of experiencing life. She left her ger, went for a walk, found the girst delguur (little shop) and made friends with the owner who told her about the town.

Scarfs and hats are no longer a fashion statement. She wakes to a frozen water bucket and almost everything else in her ger. She's had to chop off blocks of ice and put them in her water boiler to make her morning tea everyday trying not to think of her frozen toes.  "Jumping from Florida weather to this makes me think that I just might have skipped a few baby steps," Stephanie laughingly said, "but all of this is making me stronger. I go to bed with three pairs of socks, long underwear, pajamas, two undershirts, and a sweater. "I find that cocooning myself inside my sleeping bag liner, zipping myself up all the way and covering myself with another thick blanket on top does the trick."

She teaches grades 6 to 11 but does other projects as well. One of Stephanie's goals is to build a Resource Room. Currently the students don't have pencils, and sometimes lessons are made up by her. She said it's difficult. With only a handful of books, she is trying to get books for the 1st grade to 4th grade levels and nothing above that. Books such as Dr. Seuss or grammar books with no more than 30 pages and large letters are needed for this project. She also has an English club in the afternoons where the students play games. Although there is one school from Kindergarten to grade 11 with a dormitory next door called a Hudoo (phonetic spelling) which means countryside, children from other villages stay at the dormitory. Classes are separated by grades. The children speak Mongolian and have a different alphabet. But Stephanie is persevering in teaching them and feels that she is accomplishing something. "It's amazing. You learn so much about the people," she said. "Mongolians love foreigners, especially in the villages. A lot of my students have never seen an American before," she continued. Read more.

Tschetter visits Volunteers in Mongolia
Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter completed his four day visit to Mongolia, where he met with Volunteers and staff and discussed Peace Corps' program with government officials. "The Peace Corps program in Mongolia is flourishing thanks to the welcoming spirit of the Mongolian people, and I’m excited to witness the growing friendships between the people of our countries," said Director Tschetter.  Tschetter and his wife, Nancy, who is accompanying him on his official visit, were Peace Corps Volunteers in India from 1966 -1968.

The Director met four of the 14 Peace Corps Volunteers working in community health. This program focuses on working with individuals and communities in Mongolia to improve their health and well-being through preventative health education programs. Volunteers working in the rural areas have developed dynamic strategies to promote health awareness and prevention behaviors, including HIV/AIDS prevention programs. After visiting Volunteer sites in some of the rural areas of Mongolia, Tschetter visited the host village of San Francisco, Calif. native and Peace Corps Volunteer, Sean Speer. Director and Mrs. Tschetter stayed in Speer’s village for the evening and spent the night in a traditional Mongolian ger, a style of felt tent that many Mongolians and Peace Corps Volunteers call home. Read more.

Four weeks after Kathy Davies returned from Mongolia, she is ready to expose the public to the nomadic lifestyle in an exhibit of watercolors, photography, and folk art
For Kathy, the photographs and paintings recall her stay in Mongolia. "It was definitely educational, in a way that no classroom could ever touch. ... For two years, it was a different life, but it was still my life, and I had a different experience with noticing the cultures, and everyday things that actually stood out because I was a foreigner in a different place. "I've come back to America with that same attitude. I think [I am] looking at everyday things with a different set of eyes and just kind of appreciating how beautiful it is here a little bit more."

Kathy adds that she came back wanting to educate more people about Mongolian culture. "The Mongolians are really impressive people, and I'd like more people to appreciate that. [The Peace Corps experience] gives you a different perspective on the world, and I wanted to share that with other people. If you do that through images, I think it's a lot more effective and powerful."

The art exhibit will include an ovoo, a cairn made of rocks or sticks and blue silk scarves, which Mongolians build as sacred sites, and Kazakh wall hangings, which are elaborately embroidered wall coverings used to warm the walls of gers, or yurt-like homes, in western Mongolia. "All the threads they use for [the wall hangings] they sell in the market," Barbara says. "I did a whole painting on that. It was a line of different types of threads they use and it made a wonderful photo as well as a painting."  Read more.

Read more about Peace Corps Mongolia.

Read more about Returned Peace Corps Volunteers working on the Third Goal.

Peace Corps will inaugurate a new program called "50 plus" to encourage Peace Corps volunteers of 50 years and above

Peace Corps will inaugurate a new program called "50 plus" to encourage Peace Corps volunteers of 50 years and above
The Peace Corps Press Office has given us details about a new program for volunteers 50 and above: "“The 50+ population represents a tremendous opportunity for the Peace Corps.  Just think of the lifetime of experience additional 50+ Volunteers could bring to our host countries.  These are folks who already volunteer at high rates and who have a desire to share their expertise and skills.  The Africa, EMA, and IAP regions have each identified three pilot posts to review, monitor, and make recommendations for the needs of potential 50+ Volunteers.  While there are challenges involved in increasing our number of 50+ Volunteers, the opportunities outweigh these challenges.  As the 50+ population continues to increase here in the U.S., we have to do this, and we will make this happen together.”  Read more.

Cameroon to be one of the three African countries in which the Peace Corps will inaugurate the new  "50 plus" program
Peace Corps Country director Robert Strauss told journalists at the end of his audience with Prime Minister and Head of Government Ephraim Inoni that they had reviewed the Peace Corps activities in Cameroon in the domains of computer literacy, health and agro-forestry. He disclosed that Cameroon is one of the three African countries in which the Peace Corps will inaugurate a new program called "50 plus". This involves encouraging Peace Corps volunteers of 50 years and above to come and work in Cameroon. The program consists in increasing the average age of volunteers in Cameroon so that people who come should have skills that are more relevant and demanded by the people of Cameroon. Mr Strauss said that Prime Minister Ephraim Inoni was grateful with the presence and work of the US Peace Corps in Cameroon.  Read more.

Read more about Older Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps.

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers: Wine, Wild Women, and Song

Drink With Paraguay RPCV Philippe Newlin For a Solid A
For two nights every week, Philippe Newlin holds forth at the Business School and SIPA on the more exciting parts of the vinous world: the political economy of Spain, the open rebellions in Australia, the terroir-istes in Burgundy. As the tasting director for Wine & Spirits magazine and a long-time instructor at New York's International Wine Center and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust of London, Newlin has a story or two to spin.

A fast-talking native of Manhattan, who would be mute without his arms, Newlin knows how to relate the complexities of wine to just about anyone. At age 42, he has been a Peace Corps volunteer in Yhu ("blackwater"), Paraguay, a cab driver at the height of the crack epidemic, a waiter at Brasserie Les Halles ("back when the celebrities still went there"), and an investment banker with Swiss Bank Corp., now UBS. He speaks five languages and is leading the IWC's first courses in Spanish this spring. He doesn't come across as a wine geek, and his classes are more about enjoying what's in the glass than figuring out what rootstock a vintner's using.

He feeds off the raw wackiness that comes from mixing people and alcohol, even as he tries to maintain order and focus. The format of the class helps, with everyone seated in a semicircle around him, and the assistants only pour two wines at a time. There are notes on the blackboard, but the lecture is extemporaneous and always passionate. "If you like strawberries, gamay is your wine," he says, twirling a Beaujolais Villages. "Put this one in your lunchbox." For pairing food with a Volnay: "You have those garlicky snails, and then you have that bright cherry fruit, and then you're like, oh yeah. Or you're like, yuck, because it's snails."

Surprisingly enough, this light approach wasn't born from childhood familiarity with great wine, though his mother is from France. "Growing up, I spent every summer in the Loire Valley drinking bad wine mixed with water," he says. "It was only as a banker visiting South Africa that I had really good wine, and chucked the beer in favor of this stuff." Despite the loose structure, most of the course is focused on the practical side of things. After pouring the third and final round, he gives the temporarily restrained class his tips for enjoying wines as delicate and fragrant as pinot noir. Read more.

If wild women are said to wear red, then Namibia RPCV Toddre Monier must have a closet full of the hue
The owner of the "Wild Women Wear Red" shoe boutique knows a fashionable, comfortable pair of shoes when she sees them, and she knows how best to sell them. "I wanted to create a store that would not only be a sanctuary and communal space for women, but would also be a place of inspiration featuring shoes that comfort the soul," Monier says.

As a Peace Corps volunteer, Monier was on assignment in Namibia when she dreamt she owned a shoe store with a name that represented the fire, passion and wildness that exists in every woman. Upon returning to the United States in 2000, she and her husband opened the boutique, which owes its success to serving a specific niche market. The business was profiled in the Washington Post in May 2002.

"Washington, D.C., is a walking city, and we carry what no one else in the area has," says Monier of her stylish, functional footwear and handmade crocheted bags. "Although our clientele comes from all walks of life, our main customers tend to be professional women and graduate students." Based on her shop's steady business, Monier hopes to open another shoe boutique in the area and someday buy a home overseas. Until then, she is content to empower women to be both fashionable and comfortable in their footwear. Read more.

Korea RPCV Cris Groenendaal has played the role of the Phantom in the hit musical "The Phantom of the Opera" more than 860 times on Broadway
After Groenendaal graduated from college, he joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in South Korea. Then he returned to Erie, got a job in a bank, and auditioned for local theater productions. "There was a lot of local really wonderful community theater," he says of Eerie. "I started doing all these different roles, from Shakespeare to Eugene O'Neill. I got a lot of wonderful experience." In July 1975, a stint with a summerstock theater in Ohio helped Groenendaal earn membership with Actors' Equity -- the national union for performers and stage managers in professional theater. By September of that year, Groenendaal had decided to move to New York to pursue acting full-time. "There were a lot of unknowns, but I wouldn't have taken such a plunge if I didn't feel like I could do it," he says of the transition.

There were plenty of challenges in New York, from finding an apartment to auditioning for four years before finally landing a role in the Broadway show "Sweeney Todd." "You go with a little bit of money, and you just start to learn the ropes by talking to the right people, auditioning and taking the right classes," he says of starting out in New York. Groenendaal says his "big break" came when he was hired as a chorus member and understudy for the lead male role of Anthony in "Sweeney Todd" in 1979. Victor Garber, who originally played Anthony, left the show after six months, leaving Groenendaal to take over the role.

In the 26 years since then, Groenendaal has performed in a myriad of other productions -- including "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway, where he started with the role of Monsieur Andre and later went on to play the phantom -- and produced two albums with Anderson. The couple also has performed together across the country. He has soaked up the limelight in a slew of other roles on Broadway, including the original Monsieur Andre in "The Phantom of the Opera;" Miles Gloriosus in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum;" Major Rizzolli in "Passion;" Louis in "Sunday in the Park with George;" and Anthony in "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." Read more.

Read more about the Peace Corps and Small Business.

Read more about the Peace Corps and Fashion.

Read more about the Peace Corps and Music.

Read more about Peace Corps Humor.

First Cambodia Peace Corps Volunteers sworn in

Peace Corps sends first ever mission to Cambodia
Three Americans sang the Cambodian national anthem in the Khmer language at a ceremony in Phnom Penh on Wednesday to herald the official start of the U.S. Peace Corps' first volunteer program in this impoverished Southeast Asian nation. All 400 attendees stood as Sam and Kara Snyder, a couple from Buffalo, New York, and Autumn West, from Greenback, Tennessee, opened the event by singing the national anthem in Khmer. They then sang the U.S. national anthem while their fellow volunteers and American officials stood to attention with their hands on their chests.

Conor Cronin, from Scarsdale, New York, delighted the audience by delivering a speech in Cambodian, with Felicidad Garcia, from Miami, Florida, acting as his translator for the American guests. The crowd laughed when Cronin joked that he was chosen to give the speech because he was "the most handsome volunteer." "We, the volunteers, have come to Cambodia from different parts of America, each with a different history. But we are all here ... with the same commitment to serve as best as possible in every way," Cronin said. Read more.

Caption: Peace Corps Cambodia volunteers clap during a swearing-in ceremony at National Institute of Education in Phnom Penh on April 4, 2007. Thirty English teachers, the first group of Peace Corps volunteers will serve in Cambodia teaching English at the upper secondary level and supporting teachers in Cambodian provinces and districts to improve their English language and teaching skills. Reuters/Chor Sokunthea

Tschetter swears in first Cambodia Peace Corps Volunteers
Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter swore-in Peace Corps' first group of Volunteers, signifying the beginning of an historic new partnership with the Kingdom of Cambodia. “This first group of Peace Corps Volunteers is bringing with them the great tradition of service and friendship to an extraordinary country and a remarkable people,” said Director Tschetter. “They are not only trained professionals, but they are dedicated Americans who share in common a spirit of service and a commitment to make a difference in the lives of the citizens of Cambodia.” New Peace Corps Volunteers during their swearing in ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph A. Mussomeli also participated in the swearing-in ceremony. He remarked, “Cambodia is the kind of country President Kennedy had in mind when he created the Peace Corps. Peace Corps Volunteers do more to advance freedom and justice in the world and protect American ideals and principles than any other program of the United States government.” Director Tschetter thanking His Majesty King Sihamoni of Cambodia for the warm hospitality and friendly welcome of the Cambodian people

Following the swearing-in ceremony, Director Tschetter had an audience with His Majesty King Sihamoni and thanked His Majesty for the warm hospitality and friendly welcome of the Cambodian people. In return, His Majesty said, “On behalf of the Cambodian people, we are grateful for your initiative and cooperation and we thank the Peace Corps and the American people for their work in advancing peace and stability in Cambodia.” Read more.

Read more about Peace Corps Cambodia.

Spotlight on Peace Corps Panama

Panama RPCV Florence Reed's Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) plants their two millionth tree
After graduating from UNH with a B.S. in Environmental Conservation and International Affairs, Reed joined the Peace Corps and lived in Panama from 1991 to 1993, planting trees and working on reforestation projects. "The Peace Corps forces you to figure out what needs to be done," said Reed. She explained that her experiences at UNH and her time in the Peace Corps inspired her to begin her nonprofit organization.

Ten years ago, when she was living in her parent's house, Reed got the idea to create Sustainable Harvest International. However, she had no money and no means to do so. She needed a miracle, and she got it that day. An old friend from Switzerland unexpectedly called from overseas and donated $6,000 for her to work with. "If you have a dream to make a positive change in the world, the universe will conspire to make it happen," said Reed. "Don't feel like you can't do it. Surprising things will happen." Because of her friend's generosity and her parents' donation of the spare bedroom for an office, Reed was able to found SHI in May 1997.

The mission of SHI is to work toward environmental, economic and social sustainability. Trained local staff in Belize, Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras work with farmers by teaching them more sustainable methods to use in farming their land. Not only will these methods increase their output, but they will help to grow more varied crops, improving locals' diets. SHI also works with communities by creating loan funds for those who may need to borrow money. Volunteers help in local schools, aiding teachers in the classroom or interacting with students. They have helped families build wood-sustainable stoves that burn longer and create very little smoke, which pollutes homes and causes lung cancer in many people each year. "We have a very charitable mission," said Reed. Read more.

While working in the remote fields of Panama as a Peace Corps volunteer, Zachary McNish listened
While working in the remote fields of Panama as a Peace Corps volunteer, Zachary McNish listened. He listened to the villagers describe how they lived their lives and the many hardships that confronted their community.

During his three years of living with the Wounann people in the Rio Hondo area of Panama, McNish learned, for instance, that the indigenous group faced difficulties irrigating their crops. He also found them resistant at first to new agricultural methods, even though these efforts would likely increase their yield. By listening first, then acting, McNish finally managed to introduce new farming techniques that have helped the Wounann with their crops.

These same qualities served McNish well as a contributing member of Duke Law School community. Shortly before graduating with his law degree this spring, McNish was selected for a prestigious service medal given each year by the university. “Working for the Peace Corps was more of an instinct than a calling,” McNish said. “My desire to help others is specific. … Looking back, I liked being an advocate for people.” Read more.

Panama RPCV Mari Lyn Salvado brings an exhibit on the Kuna to the  Museum of Man in San Diego
Mari Lyn Salvador first saw molas being sewn back in the 1960s, when she arrived in Panama as a Peace Corps worker. The hand-stitched blouses are pieces of art. Their elaborate designs depict items in the day-to-day lives of the Kuna people of Panama's coast. Canoes. Gourds. Fish. Coming-of-age ceremonies. Even political figures and cereal boxes have become subjects. Salvador, an artist and then-budding anthropologist, was fascinated by the tradition. Half of her life's work as a scholar became study of the Kuna.

"I was interested in the geometric patterns and how they came up with them and what the reference is," said Salvador, pointing to a gourd and then to a blouse depicting gourds. Now, as director of the San Diego Museum of Man, Salvador has brought an exhibit on the Kuna to San Diego.

"The Art of Being Kuna" features hundreds of molas and 300 other pieces of Kuna handcraft, including baskets, wooden objects and gold jewelry. Two mola craftswomen from Panama and two Kuna elders will be in San Diego this weekend for the opening of the exhibit to demonstrate and discuss their culture. The focus is "the importance of form and beauty for the Kuna in everyday life," Salvador said. Read more.

Panama RPCV James A. Brunton Jr. is the force behind the 12-year, $1.5 million, "Fitzcarraldo"-like feat of building a 92-foot boat out of rain forest hardwoods with indigenous labor
A rich, sunburned gringo in a straw hat from country-clubby Westport, Conn., was in command when this unusual boating party sailed in Sunday. His presence, and his encouraging the native crew to wear their traditional garb for visitors, raised all sorts of complicated questions. Whose mission was this, really? How to reconcile the capital's fashion habits with the topless women below deck? And was the entire endeavor -- how to put this -- stone loco ?

"We're bringing a piece of the rain forest here," says James A. Brunton Jr., 62, the man in the straw hat, the force behind the 12-year, $1.5 million, "Fitzcarraldo"-like feat of building a 92-foot boat out of rain forest hardwoods with indigenous labor. "That has a powerful impact."

He is a former Peace Corps volunteer (1967-69) in the Darien rain forest (not to be confused with Darien, Conn.) who says he made a lot of money with a Westport-based software company and has used some of the proceeds to create the Pajaro Jai Foundation to help the people he met in his Peace Corps days. The name of the boat is Pajaro Jai, too, a phrase cobbled from Spanish and Embera to mean "Enchanted Bird."

In a gentle breeze spiked with Old Bay seasoning from the Maine Avenue SW fish wharf, the Pajaro Jai bobs at anchor at the Capital Yacht Club. With its two tall masts and three sails, it is all varnished butterscotch luxury, quite a contrast against the white fiberglass of neighboring craft, with names like Story Maker II, Prospero and Brigadoon.

There are seven Embera aboard, plus nine others, including sailors who give the Indians crew lessons. But just what is the deal with the loincloths, jungle paint, dancing and breasts, anyway? Is there anything that so recalls the bad old days of medicine show exploitation, tourist trinket colonialism, insulting old dioramas at the Smithsonian, cliches of National Geographic titillation? Brunton has a ready answer: "This isn't dress-up for charade; this is real," he says. "We don't want to represent them as Latinos, because they're not Latinos. They are the original people of the rain forest. . . . It's who they are. However you interpret it, tough luck." Read more.

Read more about Peace Corps Panama.

Spotlight on Peace Corps Micronesia

Joe Murphy writes: Early members of Peace Corps brought along ideas of freedom and independence to Pacific Islands
"The United States seemed to give up acquiring more land during and after World War II. They didn't get any in Europe and let the Philippines become independent. In fact, most of Asia gained independence. With the idea of Manifest Destiny behind us, you have to wonder what went through John F. Kennedy's mind when he suggested the formation of the Peace Corps. Did he think that sending out thousands of young, bright Americans would allow the islands to become a legitimate part of the United States?"

"The strange thing about the Peace Corps involvement with the islands is that they never seemed to push the American flag on the people. In fact, there is evidence that says just the opposite. It was the Peace Corps members who worked hard to convey to the islanders the idea of being independent. Or, in Saipan's case, the idea of a Commonwealth with the United States. I don't know what the history books will say about all this, but it was my conclusion that Peace Corps volunteers, imbued with the idea of freedom and independence, brought both to Micronesia. Hooray for them. I'm pretty sure that this is what happened in Palau, as well as other places. I would like to know how JFK felt about all this." Read more.

Jody K. Olsen travels to Micronesia to meet Peace Corps Volunteers and partners
Peace Corps Deputy Director Jody K. Olsen traveled through the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) from March 26 – 30 to meet with Volunteers, staff, and government officials. Olsen said, “I came to thank our Volunteers, staff and local partners for their dedication to serving others. I am proud of our 40-year partnership in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau. Since we began in 1966, over 3,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have been dedicated to serving in many fields to improve the lives of Micronesians.“ Peace Corps entered the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in 1966 when it was still part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

There are presently 47 Peace Corps Volunteers working with partner agencies in Micronesia. The first group of Volunteers taught English at all education levels. In the 1970s, Peace Corps moved into agriculture, health, and community development. In the 1980s, Volunteers worked mainly in sanitation, forestry, and fisheries. From 2000 to 2005, Volunteers worked on natural resources conservation, community building, and youth development. From 2006 to the present, Volunteers focus primarily on teaching English. Jody Olsen, Deputy Director of the Peace Corps appointed by President George W. Bush, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tunisia. Read more.

Caption: (Rt. to Lft.) Deputy Director Jody K. Olsen in a photo during her meeting with Micronesian President Joseph Urusemal and Country Director David Reside.

Micronesia honors first Peace Corps Volunteers Country Director, John Pincetich
Micronesia’s first Peace Corps Volunteers country director, John Pincetich, was honored at the Governor’s Office for his long and dedicated services to the organization when its headquarters was located on Saipan from 1966 until 1978. Pincetich came to Saipan in the fall of 1966 when more than several hundred Peace Corps volunteers arrived in Micronesia for the first time. Micronesia at the time was under the U.S. Trust Territory administration before the islands all went their separate ways politically, beginning with the Northern Marianas in 1976.

Kurt Barnes, who came to Saipan with the third group in 1966, accepted the plaque presented by Governor Benigno R. Fitial and Lieutenant Governor Tim P. Villagomez. The plaque together with a joint legislative resolution will be sent to Pincetich in the U.S., who will be celebrating his 90th birthday September 14th. “Being in a unique position of directing hundreds of outspoken sixties-era volunteers in a place under the American flag required John to use all his skills of diplomacy,” Fitial said of Pincetich. “He was a great friend of our people as well as of the many Peace Corps Volunteers that he influenced.” Read more.

Caption: Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and Lt. Gov. Timothy Villagomez hand over a plaque of recognition to Peace Corp volunteers during the press conference at the governor's office in Capitol Hill. In photo are, from left, Steve Woodruff, Ann Jordan, Kurt Barnes, Chuck Jordan and Mike Malone. Photo: Jacqueline Hernandez

Cecilia Hartmann has made her life in the South Pacific
The year was 1970. The Vietnam conflict was being fought by guerilla fighters in the jungles of Southeast Asia. That same year, Cecilia Hartmann of Paterson graduated from Seton Hall University in South Orange with a desire to do something positive. So she joined the Peace Corps. "I wanted to go to Vietnam, but it was off limits," says Hartmann, 61. "I wanted to work with children." Instead, in 1971, she was sent to Chuuk, a remote island that is the most populous of the four states making up the Federated States of Micronesia. Hartmann now calls Chuuk home, and for the past 25 years she has been teaching school there.

Life was primitive on the lush island bathed by intense tropical sun. Hartmann's mistake was failing to wear sunglasses as protection from the harmful ultraviolet rays. About two years ago, her vision started to blur due to cataracts. The condition deteriorated to the point where she needed an operation not available in Micronesia. She did research on the Internet and returned home to Paterson to stay with her sister and mother. In May, a surgeon at PBI Regional Medical Center in Passaic performed operations on both eyes. She returned to Chuuk in July with perfect vision.

After her arrival, Hartmann soon learned her assignment was among the most difficult for Peace Corps workers because the Pacific island is so secluded. At that time, only three flights a week landed there and only an occasional ship. It had no electricity, roads or running water. The only American on the island, she was housed with a family with 10 children. Although English is the second language, Chuukese is the difficult mother language.

Despite linguistic difficulties and the huge adjustment of living in a two-room, wood-and-aluminum-roofed shack, Hartmann decided to stay beyond her initial two-year commitment. Hartmann says she liked teaching in a much simpler environment. "I was going to stay anyway because I liked it, but then I met my husband, who was a descendant of some of the early German traders," Hartmann says. Hartmann calls the natural beauty of the island alluring. "My heart is on the island," she says. Read more.

Read more about Peace Corps Micronesia.

Christopher Shays calls for the creation of a National Public Service Academy

Christopher Shays calls for the creation of a National Public Service Academy
In a press conference with Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Arlen Specter, R-Penn., Shays will propose legislation commissioning the U.S. Public Service Academy. The institution would offer a free college education for young people who agree to five years of public service. "Just like we have military academies to create military leaders, we'd like to have an academy of public service [for people who] have devoted their education to this concept," Shays said in an interview. The academy would prepare young Americans for public service positions in fields including education, the environment, health care, foreign policy and law enforcement. Academy students would earn four-year bachelors of arts or bachelors of science degrees. Unique programs proposed include a mandatory junior year abroad and summer learning programs focusing on emergency response or military training. Congressman Chris Shays of Connecticut served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Fiji in the 1960's.  Read more.

Stephen Barr writes: A Push to Create a Fresh Class of Public Servants
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Reps. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) re-introduced legislation to create a U.S. Public Service Academy. A version introduced last September was too late for any congressional action, but Clinton and Shays promised to try to get the votes for passage this year. Chris Myers Asch and Shawn Raymond, who served in AmeriCorps together in Mississippi, came up with the idea for the academy after seeing friends shy away from government careers because of school debts or because they could not see themselves working in a large bureaucracy. "We are not getting people to come into public service," Moran said, in part because the cost of higher education steers young people to more lucrative jobs in the private sector. Moran said the academy is urgently needed because it would help fill staffing gaps in agencies created over the next decade as more federal employees retire.  Read more.

Pitching a Public Service Academy
When Shawn Raymond and Chris Myers Asch finished their two-year Teach For America assignments, they weren’t ready to leave public education behind. With little capital and lofty aspirations, the two started the nonprofit Sunflower County Freedom Project, which provides after-school mentoring and academic tutoring to hundreds of low-income students. Raymond, a Houston lawyer, and Asch, 33, executive director of the Sunflower Country Freedom Project, determined there was a need for a centralized public service academy after noticing a post-9/11 spike in student interest in social service projects. Raymond said both he and Asch could afford to live on a teacher’s salary while in Teach For America, but that many students emerge from college with major loans. “The problem is that so many kids are priced out of doing the kind of things that are good for our country because they owe so much money by the time they are done,” Raymond said. “Our point is, why not prioritize service and make the opportunities available to everyone.” That translates into what Raymond and Asch hope would be a four-year, all-expenses-paid education, courtesy of the federal government. They estimate the annual operating budget to be about $205 million (based on calculations that the median per student expenditure at state universities is about $40,000 each year).

Parts of the curriculum would look similar to a traditional liberal arts program, with graduates earning a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree. There are also service-oriented components to the education. Each summer, students would be enrolled in a different structured learning program (emergency response training and an armed forces internship, for instance). They would likely major in a traditional subject and be required to take courses in foreign languages and international relations – all in preparation for a junior year abroad. Raymond said he would like to see students choose a public service concentration – such as health care, education or law enforcement – and serve in that field after graduation. The current plan calls for the university to place graduates in jobs based on the students’ areas of interest and on regional employment needs.  Read more.

Read more about the proposal to create a National Service Academy.