Peace Corps Polyglot

"Too Many Innocents Abroad" Reverberates

Robert L. Strauss' op-ed in last week's New York Times, "Too Many Innocents Abroad," continues to reverberate.  For two days it was among the Times' most e-mailed articles.  It sparked lively discussion on numerous RPCV group listservs, on Facebook and, of course, on this blog (see the comments in the previous post, Response to Times Op-Ed "Too Many Innocents Abroad.").

On Sunday the Times ran several letters to the editor in response to the Strauss piece, including one from current Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter.  You can read them here.

And this morning, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served it the Dominican Republic, responded as well.  I'll take the liberty of posting his letter in full:

To The Editor:

Re “Too Many Innocents Abroad,” by Robert L. Strauss (Op-Ed, Jan. 9):

Yes, the Peace Corps should recruit more volunteers over 50, who bring experience that fresh-out-of-college volunteers can rarely match.

But, once upon a time, I was one of those inexperienced college recruits. For two years I served in the Dominican Republic, and nothing has shaped my life as powerfully.

And I disagree when Mr. Strauss says we could accept a smaller Peace Corps. Instead, we should double its size. I’ve written a bill that would help do just that, in part by encouraging older and more experienced volunteers to sign up.

Numbers matter. Every American of good will we send abroad is another chance to make America known to a world that often fears and suspects us. And every American who returns from that service is a gift: a citizen who strengthens us with firsthand knowledge of the world.

Within a few decades, President John F. Kennedy predicted, we’d have more than a million returned volunteers, adding immeasurably to our debates on foreign policy. Today, we have fewer than 200,000 — and a lot of catching up to do.

Chris Dodd

U.S. Senator from Connecticut

Response to Times Op-Ed "Too Many Innocents Abroad"

The op-ed page of today's New York Times features a piece by former Peace Corps volunteer,  recruiter and country director Robert L. Strauss entitled "Too Many Innocents Abroad." 

Strauss praises recent initiatives by the Peace Corps to expand its outreach to volunteers who are 50 and older and but in the process marginalizes the valuable contributions made by younger volunteers.  He also argues that the Peace Corps model is no longer relevant--and indeed is detrimental--to the development aspirations of today's host countries. 

As you can imagine, the National Peace Corps Association feels quite differently.  It's the NPCA's position that if anything there is an unmet demand for More Peace Corps. 

Following is a statement by NPCA President Kevin Quigley:

Robert Strauss's January 9th "Too Many Innocents Abroad" op-ed is misguided in at least two ways: 1) there are not too many Peace Corps volunteers, and 2) they are not innocent. 

Resulting from insufficient resources, there is unmet demand for the Peace Corps from more than 20 countries requesting programs and two out of three applicants who wish to serve.

Strauss myopically considers the Peace Corps's impact simply in development terms.  However, the Peace Corps is not just a development program. Cross-cultural exchange constitutes two of its three goals. In addition to enhanced understanding of our country, his analysis misses the life-changing skills and attitudes volunteers bring back home.

Like any program, the Peace Corps could make improvements in training, placement, and more flexible programming, along with better use of technology. These improvements will enable Peace Corps to better tap into a broader and deeper recruitment pool. However, the answer is not fewer volunteers but More Peace Corps.

Kevin F. F. Quigley
President
National Peace Corps Association

What do you think?  Comments are open!

 

Dangerous Times: RPCV John Granville Slain in Sudan

John Granville, a 33-year old U.S. diplomat and his driver were shot to death Tuesday in an attack in Sudan.  Granville, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, was working for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on a program to bring radios to the population of South Sudan, according to USAID's Web site.

You can read more here and here.

The following message was sent by the Peace Corps country director in Cameroon to the U.S. Ambassador there:

...Mr. Granville was an RPCV from Cameroon. He entered training in June 1997 and swore in as an official volunteer in August 1997. He served in the Education program as a TEFL/AIDS teacher at a high school in the village of Bamendjou in the West Province. His work was well received and appreciated by his community.

Among his many activities, he created an English Club, planted trees around the school, organized IST workshops for his counterparts, developed his English Teacher colleague into a very good trainer who later became a Peace Corps Cross Culture trainer and served several generations of Volunteers from 1998-2001. He was responsible for building one of the first bilingual primary schools in his village; the first students will attend the university this year.

Mr. Granville completed his service on July 01, 1999. Upon his departure he was given an honorary title of "Notable" by the Chief of the village. This is an honor bestowed upon exceptional volunteers for the work they do in and for their community.

Mr. Granville was an outstanding volunteer and model RPCV. He was a Fulbright Scholar and completed research on HIV AIDS in Cameroon focusing on two provinces the West and the Extreme North. His work was well received by Peace Corps Cameroon and during his time here in country he gave several presentations of his findings at the US Embassy in Yaoundé. During his research in Cameroon he came and spoke with volunteers and trainees on his experience as a volunteer.

Peace Corps Cameroon will be sending a card to the family of Mr.Granville and will officially send condolences to his community in Bamendjou.

The National Peace Corps Association joins in extending its condolences to the Granville family and those in the Peace Corps community whose lives he touched.

Volunteers in Kenya Safe

Peace Corps has asked us to let people know that the volunteers in Kenya are safe.  The agency has just put out the following press release:

Peace Corps Volunteers in Kenya Are Safe

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 3, 2008 - Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter announced that all Volunteers serving in Kenya are all accounted for and safe.

Peace Corps/Kenya Volunteers are consolidated in a variety of locations in response to the ongoing unrest associated with the recent presidential and parliamentary elections. There are 144 Volunteers serving in Kenya, 122 are currently in the country, 22 are out of the country on vacation.

Peace Corps/Washington is in constant communication with staff in Kenya and the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. The Peace Corps will continue to evaluate and monitor the situation and take any action necessary to ensure the safety of the Volunteers.

Since 1965, more than 5,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Kenya. Currently, 144 Volunteers are working in the areas of education, small business development, and health and HIV/AIDS prevention. Volunteers in Kenya are also serving in a unique deaf education program which began in 1992 as a way to train educators on better teaching methods, and to broaden the production of learning materials and facilities for deaf and hard of hearing students. The program now includes computer training and health and HIV/AIDS education programs, as part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Each Peace Corps program has an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) specific to that country and developed in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy and Peace Corps/ Washington. The plans are tested frequently and information is updated constantly. Volunteers are thoroughly trained in their role and responsibilities in the EAP. Posts are prepared for all emergencies.

The Peace Corps is celebrating a 46-year legacy of service at home and abroad, and a 37-year high for Volunteers in the field. Since 1961, more than 190,000 Volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 139 countries where Volunteers have served. Peace Corps Volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment.

Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary Plans

NPCA staff, Peace Corps staff and others have met a number of times over the last few months to start formal plans to recognize the upcoming 50th anniversary of Peace Corps in 2011.  At our request, Deputy Director Jody Olsen compiled an overview document that outlines some of the key plans to date.   It can be downloaded from the NPCA website at http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/peacecorps50.  Peace Corps plans to launch their 50th anniversary landing page in January 2008. It should be a great place to share ideas.

Peace Corps Third Goal Report

Happy New Year!

We have always been impressed by the breadth and depth of the work that all of you –individuals and affiliate groups – do to support the Third Goal.  Thank you!  As mentioned here last month, through the last cooperative agreement with Peace Corps, we at NPCA were able to explore the question of what the Third Goal really looks like and begin to think about its impact.  Much of the research was based on the activities of our affiliate groups – as demonstrated on their websites, in their newsletters and in their reaffiliation materials.  Curious?  The report is now available  on the NPCA website.

Open Houses Slated for 2008

NPCA is working with Peace Corps (both headquarters and regional recruitment offices) and NPCA member groups to coordinate two open houses in 2008.  We’re pleased to announce that we just set those for the following dates/locations:

· Atlanta, GA on Sunday, March 30 (working with the Atlanta Area RPCVs)

· Seattle, WA on Sunday, May 4 (working with the Seattle Area PCA)

More complete details will be available in early 2008.

In the meantime, read about our past open houses.