Peace Corps News

Dominican Republic RPCV Joseph Acaba Makes First Spacewalk

RPCV Joseph Acaba Makes First Spacewalk

Mission Specialist Joseph Acaba and crewmate Steve Swanson installed a truss to support the solar array that powers the orbiting space station. They astronauts also installed a second Global Positioning Satellite antenna on the Japanese Kibo laboratory that will be used of a rendezvous with a Japanese cargo ship in September. Acaba also helped photograph areas of radiator panels extended from the Port 1 and Starboard 1 trusses and reconfigure connectors at a patch panel on the Zenith 1 truss that power Control Moment Gyroscopes. Last, Acaba and Swanson fixed a faulty pin that kept an unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system from fully deploying. The spacewalk was the mission's second and lasted about six-and-a-half hours. It ended at approximately 4:21 p.m. Pacific time. Dominican Republic RPCV Joe Acaba is a Mission Specialist Educator Astronaut with NASA.

"It’s really great meeting all these people and I don’t think most people -- I know I didn’t -- realize the amount of work that goes into each and every mission that we have. It’s just a huge base of people that support us and we’re very fortunate that we get to hop in the shuttle and go for a ride and come back. But we really appreciate and we know how much people are working -- whether it be our flight control team, going out and talking to sub-contractors, going out to the Cape and talking to the people out there -- and what really strikes me is just their enthusiasm. Everyone you talk to, no matter what part they have with the space program, they’re excited and they love what they do and they know how important it is. We know that every day they’re working hard so that we’ll be successful and it’s just, it’s great to go out there and meet them and hear their stories and share our stories with them. "

Acaba said he credits his Peace Corps experience with helping to lay the groundwork for this newest career endeavor. “I learned a lot of great skills [as a Peace Corps volunteer], and I’m sure it helped in the selection process, being able to live in that type of environment,” said Acaba. Acaba, who grew up in Anaheim, Calif., left a career as a hydrogeologist to join the Peace Corps, where he served as an environmental educator.

“The Peace Corps was my first job as a teacher,” he said. “Once I did that, I really knew I wanted to teach.”

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Peace Corps Volunteer Murdered in Benin

 

Peace Corps Volunteer Murdered in Benin

Catherine "Kate" Puzey was found outside her home on March 12 in the village where she worked as an English teacher. Peace Corps and the U.S. Embassy in Cotonou are coordinating with local police authorities, who are currently conducting the investigation and will make a final pronouncement into the cause of death. The Government of Benin has expressed condolences to the U.S. government and pledged full cooperation and support in this matter. Ms. Puzey began her Peace Corps service in Benin on July 17, 2007. She had served in the Peace Corps as a TEFL English teacher in Badjoude for almost two years. She is a native of Cumming, GA. She was 24 years old.

The Puzeys said authorities have two suspects but haven't told them many details about the investigation. They said they don't believe her death was random. Neither the State Department nor the Peace Corps has commented on the cause of death. The Puzeys last saw their daughter when she came home in June for her mother's 60th birthday. Her mother then went back with her to Africa for a few weeks. They last spoke to her March 8, when she called them, as she did every Sunday, from a spot on her porch, the only place her cell phone worked. Emilie Jacobs-Finnegan, 31, spent her November birthday in Benin visiting her cousin. Jacobs-Finnegan said she was struck by how truly integrated her cousin was -- Puzey's best friend in Benin was a local midwife and she ate her meals with villagers instead of isolating herself at home.

Kate's funeral was held in Georgia on Saturday March 21 at the Birmingham United Methodist Church. President Barack Obama and the president of Benin, Dr. Boni Yayi, offered condolences to the Puzey family. Peace Corps/Benin Country Director Sheryl Cowan accompanied Kate's remains back to her family in Georgia and joined other Peace Corps and U.S. government officials, including acting Director Jody Olsen, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson ( R-GA ) and acting Regional Director for Africa Lynn Foden at the services. The response to Kate's death has been extraordinary. The Peace Corps community, Volunteers in Benin, and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers ( RPCVs ) from Georgia and around the U.S have contacted and supported the Puzey family. Kate wrote in her Peace Corps Aspiration Statement in July 2007, "My international background has instilled in me a responsibility to act as a world citizen and I see the Peace Corps as my opportunity to take such action." Kate's love of service and community was shared by all who knew her. She will be greatly missed.

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Peace Corps Madagascar Program Suspended

Peace Corps Madagascar Program Suspended

Due to ongoing security concerns in Madagascar, Peace Corps acting Director Jody K. Olsen has approved an evacuation and temporary suspension of the Peace Corps program in Madagascar. Peace Corps/Madagascar staff is now in the process of evacuating Volunteers. These actions were precipitated by the anti-government protests and looting that have been taking place on and off since late January, primarily in Antananarivo, and some regional cities. Peace Corps staff has been in daily communication with Volunteers, and all 112 Volunteers in Madagascar are accounted for and safe. Peace Corps staff in Madagascar continues to work closely with the U.S. Embassy to carefully monitor the situation, and appropriate actions have been taken under the Peace Corps/Madagascar Emergency Action Plan.

All Peace Corps Volunteers have been safely evacuated from Madagascar and are now in Johannesburg, South Africa, where they will take part in a transition conference. They will be offered the option to complete their service or explore other Peace Corps service options available to them. Volunteers in Madagascar were working in the areas of education, environmental and agricultural conservation, health and HIV/AIDS awareness, hygiene promotion, animal and wildlife preservation, and business development.   Read more.

Caption: Madagascan soldiers separate supporters of opposition leader Andry Rajoelina and President Marc Ravalomanana in the capital Antananarivo February 14, 2009. Photo: Reuters/Carl Hocquart/Files