Peace Corps News

Peace Corps Samoa Volunteers are Safe and Accounted For

All 35 Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Samoa are safe and accounted for after a large earthquake near Samoa triggered tsunamis in the area. Peace Corps leadership in Washington, DC remains in constant communication with Peace Corps staff in Samoa and will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation. At this time, volunteers have been asked to remain in their host communities unless otherwise directed.

The scene of devastation in Pago Pago village, on American Samoa Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. A powerful quake in the South Pacific hurled massive tsunami waves at the shores of Samoa and American Samoa, flattening villages and sweeping cars and people back out to sea while leaving many dead and dozens missing. AP Photo/Ausage Fausia

Peace Corps Volunteers in the Philippines Are Safe

In light of the recent flooding in the Philippines, Peace Corps can confirm all volunteers currently serving in the Philippines have been contacted by Peace Corps staff and are safe. No volunteers are serving in or near the area affected by the heavy rains and floods.

"On behalf of the Peace Corps and the more than 7,500 volunteers serving around the world, I send my condolences to the people of the Philippines. We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and the destruction caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana," said Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams.

Currently, 79 Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) and 10 Peace Corps response volunteers (PCRVs) serve in the Philippines. Sixty-seven (67) Peace Corps Trainees are currently undergoing pre-service training in the Philippines; they will be sworn-in as volunteers on November 13th, 2009.

PC Monitor 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus in Mexico

Peace Corps is closely monitoring the 2009 H1N1 flu virus, and Peace Corps staff and Volunteers worldwide have been advised of the situation, and of precautions they should take. We are pleased to report that there have been no reported cases of H1N1 within the Peace Corps community. Peace Corps staff in Washington, including a full-time epidemiologist, is working with the Department of State, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and others to monitor the situation and to ensure that, as an organization, we are ready to respond to any eventuality.

Read more.

Have French Atomic Tests in the Pacific put Peace Corps Volunteers at Risk?

Samoa RPCV Michael L. Driscoll writes: "In the Summers of 1973-1974, the French did 12 Atomic Tests in French Polynesian atolls, in the atmosphere, at elevations of around 800 to 1200 feet in the air. I served in Western Samoa, from February 19, 1973 until November 14, 1974, as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I went through the 3 months of Peace Corps Training in country, Western Samoa, and upon graduation, was assigned the the Department of Education, and the Teachers Training College, in Apia, Western Samoa, as a Math Instructor. I was in Group 11. As I am writing this today, I am not able to say with certainty, that we were aware of the French doing their Atomic Testing in the French Polynesian Islands, to our West and South. I do know that I had some unexplained skin issues that came to my attention in the Fall, 1974, and when I went to the Peace Corps Nurse, she could not tell me what it was on my stomach, arms, and legs. The appearance was concentric, and just red circles, and while I was in the hot and humid climate of Western Samoa, the condition was that if one were to put a finger on my stomach, which had a redness and exposed blood vessels, about 2" in diameter, the finger would show blood on the end of it."

"For 30 years I thought that I had psoriasis; but, in May, 2004, I went to a dermatologist in Spokane, Washington, and he said I had EAC, Erthyma Annulare Centrifugum, and also said that the doctor in 1974 probably didn't know about EAC, as it has some characteristics like psoriasis. I also developed a thyroid condition in 1999, and have been taking a morning thryoid pill since, and will for the rest of my life, take this 75 mg Synthroid pill."

"I personally believe it was the French Atomic Tests that were putting me and all of the other Pacific Islanders at risk, as these tests were in the atmosphere. When I was in Western Samoa, the population was about 150,000 Samoans, of which about 3500 caucasions and other nationalities were present on the Islands. I am unaware of anyone serving in the Peace Corps at the time, nor am I aware of any Samoans, who were experiencing skin issues while I was, when I was there in 1973-1974. There are many thousands of Islanders, in a radius of 1000 or more miles from the French Polynesian atolls, that may be having health issues."

Read more.

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.

Read more.

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

 

Some Peace Corps Volunteers return to Bolivia on their own

The Peace Corps flew all 113 of its volunteers out of Bolivia on cargo planes, and 78 of them later decided to leave the organization. But several of those -- more than 15, by some of their estimates -- have since returned to the cities and villages of Bolivia to keep working on their own. In the aftermath of the evacuation, a sense of distaste lingers for some. Why, when so many of them felt so safe, were they forced to leave?

The Peace Corps instructed Cooper Swanson to leave as soon as possible for Cochabamba, the regional capital and home of Bolivia's Peace Corps headquarters. A commercial he saw on television as he was leaving -- an attack on Goldberg for meeting with an opposition governor -- left him with a feeling that this "consolidation" might be different. "At that moment, I was like, 'We're not going to be here much longer.' Just a direct hit on the United States," he said. When the Peace Corps' Bolivia director, Kathleen Sifer, spoke to the worried group Sunday morning at a hotel, she was already speaking in the past tense, Swanson said: "You were all great volunteers." They would be leaving for Lima, Peru, she said. In an hour. Some volunteers, Nourse recalled, "just started bawling." The Peace Corps' evacuation of all its volunteers in Bolivia last month forced Swanson, 24, to consider these goals and make a choice: stay with the Peace Corps and finish his term in another country, or leave the organization and return to Mizque. He would not have the salary, health insurance, support network or protection that come with the Peace Corps, at a time of sporadic political violence in Bolivia and just after the government had thrown out the U.S. ambassador. "It wasn't even really much of a decision," he said. In an e-mail to friends and family, he wrote soon after the evacuation: "I am no longer a Peace Corps volunteer."  Read more.

Caption: Former Peace Corps volunteer Cooper Swanson, 24, teaches his students computer basics at the all-girls Catholic boarding school in Mizque.Swanson decided to return to Bolivia on his own after being evacuated by the Peace Corps due to security concerns because he wanted to finish the work he had started there as a volunteer. Photo: Evan Abramson-The Washington Post

A PCV writes about PCVs who have left Bolivia
"I'm so proud of the people who chose to go back to tie things up, or stay in their sites and work for a while longer.  It says a lot about those people, and (in my opinion) how important their Peace Corps experience was to them.  For us transfers, that was an unfortunate draw-back.  Many of us would have loved to have gone back to Bolivia for a week and THEN go to another country, but it was not an option because the government is still obligated to protect us as volunteers, and Bolivia isn't safe enough for them to let any current volunteer visit.  I would encourage the Press to give a more rounded version of the story.  They probably can't find a current volunteer willing to give an interview (we're not supposed to, for our safety and privacy), unfortunately, but the least they could do is research more of the post-Close of Service options and reasons behind taking this path.  Then the numbers might not look so dramatic.  But then again, what is the Press if not Drama?  Not News...certainly not! " Read more.

Some former volunteers angry at Peace Corps Bolivia pullout
The hasty pullout came directly on the heels of Bolivian President Evo Morales' Sept. 10 expulsion of the U.S. ambassador for allegedly inciting opposition protests. Arnstein was among disappointed volunteers who believe their government overreacted, hurting U.S. interests with the blanket withdrawal. True, some parts of Bolivia were dangerously unstable, but most volunteers felt no security threat, several told The Associated Press.  "Peace Corps, unfortunately, has become another weapon in the U.S. diplomatic arsenal," said Sarah Nourse, 27, of Mechanicsville, Md., another volunteer who opted out.  Nourse had been developing trash management projects in a small town in the eastern state of Santa Cruz, the center of opposition to the leftist Morales. She questioned the wisdom of depriving Bolivians of a rare firsthand opportunity to weigh Morales' anti-U.S. rhetoric against real Americans.  The top U.S. diplomat for Latin America, Thomas Shannon, told The Associated Press that security was the only reason behind the "saddening" pullout.  "We don't politicize the Peace Corps," he said. Read more.

Peace Corps Suspends Program in Bolivia

Peace Corps/Bolivia Program Suspended
[Sept 15] Peace Corps operations in Bolivia have been temporarily suspended to ensure the safety of the Peace Corps Volunteers serving there. With growing instability in Bolivia, all Volunteers were consolidated on Sunday, September 14, and have now been moved to Peru where they will be transitioning out of service or to another post.  “Our first priority is the safety and security of our Volunteers,” said Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter. “Thousands of Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Bolivia since 1962, building deep friendships with the people there. We hope the situation will improve soon so future Volunteers can continue the Peace Corps’ fine tradition of valuable service to the Bolivian people.”  The Volunteers serving in Bolivia will be granted close of service in good standing, or offered an opportunity to transfer to another Peace Corps country. Read more.

Peace Corps temporarily suspends operations in Bolivia because of "growing instability"
[Sept 15] Since the turmoil began some three weeks ago, Bolivian President Evo Morales has thrown out the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, accusing the American government of inciting the violence. The expelled ambassador, Philip Goldberg, called the charges "false and baseless" and said Bolivia was making a "grave mistake." Members of the 4-month-old Union of South American Countries lent support to Morales on Monday night, voting to create a commission to support the Bolivian government, according to President Michelle Bachelet of Chile. Evo Morales, Bolivia's first Indian president, is battling an autonomy movement in the natural gas-rich eastern departments of Santa Cruz, Pando, Beni and Tarija. The movement was sparked by Morales' pledge to redistribute wealth from the east to the country's poorer highlands. The unrest killed more than 30 people last week in Pando, and Morales declared martial law there Friday. Read more.

South American leaders support Morales in Bolivia unrest
[Sept 16] South American presidents holding a crisis summit here over unrest in Bolivia issued a strong statement giving Bolivian President Evo Morales their support.  The statement late Monday agreed by Morales and the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela also rejected any break-up of Bolivia's territory.  The nine presidents in the Chilean capital Santiago expressed "their full and firm support for the constitutional government of President Evo Morales, whose mandate was ratified by a big majority."  Argentine President Cristina Kirchner said after the six hours of talks that "the agreement was unanimous."  She had called the summit under the auspices of the newly formed Union of South American Nations, which is currently presided over by Chile. The summit statement said the presidents "warn that our respective government energetically reject and will not recognize any situation that attempts a civil coup and the rupture of institutional order and which could compromise the territorial integrity of the Republic of Bolivia."  Read more.

US Ambassador Philip Goldberg ordered out of Bolivia for alleged support of opposition groups
[Sept 14] Philip Goldberg was on Wednesday told to leave the country by Bolivian President Evo Morales, who is struggling with a revolt in five rebel states.  The Fides news agency said Goldberg would host a final private dinner for friends late Saturday and would make a statement before flying out.  On Saturday, Morales justified the expulsion order against the envoy by saying it was the indigenous peoples' rejection of "the American empire."  The order declaring Goldberg persona non grata "subscribes to the struggle of indigenous people not only in Bolivia but in all of Latin America, who have for 500 years fought empires of the time," Morales, an Aymara Indian, told reporters in La Paz.  The expulsion prompted shows of solidarity by Morales's chief ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who told the US ambassador to his country to go, and Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who refused to accept the credentials of a new US ambassador. Read more.

This is not the first controversy surrounding Philip S. Goldberg's tenure as US Ambassador to Bolivia.

 Peace Corps Volunteer Life with Evo writes: Refugee Status
[Sept 16] "Counterparts called Peace Corps and told them their volunteers were not safe. We watch as friends in our communities respond to the calls to take up arms and we don’t know what we should do. Is it that serious? It must be this time. I usually tell people Peace Corps is consolidating, and they respond with a wave of the hand and a “No pasa nada…” Nothing will happen. This time they respond with tears. Tears for their people, tears for their country, as they process feelings of total bewilderment and despair. After all, where will they go? They have no consolidation point, no evacuation plans.  After my arrival Friday night in Cochabamba, I sleep and wait. The longest hours of life. Waiting, without any idea with what might happen, without explanations. Saturday we move hotels. Sunday we get the message that we are indeed evacuating to a neighboring country. We are not told where. Then we move again. It’s for our safety, they say. Anti-American sentiment is high and no one can know where we are going or that we have even consolidated. We’ve only told our communities that we have to meet up for a minute and that we should be back. Yeah right.  Monday we are scheduled to get out of the country. It is an interminable wait. Half of the volunteers have already been evacuated to Peru. My group is still in Bolivia. No one is allowed to say anything to friends or family for fear that the military cargo plane that had to jump hoops to get clearance for a bunch of Americans to get into Peru will run into problems and that we will have no way out. American airlines has cancelled flights in and out of Bolivia til the end of the month. Private chartered planes have waiting lists of 20+ organizations and hundreds of Americans are waiting for a chance to get out." Read more.

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Photos: 

Top: Bolivian Army soldiers patrol Cobija, Pando department, northern Bolivia. Street violence which erupted in Bolivia last week, killing at least 18 people, was the result of a "coup" by rebel governors, President Evo Morales said Monday as he arrived in Chile for an emergency summit on the crisis. Photo: AFP/Alexandre Lima

Middle:  President Michelle Bachelet of Chile reads the final statement of the emergency summit.

Bottom:  A view from the Peace Corps office in Cochabomba.

Peace Corps Volunteers in Georgia Safely Relocated to Armenia

Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter announced today that all Volunteers and trainees serving in the Republic of Georgia are safe, and they have been temporarily relocated to neighboring Armenia. The decision to relocate the Volunteers is due to the ongoing conflict taking place in the South Ossetia region of Georgia and bordering areas. All 36 Peace Corps Volunteers and 49 Peace Corps Volunteer-trainees serving in Georgia are safe. Personnel from Peace Corps/Georgia, as well as Peace Corps/Armenia, are now supporting the Volunteers. The Peace Corps/Georgia office is still open in Tbilisi, and is constantly and carefully monitoring this situation along with Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington. Peace Corps Volunteers do not serve in South Ossetia, the separatist region located in the north of Georgia along its border with Russia.

Russia sent troops rolling into a breakaway region of Georgia after Georgian troops sought to enter the capital of the pro-Russian enclave, in a sharp escalation of the longstanding conflict
Georgia is a strong American ally whose shift toward the West and pursuit of NATO membership has angered Russia. Washington said Friday that it would send an envoy to the region to try to broker an end to the fighting. The clashes raised the specter of a wider conflict in the Caucasus region, a key conduit for the flow of oil from the Caspian Sea to world markets and an area where violent conflict has flared for years along Russia’s borders, most recently in Chechnya. Georgian forces said Friday that they had won control of the capital of the rebel enclave, South Ossetia, but Russian peacekeepers in the city said they had not seen Georgian troops in the capital, Tskhinvali. One unconfirmed report said Georgian forces had shot down two Russian planes; Georgia said its aircraft had bombed a convoy of Russian tanks that moved into the area.

PCV B & C Go To Georgia writes: "We Interrupt Our Regular Progamming..."
As you may have seen on BBC or CNN, Georgia and South Ossetia have come to blows again (South Ossetia is the breakaway region just north of Gori). Gori, as you may remember, is where we lived last summer during training. This year, luckily, the trainees are in a different location. Gori is, still, however, on the main road between our site and Tbilisi. There's been fighting and troop movement for the past few days, as happens every few months and we were on Alert, but everything seemed well enough this morning. The highway is out and we're on standfast (meaning we're to stay put), so, conversely, I'm stuck in Tbilisi, while Brenden can't get here. Meanwhile, one of the bombs hit the major cell phone company's office in Gori, so cell phone service is unreliable. However, since I'm at the Peace Corps office in Tbilisi, I should be safe and have Internet access, and although Brenden isn't, he's with the Peace Corps staff. Neither of us are near the border with South Ossetia, so although things will probably get worse before they get better, I'm not worried about our safety.

Read more.

Peace Corps/Kenya Program Reopening

After a four-month hiatus due to unrest after elections in December, a group of 24 Volunteers arrived in Nairobi on June 10. All of the returning Volunteers had been serving in Kenya when the instability began and the Peace Corps program was temporarily suspended. In announcing the return, Director Tschetter said, "We are absolutely delighted to see Peace Corps Volunteers return to Kenya. I visited the Volunteers in Kenya last summer, and I know the outstanding work they were doing and the goodwill and friendships they had developed in their Kenyan host communities. The Peace Corps has a deep relationship with the Kenyan people and we look forward to resuming our partnerships, particularly through this period of recovery."

A group of over 40 new Peace Corps Volunteers will be arriving in November, 2008, and focusing on education, small enterprise development, and ICT. A subsequent group of over 30 public heath Volunteers will arrive in June 2009. As a result of preliminary discussions with the Government of Kenya, the Peace Corps is also exploring the expansion of its youth-related programming.

Since 1965, more than 5,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Kenya. In addition to the deaf education program, Volunteers have worked in the areas of education, small business development, and health and HIV/AIDS prevention. To learn more about the Peace Corps/Kenya, visit the Where Do Volunteers Go? web page.

Peace Corps/Kenya had a total of 144 Volunteers serving at the time of the elections in December, 2007. During the initial post-election unrest, Volunteers were consolidated in a variety of safe locations. On February 5, 2007, the Peace Corps temporarily suspended its program in Kenya due to the growing security concerns. Read more.

Kenyan Prime Minister Visits Peace Corps Headquarters

Peace Corps Director Ronald A. Tschetter welcomed the newly-appointed Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Amolo Odinga, to address the Peace Corps staff as part of the Loret Miller Ruppe Speakers Series. The series is a forum for distinguished individuals to speak about issues related to the Peace Corps' mission, such as volunteerism, international peace and development, and public service.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed the Kenyan government's partnership with the Peace Corps, and joined in celebrating the return of Volunteers to his country. "Kenya has developed immensely because of the Peace Corps," said Prime Minister Odinga. "I see the Peace Corps as part of a bigger cooperation between Kenya and the United States. The Peace Corps has united the American people with the people of Kenya. I have had the opportunity to meet some Peace Corps Volunteers...they work with a lot of dedication."

Said Peace Corps Director Tschetter of the recent return of Volunteers to Kenya, "I am delighted to say that 24 Volunteers arrived in Kenya last week, and they are already back at work. This November, over 40 new Volunteers will arrive in Kenya, and we are working to have the program back up to capacity as quickly as we can."

Prime Minister Odinga also spoke about the unrest in Kenya following elections in December of 2007, and how the Kenyan people are now working together to move the country forward. "I want to extend a message of hope and welcome," he said. "We deeply express our thanks to the United States for the assistance that they have given us. By getting involved they have demonstrated that they are really true friends. We are ready for business again, Kenya is safe once again." Read more.

Jessica (Jessi) Griffin is recovering after accident in Mozambique

Jessica Griffin decided to join the Peace Corps to travel and "to live and learn more," said her brother Ruben Griffin. She volunteered to work and teach in Mozambique in southeastern Africa. But  her life abruptly changed after she was involved in a head-on car crash that left her with skull fractures and numerous injuries. Jessica's family received first word of the accident midafternoon November 17, 2007.

Jessica, now 24, was pulled from the car, said Ruben, who works as a chef at Toast restaurant in Ferndale. "It took five hours for an ambulance to get to her," he said. She was taken to a hospital in Xai Xai, but she was so seriously injured the Peace Corps arranged to have her airlifted to Pretoria, South Africa.

Jessi currently is sightless in her right eye. She'll have corrective surgery on her left eye. It has third-nerve palsy, which controls eye movement. Her reconstructive surgery and other treatment will be covered by the Peace Corps medical plan.

When word got out about Jessi, her large extended family and many friends rallied around her. A pancake breakfast fund-raiser was held Dec. 15 at Ferndale High. Toast restaurant in Ferndale "provided the product," said Ruben Griffin, 30, Jessi's oldest brother, who lives in Ferndale and is a chef at Toast.

The initial impetus to raise money was Jessi's medical expenses, but the Peace Corps has pledged to cover them for at least the first 18 months. "They have been absolutely wonderful," said Nina Griffin, Jessi's stepmother. Funds raised have covered Jessi's needs, airfares to Africa and Kathryn's expenses during an unpaid leave from her employer, Credit Union One in Ferndale.

To donate to Jessica's Journey Foundation, send a contribution to Credit Union One, Attention: Vern McClure, 400 E. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, MI 48220 or call (248) 854-6357.

Read more here and here.

Doug Roberts travels to Vanuatu to where his son, Peace Corps Volunteer John Roberts died in an accident last year

Doug returned to where his son spent the last two years of his life. "I wanted to go back and ensure them that they really needed to have another volunteer there and sort of carry on John's work. John was there for two years and I didn't want his two years to be wasted there by not bringing in another volunteer." Doug was given a hero's welcome. “I was so happy that I did because as I was saying, a village of 75 people, there was 300 people there to see me."

One of the nation’s most presitgious events, a 100-Day ceremony, a tribute to the life of his son. "On one sense it was just completely sad because the tears were there, on the next sense it was just such a happy occasion for me because I was able to share that with them."

Then Doug himself made history, given the Medal of Gallantry from the president of Vanuatu, an honor never before bestowed on a foreigner. "It's shocking, it's stunning, John was killed and he was out of there in such a short period of time, the people never got a chance to say goodbye to him so when I went back for this 100-Day ceremony, it was a healing for me as well as for the people of Erramango.”  Read more.

What is Wrong at the US Embassy in Bolivia?

What is Wrong at the US Embassy in Bolivia?
On July 29, 2007, just before the new volunteers were sworn in, they say embassy security officer Vincent Cooper visited the 30-person group to give a talk on safety and made his request about the Cubans and Venezuelans. "He said it had to do with the fight against terrorism," said one, of the briefing from the embassy official. Others remember being told, "It's for your own safety." Peace Corps Deputy Director Doreen Salazar remembers the incident vividly because she says it was the first time she had heard an embassy official make such a request to a Peace Corps group. Salazar says she and her fellow staff found the comment so out of line that they interrupted the briefing to clarify that volunteers did not have to follow the embassy's instructions, and she later complained directly to the embassy about the incident. "Peace Corps is an a-political institution," Salazar says. "We made it clear to the embassy that this was an inappropriate request, and they agreed." Indeed, the State Department admits having acknowledged the infraction and assuring Salazar that it would not happen again. There is no indication that any of the volunteers made reports to the U.S. Embassy. The press director at the Peace Corps told ABC News in no uncertain terms that the corps is not involved in any intelligence gathering. Read more.

Peace Corps policy against intelligence connections is based on the general authority of the Director of the Peace Corps
Any connection between the Peace Corps and the intelligence community would seriously compromise the ability of the Peace Corps to develop and maintain the trust and confidence of the people in the host countries we serve. Consistent with the policy of every administration since 1961, Director Ron Tschetter, himself a former Volunteer in India (1966-1968), has been very clear in re-affirming this long standing policy and, once again, stressing that Peace Corps Volunteers work on community service and nothing else. Peace Corps policy against intelligence connections is based on the general authority of the Director of the Peace Corps, provided by section 5 (a) of the Peace Corps Act, to establish the terms and conditions of service of Volunteers, by the Foreign Service Act of 1980, and on long-standing agency policy prohibiting any connection between Peace Corps and intelligence activity first enunciated by Peace Corps Director Sargent Shriver in 1961.  Read more.

Bolivian President Evo Morales declares US embassy security officer Vincent Cooper as a “persona non grata”
Evo Morales explained that Cooper violated Bolivia’s legal norms by asking US students and Peace Corps workers to spy on Cuban and Venezuelan collaborators in Bolivia. Both the US Embassy and the State Department officially admitted to the espionage campaign for which Ambassador Philip Goldberg should be held responsible. The US Embassy will also need to explain its financial support for the Police Policy Studies Council, a parallel intelligence service dedicated to inciting destabilization campaigns. (ACN). Read more.

U.S. Diplomat Vincent Cooper Recalled After 'Spying' Allegations in Bolivia
The president of Bolivia voiced strong concerns and a U.S. diplomat has been recalled to Washington in the wake of an ABC News report that the diplomat asked a Fulbright scholar and Peace Corps volunteers to "spy" on Cubans and Venezuelans in Bolivia. Bolivian President Evo Morales today called on the armed forces to safeguard Bolivia's sovereignty against "espionage attempts" by the U.S. government. On Sunday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez referred specifically to the allegations made by Fulbright scholar Alexander van Schaick. "The United States had to admit to espionage," the fiery Socialist leader stated in Caracas.  Read more.

Peace Corps Volunteers Evacuate Western Kenya

Peace Corps Volunteers Evacuate Western Kenya
The U.S. Peace Corps is evacuating 35 of its volunteers from western Kenya because of the violence that has rocked the country since the disputed December 27 presidential election.  The relief agency says the volunteers are safe, and should arrive in the main Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam Saturday.  The Peace Corps has 144 volunteers based in Kenya, although the organization says 22 of them are currently out of the country. An agency statement says the remaining volunteers have been "consolidated in a variety of locations."  The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi is asking U.S. citizens in Kenya to remain indoors while the fighting continues, and urges them to consider leaving for their own safety.  More than 300 people have been killed in the post-election violence. Read more.

Caption:  Protesters and Police in Nairobi on January 3.  Photo:  Flickr  DSC04663 by MentalAcrobatics Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Peace Corps Volunteer Gillie Kehoe Details Perils in Kenya
By yesterday, Kehoe and other volunteers were out of Kenya, away from the carnage that began when President Mwai Kibaki won reelection. Peace Corps officials said 34 volunteers who were working in three western provinces would be temporarily moved to neighboring Tanzania. The Peace Corps has 144 volunteers in Kenya, 122 of whom were in the country when the unrest began, officials said. All of the volunteers have been accounted for and are safe, officials said. Safety and security are the top priorities of the Peace Corps, Amanda Beck, a spokeswoman, said yesterday, adding that the organization has emergency plans for every country and that they were engaged for Kenya. "Our plan is working. Everyone is safe and out of harm's way," she said. All of the organization's volunteers in Kenya have a cellphone and texting capabilities and were encouraged to contact their families, Beck said. The Peace Corps also checked on them twice a day, she said. "We were very closely monitoring the situation," Beck said. "I don't think anyone could have really anticipated what happened and the scale of what happened."  Read more.

Peace Corps Volunteer Hanna writes: There is this feeling of shock, defeat and injustice in the air... along with the tension that often chaperones those sentiments
We had the chance a few days ago to watch the news at a nearby hotel. In all honesty, things look MUCH worse on TV than they feel here. I mean, I'm not in Kisumu or Nairobi, but.... a lot of violence has gone down in Kericho, too.... and at least from where we sat, I NEVER would have described "how things are" as the scene that I saw on the news. It makes me sick to see it. I really am heartbroken. Perhaps the saddest thing for me is how ominous the future looks; I can't see how it will be resolved (if it can be resolved) and I certainly don't see it getting better before it gets worse. I don't think that one police officer is the only person who feels that way about justice. And it's becoming more and more apparent that there was (and remains) a lack of it.  Read more.

Caption: A riot police officer looks on as people flee the area of ethnic violence in Nairobi January 2, 2008. President Mwai Kibaki's government accused rival Raila Odinga's party of unleashing "genocide" in Kenya on Wednesday as the death toll from tribal violence over a disputed election passed 300. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer

Peace Corps Volunteer Naty writes: Young men walk up and down the roads, dragging their machetes along the concrete. It's designed to scare people. It's working.
Sitting here, inside the house, there's not much to do. Seven of us, Peace Corps volunteers together for the holidays, ate dinner in more silence than accompanied our other meals today and yesterday. Outside there is the sound of muffled voices on loud speakers and radios. There are houses on fire a little ways down the street in both directions. Young men walk up and down the roads, dragging their machetes along the concrete. It's designed to scare people. It's working. This afternoon, before the vegetable stand near the house was tear-gassed while we bought tomatoes, we saw people, presumably Kikuyus, walking towards the tea fields carrying large rice sacks stuffed with their valuables.They went to sleep in the woods, away from crowds and rioters. They were preparing for the worst. They were preparing for this. Read more.

New search for Peace Corps Volunteer Walter Poirier III

New search for Peace Corps Volunteer Walter Poirier III
The U.S. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Dover, Del., is examining bones and clothing discovered last month during the most extensive search yet for Lowell Peace Corps volunteer Walter Poirier III. The Peace Corps hasn't ruled out the possibility the bones are Poirier's, but others are doubtful. The six-year-old probe into Poirier's disappearance appeared stalled until the Peace Corps reinvigorated its search efforts and sent an advance team to Bolivia early this year to prepare for last month's expedition. Senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., a former Peace Corps volunteer, stepped in to ensure cooperation from the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia, which had had a strained relationship with the Peace Corps earlier in the investigation. Then, last month, Peace Corps Inspector General David Kotz led a 27-person expedition, including four members of his staff, eight search and rescue specialists from the U.S. National Park Service, two FBI agents and four handlers with cadaver-sniffing dogs.

Investigators believe Poirier attended a community meeting in the small village of Coscapa, about 11,500 feet above sea level, on Feb. 3, 2001. Then, against the advice of villagers, Poirier left in a heavy rainstorm headed toward the village of Liaullini, where there was a schoolhouse in which he kept a sleeping bag. There are numerous hydroelectric plants in the region and Poirier followed an aqueduct trail fed by drainage that would have had significant run-off about the time he was hiking it, according to a narrative prepared by the park service. The search team worked through extreme conditions in terrain so steep at points that members were forced to rappel alongside waterfalls and use machetes to cut through the underbrush. Despite the bones that searchers discovered, it's now believed Poirier's remains are buried under debris flows or were washed out of the search area, according to the park service.

Walter Poirier accepts that it was probably already too late to save his son by the time his wife Sheila Poirier contacted the Peace Corps to report him missing in March 4, 2001, but the immediate response by government officials afterward has been harder to stomach. The General Accounting Office, the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, placed blame for Poirier's disappearance on the Peace Corps, faulting it for not knowing he was missing until his mother reported she had lost contact. The GAO found that volunteers such as Poirier were often put in unfamiliar and dangerous countries with little or no direction or protection. There were various leads into his disappearance, but there have been questions over whether the Peace Corps investigator pursued them vigorously. One lead indicated Poirier may have been killed over a debt . A second reported he'd been buried in a mountain pass. Under pressure from Massachusetts' federal legislators, the Peace Corps hired an independent investigator in June 2004, but that didn't appear to help the investigation.  Read more.

Read more about Walter Poirier III.

Julia Campbell Murder Trial opens in the Philippines

Campbell’s mother recalls her daughter in testimony
Linda Campbell occasionally smiled, then tried to hold back the tears as she described her daughter Julia and how she had given up a promising career in journalism in the United States to come to the Philippines as a peace corps volunteer. Linda said she learned on April 11 that her daughter had been missing since April 8. Then, shortly before midnight on April 18, Geary received a phone call from Jon Sanders of the US Peace Corps in Washington D.C. relaying the news of Julia's death. "It was like someone had ripped my heart," said Linda, describing how she felt the day she got the news. Lawyer Reynaldo Agranzamendez, lead counsel for the prosecution, said he called on Linda to testify to show the gravity of the family's loss and how they suffered as a result of Julia's death should the court require Duntugan to indemnify them. Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell, reported missing after hiking in Ifugao, was found dead April 18, 2007.  Read more.

Teenager testifies he saw Duntugan just a few meters from where the 40-year-old Campbell was slain
A witness, who was one of the boys helping tourists go around the place, said he was playing cards with his friends when he saw Duntugan fleeing the place where Campbell’s body was later found in a shallow grave. The grave was just a few hundred meters below the Duntungans’ house where Campbell was last seen alive sipping softdrink she had bought from the suspect’s wife. Meanwhile, court sources said Duntugan’s lawyers have offered a plea bargain for the lesser offense of homicide, which under the Revised Penal Code carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment.   Read more.

Plea-bargain offer rejected  in Campbell murder case
The prosecution in the trial for murder of Juan Donald Duntugan, the accused in the killing last April 8 of US Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell in the highland tourist town of Banaue, rejected last Tuesday a plea-bargain offer of the defense for conviction of the accused for the lower offense of homicide. Lead prosecution counsel Reynaldo U. Agrazamendez of the Baguio-based law firm of Agrazamendez, Liceralde, Gallardo and Associates rejected the plea-bargain offer of the defense on behalf of the family of the late Campbell.

Linda Martin Campbell, mother of the slain peace corps volunteer who was present during the hearing, confirmed the family’s rejection of the plea-bargain offer of the defense when she was asked for her opinion by Presiding Judge Ester Piscoso-Flor of Regional Trial Court’s Branch 34 at the Justice Hall here. Had the prosecution accepted the plea bargain offer the trial would have ended right then and there, and Judge Piscoso-Flor would have pronounced Duntugan guilty of homicide. The accused would have escaped the maximum penalty of life imprisonment and would be meted a 20-year imprisonment sentence.   Read more.

Read more about the Julia Campbell murder case.

In the shadow of Virginia Tech, RPCV Sandra Lee Anderson remembers those killed by a gunman at the University of Texas

In the shadow of Virginia Tech, RPCV Sandra Lee Anderson remembers those killed by a gunman at the University of Texas
August 1, 1966–Our Peace Corps training class of 35 was ending its first Turkish class of the day. It was noon, and we anticipated the long walk across the 95-degree University of Texas campus to lunch.

We were a standard set of recent liberal arts graduates, a profile of what the Peace Corps wanted for a Muslim nation. We had a few sets of married couples, and some of us seemed square. I might have fit that description, but I had taken the role of smart aleck, out of character if you know me today. We had a group comedian, Bob Zahn, a tall, blonde, happy-go-lucky math major who didn’t seem to know where he was going. If anyone seemed to hear a different drummer, one with an upbeat cadence, it was Bob. A few of our guys joined to avoid the draft and being shot at in the Vietnam War. Strange irony.

We were Turkey-13, the 13th group. We studied Turkish language morning and afternoon. Grateful for lunch break, we gathered up our books and disregarded the pop, pop in the distance. It had started a little before class ended.

I didn’t glance at the tower of the University of Texas as I walked down the wide set of cement stairs of the old classroom building. I edged over to the right to hold the cement banister. Slowly, one at a time is how I had to take those stairs, always leading with my left leg.

Playing soccer, the national sport in Turkey, earlier that month, I had torn the cartilage of my left knee. I remember waking up lying on the grass. I stood, with help, then locked my left leg and walked, peg-leg fashion, back to the motel, explaining to everyone that I was fine and knew how to handle this. Halfway back, I gritted at the pain and wondered why I was so foolish to not accept help. But I knew: Nothing was going to keep me from going to Turkey with the Peace Corps.

Peg-legging down those stairs, I wondered what was going on.

The lawn was green, the trees full. Hot is usual for Austin, but not unpleasant. The tower, a 307-foot looming building, commanded the university landscape. Below the surmounting clock was the 28th Floor Observation Deck extending around all sides so visitors could see the far reaches of the University and the city of Austin. Encasing the platform was a thick wall with six-inch slits above the drain spouts. Perfect for a sniper.

I was headed for the tower. Intervening was Garrison Hall, and my view of the observation deck slowly slipped behind that building. About a block north over to my right, something was going on.

“A .30 caliber,” noted Gary Medlin, a trainee from Kentucky, his head cocked. “A magnum projectile carries farther.”

That’s the first I realized we were listening to gunshots from high-caliber rifles and handguns. I decided to stick with Gary: He knew what he was doing.  Read more.

RPCVs remember Thomas Ashton
Died: 08/01/66

Age: 22

Training to serve in: Iran

Died in: USA

Cause of Death: hemorrhage, cardia ar: gunshot to heart

Cause of death category: homicide

Notes: Trainee was killed instantly by sniper fire while crossing U/Tex campus traing site. # dead unk. At least 33 wounded. Sniper killed by police.  Read more.

Read more about Peace Corps Turkey.

Read more about Peace Corps Iran.

Read more about the Peace Corps Fallen.

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

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

Sixth Anniversary of the Disappearance of Bolivia PCV Walter Poirier

Family says it has been a constant battle to insure that Missing PCV Walter Poirier III is not forgotten by the Peace Corps
It has been exactly 6 years today since my son was declared "officially" missing by Peace Corps. Since then it has been a constant battle to insure that he is not forgotten by Peace Corps. Very little communication has been coming out of Peace Corps since the House hearing on Volunteer safety in 2004. It took some arm twisting by the Massachusetts senate delegation and our 5th District congressman to even get Peace Corps to keep Walter on the active list. As of this year, there has been no communication from the new Director regarding our son's status. Come to think of it, there has been no communication from him at all. The Poirier family is still hoping against hope that Walter will be found, but there is little if anything being done by Peace Corps it seems at this time.  Signed Walter Poirier

Statement of the Peace Corps on the Current Status of the Investigation
The Peace Corps Office of Inspector General (OIG) is currently analyzing past investigative/search activities to determine what, if any, further efforts can be undertaken with respect to Walter’s Poirier’s disappearance. We will advise the Poirier family of any new activities shortly. The OIG considers this matter to be an open and active case and we continue to coordinate with our Bolivian counter-parts and pertinent factions of the U.S. law enforcement community to follow-up on all actionable information.

From 2005: Probe botched, say family of Peace Corps Volunteer Walter Poirier lost in Bolivia
Mr. Poirier joined the Peace Corps shortly after graduating from Notre Dame University in 2000 and had been in Bolivia for about six months when he was declared missing. An extensive search was carried out soon by U.S. and Bolivian authorities in the Zongo Valley, near the room where he stayed and at places he frequented. In addition, a publicity campaign was conducted on Bolivian radio and television, and in newspapers. At the insistence of the Poiriers, the Peace Corps recently boosted to $50,000 the reward for information leading to the recovery of their son's body. The family is contributing half the amount.

But U.S. authorities said they have gotten nowhere. "The effort to obtain additional information on the disappearance of Walter Poirier has been extremely frustrating," the U.S. Embassy said. "Despite a number of apparently promising leads, every trail thus far has been unproductive." In June, under pressure from Mr. Meehan and Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry, the Peace Corps agreed to hire a full-time investigator. The unidentified investigator began work in September and was given six weeks to do an in-country assessment, said a Bolivian private investigator hired to assist him. The Bolivian investigator said they had not identified any solid leads, nor finished reading the mounds of paperwork given to them to review when the Peace Corps investigator left Bolivia in mid-November.

Raising hope for a break in the case, a formal criminal complaint was filed with La Paz police in August against two persons in connection with the volunteer's disappearance. In the complaint, which obliges La Paz police to investigate, Ramiro Machaca, 22, an Aymara Indian, said he was kidnapped May 23 and held for six days in a Zongo Valley river tunnel near the Wahi electric plant. Mr. Machaca, who worked at the plant, said he was kidnapped because in February, while cleaning the machines at the plant one evening, he had overheard two other employees discussing Mr. Poirier. Mr. Machaca said they were celebrating and drinking alcohol. "One of them made a toast to 'el chango' Walter Poirier," Mr. Machaca said, using slang for "the kid." "Then, they began talking about what they did with his body," he said, adding that the two mentioned it was buried in the mountains below Zongo Pass.

Several witnesses have corroborated to La Paz police the kidnapping of Mr. Machaca. A medical report from Agramont Hospital in El Alto, near La Paz, said he was brought there May 30 in a "metabolic coma." A doctor wrote that Mr. Machaca also bore head injuries, with signs of strangulation and lack of oxygen to the brain. But formal criminal charges have not been filed. La Paz District Attorney Audalia Zurita said the authorities need more evidence. She said last month that she last communicated with the U.S. Embassy about the Poirier case in late September. She said her office wants to conduct a monthlong search for Mr. Poirier's body in the areas of Zongo identified by witnesses who have come forward in connection with the Machaca case, but the U.S. Embassy wants a more precise location before it hires specialists and equipment.

"I still believe the information we have on the possible whereabouts of Poirier is credible, but I need help convincing the U.S. Embassy," Mrs. Zurita said. But others say Bolivian authorities share much of the blame for the failed investigation into Mr. Poirier's disappearance. His parents also think more can be done. "We are perplexed as to why the embassy and Peace Corps have not embraced this lead," they said. "The Poirier family feels that, from the beginning, the Peace Corps was inept and unprepared to handle our son's disappearance - they simply did not know what to do."

Caption: The Mountains near Zongo Pass in Bolivia where Ramiro Machaca alleges the body of Walter Poirier may be buried. Photo:  scropy Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

Read more about the disappearance of Peace Corps Volunteer Walter Poirier III.