Peace Corps Polyglot

Ten Years...$165,000!

Peace Corps volunteers don’t end their community service efforts with the end of their time abroad. As we know, many volunteers bring that spirit of service back to their own communities, and groups of returned Peace Corps volunteers often continue to serve their communities in various ways.

One such group is the Inland-Northwest Peace Corps Association. The group’s recent activities included volunteering with the local public television station, KSPS Public Television/Friends of Seven, which serves the Inland Northwest and Canada. According to longtime group member Sue Bracken, group members (pictured here at KSPS) have answered phones at the television station’s pledge drives for the past ten years.

The group’s support is very much appreciated by the television station. Dawn Bayman, the Membership Director at KSPS, says that members of the group come one or two times a year to volunteer and that “over the years they’ve answered almost 1,300 phone calls with pledge contributions totaling more than $165,000!” Bayman says that what she appreciates most about these volunteers “is the sense of service and integrity that they bring to their work. That always shines through in their conversations with our members – they go out of their way to be helpful and represent KSPS very well.”

Congratulations to the Inland-Northwest Peace Corps Association for ten years of service to KSPS as part of serving their community in the spirit that the Peace Corps seeks to foster.

Chesapeake Bay Polar Bears

The Shriver Peaceworkers group came out in force for the annual “Keep Winter Cold” polar bear jump organized by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Shriver Fellow participants included (l to r) Kyrgyzstan RPCV Meghann Shutt, Honduras RPCV Katie Long and South Africa RPCV Rian Parent.

Meghann reported on her experience!

 

On January 23rd, four Peaceworkers, one alumn, a few friends, and the director of the Shriver Peaceworker Fellows program headed down to Annapolis, Maryland to take part in the Chesapeake Climate Action Network’s 5th Annual Polar Bear Plunge, and man was it cold!  The Peaceworker program has been a friend and supporter of CCAN's Founder, Mike Tidwell (RPCV Zaire) for a number of years, and our group was proud to continue the tradition of taking a frigid swim to help "Keep Winter Cold"!  So, donning nothing but our swimsuits we joined 150 other bathers plunging into the Chesapeake Bay to raise awareness about the impact of climate change.  Compared to the Nordic temperature of the water (someone said the Bay was 36 degrees), the 40 degree day felt like summer.  We enjoyed the rest of it warming up, noshing at The Rockfish and rehashing the classic Bill Murray movies of our youth..."I said Good Morning, Gill!"  (for the What About Bob geeks out there)  What a day!

Hope to see you there next January!!

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in Washington Raise $1,000 for Haiti

(l to r: RPCVs Bryan Schaaf of Haiti Innovation and Lenny Teh, President of Friends of Haiti, speak at last night's RPCV Happy Hour/Haiti Fundraiser in Washington DC)

In his remarks to an overflow crowd at the monthly Happy Hour hosted by the RPCVs of Washington DC, Bryan Schaaf (Haiti 00-02) referred to a proverb he learned as a volunteer: “Haiti has teeth.  It bites onto you.  It doesn’t let you go.”

That connection and commitment to the country was in evidence as numerous Haiti RPCVs, including Leslie Koo (00-02), Josh Kunin-Goldsmith (01-04), Christine Fontecchio (03-04) and Lenny Teh (97-00) turned out as the Happy Hour was quickly transformed into a Haiti relief fundraiser that collected $1,023 for the Red Cross.

Teh, who serves as President of the Friends of Haiti RPCV Group, fought back tears as he told the audience one-third of the country’s population was impacted by the massive earthquake that struck on Tuesday.  Those affected included Teh's sponsor family in Port-au-Prince.  While all are safe, children in Teh's family were in a house that collapsed during the quake.  “They are now living in the street, and they are scared.”

The Haiti RPCVs we spoke with shared common thoughts and reactions to the crisis.  There is worry as they seek to learn the fate of friends.  There is frustration over the distance and limits they face in responding to the crisis.   There is unanimity in the need for an infusion of cash donations to support established organizations moving in to offer relief.  And they say there will be the need over the long term for skilled RPCVs to stay engaged and volunteer for Haiti after the immediate crisis has stabilized.

There is also a belief in the resilience of the Haitian people. Schaaf is one of the founders of Haiti Innovation, an organization created by RPCVs to bring attention to the many positive initiatives and developments in Haiti.  Saddened because the earthquake is a massive setback after a year of positive economic and social development, Schaaf noted there is tremendous suffering.  But, he added, “I worry that the (media) footage makes Haitians look helpless.  They are not.”  As is the case with citizens elsewhere, “It is the local communities and local people that are first in responding to the crisis.”

64 Groups Sign Letter Urging Significant Peace Corps Funding in FY 2011

Federal budget cycles can be a bit confusing because of the overlap.  For example earlier today, the House of Representatives gave its final passage to a large package of Fiscal Year 2010 spending bills.  Passage included the State/Foreign Operations bill which contains $400 million for the Peace Corps (see page 4 of the link).  Final action is still needed in the Senate, which may take up the package as early as Friday and possibly vote over the weekend.

While Senate action and the President's signature are still needed on FY 2010 spending, the Obama administration is also busy preparing its budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year 2011.  And earlier this week, NPCA's MorePeaceCorps Campaign initiated its first FY 11 action.

With the tremendous assistance and leadership of 64 NPCA member groups, a sign-on letter was sent to President Obama, urging an increase in funding for the Peace Corps in FY 11 “that will allow for significant improvement of operations and continued growth of programs.”  The letter cited recent developments – including the nomination of two RPCVs with strong development experience to head the agency and recent announcements of Peace Corps’ return to Indonesia and Sierra Leone – as positive steps forward by the administration.  It also noted that Peace Corps volunteers represent key values outlined in the President’s historic speech at Cairo University when he called for a sustained effort “to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children and to respect the dignity of all human beings.”

You can read the full letter by following this link.

Congressman Sam Farr: Peace Corps Champion

(l to r, RPCV/W President Tamar Schiffman, Congressman Farr and NPCA staff Anne Baker and Molly Mattessich)

You could call it the social event of the season for the Peace Corps community in our nation's capital!  This year was no exception as more than 300 people gathered last Friday evening for the annual holiday party put on by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington DC (RPCV/W).  It was a stylin' gathering--kudos to the great team of organizers.

The party had an added touch with the group presenting its first ever "Peace Corps Champion" award.  The recipient was California Congressman and Colombia RPCV Sam Farr.  In presenting the award to the Congressman, RPCV/W President Tamar Schiffman cited Farr's tireless work to press for increased funding for the agency, including his introduction of the Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009 and his defense of the Peace Corps from an amendment to reduce the $450 million funding recommendation in the House of Representatives.

In thanking RPCV/W for the award, Farr noted that while lawmakers receive numerous accolades over their years of service, this was an award he would particularly cherish.

 

RPCV Visionary Brings Innovative Eyewear to Liberia

This photo may bring back nightmarish memories of those Peace Corps replacement glasses volunteers used to receive!  But in fact, it represents a potential dream come true for up to a billion people.

One billion is the estimated number of people with poor vision in rural communities around the world who don't have access to eyecare services.  But RPCV Nancy Wallace of Annapolis, Maryland is involved in an innovative enterprise to address the challenge.

It all began in Liberia, where Nancy served as a Peace Corps Response volunteer from 2008 - 2009.  A friend connected her with Kevin White, the Executive Director of Global Vision 2020, an international organization working to prevent avoidable blindness.  One of the organization's projects involves the distribution of self-adjusting eyeglasses.  The glasses are designed to allow users to turn a dial on the side of each lens to correct their own vision in regions that do not have access to eye care professionals.

With the hope that glasses could be distributed through existing local networks, Nancy jumped at the invitation when White asked her if a pilot project could be launched at the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute.  In September, a training was held for 40 volunteers to distribute glasses.  An initial scanning of 1,200 teachers, students and market women revealed that 700 were in need of (and received) glasses to correct their vision.

Featured above with NPCA Advocacy Coordinator Jonathan Pearson (l) and Tom Jacobs (r), host of the annual Maryland RPCV summer picnic, Nancy attended the gathering to share the experience of trying on the spectacles and urge fellow RPCVs to help with the initiative.  "It's incredible to watch", she says.  "For people in other countries who don't even know they need glasses, and to see their reaction when the world around them comes into focus.  It's exciting!"

Pres. Obama Views Photos Chronicling Peace Corps in Korea

On his visit to Korea, President Obama yesterday viewed a display of photographs of Peace Corps Volunteers and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) volunteers with U.S. Ambassador Kathy Stephens, herself a former Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Korea. The photographic exhibit, which will tour the country, was organized by the U.S Embassy with Peace Corps-related photos provided by Korea RPCVs.

 

Missouri RPCVs Host Successful Film Festival

Small groups can do great things! Case in point: the Central Missouri Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

Earlier this month this NPCA member group hosted the “Third Goal” International Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri. The festival featured films made by or about the work of Peace Corps Volunteers in Afghanistan, Mali, Latin America and Vietnam. The headliner film was "I Bring What I Love," about the international recording artist, Youssou N'Dour. 

So, why a "Third Goal" International Film Festival? Because it fulfills Goal Three of the Peace Corps: "Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans."

After the event, group leader Karen Davis wrote us:

We had a great turn out… RPCVs, PC recruits and community members. We had two articles in newspapers and lots of PR on radio stations. RPCVs from our group did a great job speaking following the films to add a direct link between the film and our group. And, best of all, it took over 25 RPCVs to pull off the event, which is fantastic for our little group! I loved that so many RPCVs were willing to come together to get the event off the ground. This is truly our strongest film schedule yet!

Well done!

Click here for a story about the film festival that appeared in The Missourian.

Evacuation: One Returned Volunteer's Story

Two weeks ago we heard from Caron Alarab (Guinea 06-08), who gave us an early"heads up" on unfolding events in the West African nation of Guinea.  She wrote:

"As you may have heard, the Peace Corps Guinea volunteers are currently being evacuated to Bamako, Mali, due to civil unrest in the country (a la my stage's evacuation in January 2007). They don't know how long they will be there, but I know their agony and frustration with being on hold and would like to write a first hand piece about evacuated Peace Corps Volunteers, the recurring problems in Guinea, and the crazy disintegration that is the closing of a Peace Corps program."

We agree she has a unique perspective and as we have just gotten official word  await official word** on the status of the Guinea program, we thought we would share her story with you.

The Power of G-Evac

 By Caron Alarab (Guinea 2006-2008)

When I think back on my volunteer experience in Guinea, West Africa, one four-word phrase will always stand out: “We are being evacuated.”

In a way, most Peace Corps volunteers are lucky to have never heard this. The sadness of saying an unexpected good-bye, the stress of quickly packing, the fear of never seeing your site again, are all experiences that I would never wish upon another volunteer. 

For the other 105 volunteers and I who were evacuated from Guinea following civil unrest in January 2007, the sadness, stress and fear didn’t stop at its borders. For weeks we waited at Toubani So, a training center just outside of Bamako, Mali, hoping strikes would cease and trying not to think of the worst case scenario: we can’t go back.

As downhearted volunteers bailed, older volunteers closed their service, and others busied themselves with a generous per diem, something unprecedented happened. Between casual cafeteria convos, chatty bus rides en ville, and heart-to-hearts among hut clusters, each of us connected with volunteers from different regions, different stages and different sectors. Cool coastal volunteers connected with hot desert dwellers, G8ers befriended G12ers, and agfo, health, small biz and ed swapped the craziest stories from their service. By the end of the month, it was like there was no agro-forestry sector, no Fouta region, no G9s or 10s,: there was just G-Evac....

>>Read more on www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org.

**We have gotten early *unofficial* word today from the Friends of Guinea RPCV group, based on reports they have received, that Peace Corps's Guinea program has been suspended and that the Peace Corps Volunteers there are being evacuated.

Update: We have just gotten official confirmation from Peace Corps.

Friends of Armenia off to a Strong Start

Returned Peace Corps Volunteer groups are a linchpin of our community, and whenever possible, we like to spotlight what they are doing. Friends of Armenia (FOA) only incorporated as a non-profit this year, but already they have 50 dues-paying members with active fundraising, grants, and membership committees. Their top priority is to support innovative, charitable projects in Armenia led by current Peace Corps Volunteers—projects that show real promise but may be too unconventional for USAID/Peace Corps Small Project Assistance (SPA) or Partnership Grant programs.

To strengthen the fledgling FOA community and to honor Armenian culture, Armenia RPCVs gathered in Seattle, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. this August to celebrate Vardavar, a mid-summer Armenian holiday that dates back to pre-Christian times. The ancient festival is traditionally associated with the goddess Astghik, who was the goddess of water, beauty, love and fertility.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenians continue to suffer problems with their infrastructure and public utilities, such as maintaining a stable and safe water supply.  Nonetheless, to celebrate the progress that has been made, families host Vardavar cookouts while children (and grownups!) chase each other with small pails or cups of water, looking to douse their siblings and friends.

The DC-area RPCVs hosted an Armenian "khorovatz" (skewers of pork tenderloin cooked over hot coals) with mulberry vodka, lavash bread, cheese and fresh vegetables.  The celebration also included Armenian dancing and a water balloon toss. For pictures of the celebration, visit the Friends of Armenia website at: www.friendsofarmenia.org/vardavar.