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Give peace a chance John F. Kennedy founded the Peace Corps to give Americans the opportunity to contribute to the international community by aiding others in developing countries. While the organization's popularity flagged during the 1980s, it has recently enjoyed a renaissance, and currently receives over 100,000 requests for application information each year. Peace Corps volunteers work in approximately 80 different countries and perform duties as diverse as the places themselves. Whether volunteers are teaching English to Tunisian schoolgirls, instructing Thai villagers about water purification techniques, or assisting fishermen in Guatemala, Peace Corps workers help people gain skills can be put into effect immediately and are also of assistance well into the future. The Corps takes pre-travel preparation very seriously: each volunteer undergoes an intense three-month training period that teaches her the language and cultural norms of the host country. Expansion! Recent years have brought happy tidings to this big-hearted organization. In 1998, in anticipation of a new millennium of hard work and service, the Peace Corps HQ moved to a bigger and better location in Washington, DC. That same year President Clinton announced his intention to expand the Peace Corps to 10,000 volunteers. Included in this plan is the Crisis Corps, which will ship experienced volunteers into places that have suffered natural disasters. In July 2000, Peace Corps volunteer numbers totaled around 7,000, in 77 countries worldwide. Not always peaceful Volunteer safety is becoming a growing concern for the organization, along with increasing its number of volunteers. Program director Mark Gearan delivered an important message in a 1998 address: "We will do everything we can to ensure [the volunteers'] safety and security." In 1996, one volunteer was slain while riding her bicycle on a lonely road in Madagascar. In 1998 two deaths occurred: one volunteer was murdered off the Ivory Coast; another was killed in Namibia in an accident involving a bush taxi. According to Peace Corps statistics, 235 Americans have died while on program duty. And while most of these deaths have been the result of road-related accidents, the Peace Corps admits that nonpolitical violent crime is a possible - albeit unlikely - job risk. Taking the turns Peace Corps volunteers must always be ready for sudden changes, and flexibility is key. Relocating is also an occurrence, often taking place when situations become too dangerous. As an example, four staff members, and 64 volunteers were flown out of the Solomon Islands in June 2000 after the country was ruled unstable. All other Americans then present in the Solomons were also advised to evacuate. Any country is subject to violence as we all know, whether it is viewed as unstable or not, and unfortunate events can occur. Such an incident occurred in May 2000 when a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, and nine civilians were killed in the Philippines by three men firing pistols and assault rifles at the victims who had been harmlessly driving by. These type of events didn't stop John Powanda from joining the Peace Corps that same month, however. Powanda is a retired businessman and teacher, who had a lifelong dream of becoming part of the Corps. At age 77, he became one of its oldest, active volunteers. Many other retirees are joining the Corps each year, but don't assume this means health is overlooked one bit during the application process. Good health is imperative to the Peace Corps, which requires both medical and dental clearances for its volunteers. For those interested To help up its numbers, the Peace Corps is making things easier for those interested in joining its team, provided they have Internet access. The organization now provides online applications accessible through its home page, which have proven to be an effective recruitment tool. The site also features stories from current and past volunteers, as well as information about local recruiting events. In September 1999, Florida International University added a TESOL (teaching English) and environmental studies major to the Masters' International (MI) program, a partnership program operated by the Peace Corps. This university is among 30 others throughout the U.S. that are a part of the Peace Corps's MI program. Those that participate fulfill certain graduate degree requirements by becoming a Peace Corps volunteer. Some of the current MI areas of study include forestry, urban planning, and public health.
Now is the perfect time to join the Peace Corps. President Clinton decided to expand the program to 10,000 volunteers; director Mark Gearan announced a 1999 budget increase of 8 percent; and the Corps was prepared to recruit more volunteers in 1999 than at any other time in the past 25 years. The Peace Corps has recruiting offices across the country. Applicants can request an application by visiting the program's home page at www.peacecorps.gov or by calling its 800 number. Insiders note the application is "20 pages long and requires 10 references." Former volunteers advise applicants to do research on the countries in which they are interested since "specific interest is critical to Peace Corps acceptance." One contact notes that placement varies on experience and one's request. "If you have taken a year of French, are healthy, and request West Africa, you will almost assuredly get it within six months. If you want a Latin American country, there will be a longer wait." One insider explains that "there are two kinds of Peace Corps workers: Peace Corps Staff and Peace Corps Volunteers." The former group (Staff) are "professionals with higher academic degrees whose work is to recruit, train, and provide support for volunteers in the field. They are paid comparable wages to other civil servants with similar experience and degrees. Many of these staff members have been Peace Corps Volunteers earlier in their lives." Staff jobs can involve overseas travel, but most are based in the U.S. Another insider calls the Peace Corps Volunteers "another story." Volunteers are generally "straight out of college, with a Bachelor's degree and a strong interest in host countries." (Note: Only U.S. citizens over the age of 18 are eligible for the volunteer program; and only 35 out of 100 applicants actually make it overseas.) Volunteers "work for a period of two, sometimes three, years - plus a three- to four-month training period." Currently, there are almost 8,000 volunteers in the field. Says another source: "The word 'volunteers' is a bit misleading. [Volunteers] are paid more or less the equivalent pay of a host country national. Also, they receive free housing and medical insurance. While serving, volunteers accumulate a savings account that is payable upon completion of service." Although the average age of Peace Corps volunteers is 29, an increasing number of senior citizens are joining. As more and more elder Americans seek socially meaningful retirement plans, the Peace Corps is becoming a popular option. For example, one 66-year-old resident of Newark, Delaware is volunteering in Ghana as a high school science teacher. To date, the oldest Peace Corps volunteer is 78 years old.
Unforgettable Volunteers describe their Peace Corps experience as "the most significant" in their lives - and the most challenging. Says one, "It really is true that it's the toughest job you will ever love." A Corps alumnus who worked in Latin America adds: "Everyone makes lifetime friendships there." Workers receive a stipend that is "always enough to live comfortably, but more frugally than one is used to living in America." After volunteers finish, they receive an "end of service check," amounting to about $200 for every month, although this sum "is known to vary." Volunteers should be physically and mentally prepared to adapt to their local environments since "loneliness and health problems are common aspects of the job." Cultural norms Another informant reveals: "The Peace Corps is adamant that its volunteers adhere to the local cultural norms, since the job is really to learn about another culture and hopefully teach people a bit about ours." Numerous informants caution female applicants to be prepared to accept "a different standard of treatment in several - though not all - developing countries." Overall, the Peace Corps is "pretty accepting of different ethnic groups, women, and so forth. You may find yourself, however, in a country that is not very open-minded; part of the Peace Corps experience is dealing with that." One contact concedes that "the country where I served, for example, was very patriarchal, and more than a little racist. Its proximity to apartheid South Africa tended to rub off." She adds, "The bottom line is that I did it, I enjoyed it, and it changed my life and how I view the world."
Aid to developing countries; Aid to countries suffering from natural disasters More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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