Peace Corps Polyglot

St. Louis RPCV Group Leader Meets President Obama

Alicia Schnell (Bolivia 97-99) was one of four community volunteers chosen to meet with President Barack Obama during his visit to St. Louis, Missouri yesterday (April 29).  Before he took the stage to commemorate his 100th day in office, they told him their stories of service.  President Obama signed the  Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act on April 21. You can read the complete story here.

Alicia Schnell
Alicia was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia (1997-1999). She was a rural health adviser working on water sanitation. Alicia is now leader of the St. Louis area returned peace corps volunteer community (about 150 strong); they work together to do area service projects together, currently trying to organize a Habitat house. She now volunteers with Healing the Children – a non-profit group that brings children from around the world who need medical attention to U.S. hospitals, the group also sends medical teams abroad. Alicia has traveled with the medical teams, and in St. Louis volunteers as a translator (Spanish) for the children. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, BA in Biology and Psychology; MBA.

(Pictured below, far left)

Beyond Good Intentions: Do Peace Corps Volunteers Help?

Beyond Good Intentions is an organization committed to uncovering more innovative and effective approaches to international aid worldwide. Through their film series and educational programs they are working to catalyze a much-needed dialogue about aid effectiveness in hopes of transforming the current system.
 
The Beyond Good Intentions film series follows the round-the-world journey of first-time filmmaker, Tori Hogan, as she investigates how international aid can be more effective. Shot on location in eight different countries, the ten-episode series takes viewers along for the ride as Tori meets with countless aid workers and recipients to uncover more innovative approaches to helping communities in need.

Episode 6 features the Peace Corps.  Here's the description:

"Do Peace Corps Volunteers really help? Join Tori on an overland journey through Madagascar as she meets with Peace Corps Volunteers working to assist local communities. 

RPCVs Join UNITE to fund Togo Summer Camp

RPCVs are looking for support from the Peace Corps community to help with a new fundraising campaign for a camp for Togolese youth.

Founded in 2001 by the Peace Corps and staffed by Peace Corps Volunteers, Camp UNITE (Unification de la Nation: Initiative, Travail, et Education) is a series of weeklong summer camps for motivated Togolese students and apprentices from villages and cities throughout the country.

Summer camps focus on such themes as self-confidence, HIV/AIDS awareness, teamwork, sex/health education, goal-setting, life skills, leadership, empowerment and behavioral change.

In addition to educating and empowering youth, the camp helps to heal ethnic divisions of Togo by having all regions of the country represented. Camp UNITE also allows participants to make friends and contacts throughout Togo for future collaboration.

Former Peace Corps Volunteers who worked at Camp UNITE are partnering with the UNITE foundation to launch the "8 by 8" fundraising campaign. The campaign is asking Americans for an $8 donation to help the camp raise $8,000 in eight weeks. The money will help to support the camp's eighth year.

Camp UNITE 2009 will mark the 8th year of camp for female students, 7th year for male students, 6th year for female apprentices (learning trades such as hairdressing and tailoring), and the 3rd year of camp for male apprentices (learning trades such as masonry and mechanics). Past participants have not only shown remarkable personal accomplishments (such as continuing their education through college and opening their own businesses), but have led their communities in development through trainings, peer educator groups, and educational sessions.

RPCV Mike Kelleher and Pres. Obama's Mail

More than one person forwarded to us yesterday's front page New York Times story on Mike Kelleher, White House Director of Presidential Correspondence, who each day selects 10 letters out of thousands for the President to read (Don't worry, we saw it too!) 

As it happens, Mr. Kelleher served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone in the 1980's.  And Sierra Leone is among the 20 countries requesting Peace Corps volunteers to return their country.  Figuring it can't hurt, MorePeaceCorps Campaign Coordinator Rajeev Goyal is urging people to send 100 personalized, hand-written (optional) letters by Friday, April 24 to President Obama urging robust funding to Peace Corps in 2010.

Said Mr. Kelleher, Obama's "mailman," in the NY Times article, “We pick messages that are compelling, things people say that, when you read it, you get a chill,” said Mr. Kelleher, 47. “I send him letters that are uncomfortable messages.”

So send on your best! 

Rajeev adds,

"Please hand-write your letter and tell your story (and if you can, please scan and send me a copy at rajeev@morepeacecorps.org or simply let me know that you took action).  Tell the story of who you are and what the Peace Corps did for your life.  Who did you meet in your village or town and how did that person influence your life?  If you want to include a picture, that would probably also get attention.  Who would you be if you never were a Peace Corps volunteer?  The only thing I ask is that you include the request for $450 million to Peace Corps in the President's FY 2010 budget.  If you can mention the 15,000 and growing supporters of the MorePeaceCorps campaign, that would also help.

Mr. Kelleher is yet another example of the profound legacy of Peace Corps volunteers.  Lets get his attention!  If you can send me a copy, it would help.  My address is: Rajeev Goyal, MorePeaceCorps, c/o M+R Strategic Services, 80 Broad Street, Suite 1700, New York NY 10004

Here is the address for our President:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Best Wishes,
Rajeev

Peace Corps Community Online on MSNBC

A few months back, MSNBC producer (and Poland RPCV) Thomas Snowden approached NPCA about doing a story on the future of Peace Corps under the new administration.  He interviewed NPCA President Kevin Quigley, MorePeaceCorps Campaign coordinator Rajeev Goyal, acting Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen, Sen. Harris Wofford and others. On the morning of the Inauguration he tagged along with the marchers to do some additional interviews. He got so much great material that he ended up producing not just one but three segments.  You can now see them online at MSNBC (there is a short commercial segment beforehand):

March 26: Former Peace Corps volunteers express their hopes that President Barack Obama will keep his pledge to double the size of the agency within four years. NBC's Tom Snowden reports.

March 26: Peace Corps volunteer Rajeev Goyal speaks about how he represented America for most of the villagers he met while working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal from 2001 to 2003.

March 26: Sunaree Marshall speaks about having to learn to rely on herself and others while working as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia from 2005 to 2008.

Thank you to Tom for these great stories!  They are a wonderful way to introduce people to Peace Corps and the returned Peace Corps community. 

My Peace Corps "Peeps"

Yes, we know that you know that the Peace Corps Community marched in the Inaugural Parade this past January. You've seen the photos, watched the videos, read the blogs, gotten the latest issue of WorldView magazine....

But you haven't seen this!  Bea Tijerina (Ghana 97-99, Zambia 06) just sent us a photo of her entry in the Washington Post's 2009 Peeps Diorama Contest.  Contestants were told to:

"make a diorama of a famous occurrence or scene or concept. It can be a historic, current or future event. It can be a nod to pop culture. It can be an evocation of an idea or abstraction. The one rule is that all the characters in the diorama must be played by Peeps, those marshmallowy chicks and rabbits plaguing checkout lines in every convenience store this season."

Bea the RPCV naturally thought of her Peace Corps "peeps" marching and came up with the wonderful entry you see below:

And here is the original inspiration, from a photo as it appeared in the Washington Post (naturally):

Bea's entry was one of over 1,000 entries. It didn't win a prize from the Post, but we LOVE it!

"Hotline" Features Mentoring Program

This month's Peace Corps' "Hotline" has published an article on the National Peace Corps Association's Mentoring Program.

Returning from Peace Corps service requires a great deal of hard work, and readjusting to life in the United States, especially in this economy, can be particularly stressful.

The mentoring program, created from a partnership between the NPCA and the Peace Corps, can help recently returned volunteers by connecting them with other RPCVs who have already experienced many of the same situations: finding a job, finding housing, etc.

Those who want to be mentored can create a profile and be matched with someone who has been home for at least a year and who has experienced the transition process.

Find out more: http://rpcvmentoring.org/

Download a PDF of "Hotline"

April 24-26 Global Youth Service Day

Global Youth Service Day, a weekend in April designed to focus the world's attention on the contributions of young people, will be April 24-26th.

GYSD is a world wide event that brings together millions of young people in service projects all over the world. Last year, in Washington D.C., youth from various faith communities partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build housing around the Anacostia River, while 40 youth in Tarija, Bolivia held a workshop on how to disinfect drinking water. This year's many events include beach cleanup in Santa Monica, CA, an orphanage visit in Accra, Ghana, and malaria education in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The weekend's events are organized by Youth Serve America, the National Youth Leadership Council, and the Global Action Youth Council. The day is being promoted by Miley Cyrus, and the website lists hundreds of events going on in communities all over the world.

Check out a map of events

Post your event

WorldView Seeking Submissions

The National Peace Corps Association's magazine WorldView is currently seeking submissions for its upcoming issue.

The theme of the issue will be micro finance. If you have experience with micro finance as it relates to the Peace Corps, either as a part of your service or through your career, we want to hear about it!

Articles are typically about 700-1000 words, and we'd like submissions as soon as possible, preferably by May 1st. Email pubs@rpcv.org to give a proposal or with questions.

Please see WorldView's writer guidelines at http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/write-worldview.

RPCVs Need Help from Residents of France

Volunteers who served in the South Pacific or North Africa from 1966 to 1996 need help from RPCVs living in France to access benefits.

Some South Pacific RPCVs may be eligible for money from the French government, which is offering compensation to those who suffered adverse health effects as a result of its nuclear tests. Defense Minister Herve Morin recently offered 10 million Euros to victims of the tests in French Polynesia and Algeria.

Some RPCVs speak no or limited French and are having a hard time contacting the Defense Ministry.

RPCVs can contact the French Minister of Defense by emailing pensions@sga.defense.gouv.fr or calling 011 33 810 007 025. The office is open 9 to 12 and then 1:30 to 4:30, Central European Time. Information can be sent to RPCV Michael Driscoll at mldriscoll@adspec-spokane.com.

RPCVs can contact the French Minister of Defense by emailing pensions@sga.defense.gouv.fr or calling 011 33 810 007 025. The office is open 9 to 12 and then 1:30 to 4:30, Central European Time. Information can be sent to RPCV Michael Driscoll at mldriscoll@adspec-spokane.com.