News
Water for Everyone Initiative – Togo and The Gambia
NPCA and Water Charity have embarked on a bold new initiative to ensure that every person in Togo and The Gambia has access to clean water by 2023. Clean water is essential for the health, safety, education, and wellbeing of a population, especially children. It is estimated that almost 40 percent of the people in Togo and The Gambia do not have access to an ample supply of safe water and are therefore at risk for illness and death. The Water for Everyone Initiative aims to bring safe water to every person in Togo, a country with a population of roughly 7.3...
RPCVs needed in El Paso
El Paso has become a major crossing point along the 2,000 mile southern border. A large numbers of families, many with young children, are fleeing unendurable levels of violence, instability, and the resulting economic collapse in their home countries, especially in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Once refugees arrive at the border, they are met with poor treatment. Since the government does not have sufficient resources to detain them long term after vetting them, the majority of these families are released on “parole” with the proper documentation to go meet relatives who can sponsor them as they go through the court process to...
In Memoriam – February 2019
For many, Peace Corps service becomes a family affair. That was the case with a number of individuals who recently passed away. Emily Dewhirst (1929-2019) was born in Minneapolis, a descendent of Abraham Clark, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. After graduating with honors from the University of Minnesota at the age of 17, Emily bicycled through Europe on a mission to rebuild youth hostels destroyed during World War II. Emily continued her studies at the University of Paris, the Sorbonne, and went on to become a trilingual interpreter for Fiat in Italy and then a stewardess for Pan American Airlines...
Announcing the 2019 Harris Wofford Global Citizen Award Winner: Luis Argueta of Guatemala
National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2019 Harris Wofford Global Citizen Award is Luis Argueta of Guatemala. The Harris Wofford Global Citizen Award honors an outstanding global leader who grew up in a country where Peace Corps Volunteers served, whose life was influenced by Peace Corps, and whose career contributed significantly to their nation and the world in ways that reflect shared values in human dignity and economic, social, and political development. It is the highest honor bestowed upon a global leader by NPCA. Born in Guatemala City, Argueta received a scholarship...
Community Achievements – February 2019
Community News - Achievements of RPCVs Author: Peter Deekle February 2019 BELIZE Kevina Casaletto (2009-2011) is the interim president of Coastal Carolina Returned Peace Corps Volunteers group. She coordinated the CCRPCV’s first participation in the southeastern North Carolina Martin Luther King, Jr. parade (the community’s 21st parade). Casaletto says Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for peace with peace directly aligns with Peace Corps’ mission to promote world peace and friendship. CHINA Peter Hessler (1996-1998) began a career in Peace Corps service that inspired a widely acclaimed 2001 memoir, River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze. Later he returned to China and spent...
Peace Corps Community Response to the Partial Government Shutdown
As the partial shutdown of the federal government – the longest in history – enters its second month, it is imperative that our political leaders pass appropriations legislation that will allow the Peace Corps and other federal agencies to get back to work. We are very proud of the service and sacrifice of the thousands of individuals who work for the Peace Corps. Hundreds of these workers remain on the job – many without pay – to make sure the more than 7,000 volunteers serving in the far corners of 65 countries are safe, secure, and receiving basic support. What exactly does the continued partial...
In Memoriam – January 2019
As the Peace Corps community mourns the deaths of Harris Wofford and Jason Spindler, who was killed in the January 15th terrorist attack in Kenya, we also remember the significant contributions of so many others who exemplify the spirit and ideals of Peace Corps service. Jason Spindler (1978 - 2019) began his path to international service after the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City. After earning a degree in international business and finance at the University of Texas, Jason accepted a position in New York's financial district with Solomon, Smith, Barney. Jason was among the many who responded courageously on 9/11, assisting with rescue efforts....
In Memoriam: Harris Wofford (1926 – 2019)
A legendary figure in the launch of the Peace Corps dies at age 92. He was a student of Gandhi's methods of bringing political change through non-violent direct action. An associate and friend of Martin Luther King Jr. during the early years of the civil rights movement. A key adviser to the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy who facilitated a key meeting between JFK and MLK which eventually led to a critical phone call that is credited with tipping the election to Kennedy. He was a World War II era veteran. A university president. A United States Senator. But for tens of...
Community Achievements – January 2019
Community News - Achievements of RPCVs Author: Peter Deekle January 2019 ARMENIA Douglas J. Falen (1993) has drawn upon his Peace Corps service of personal insights and perceptions when practicing and writing about his profession – anthropology. His latest book, African Science: Witchcraft, Vodun, and Healing in Southern Benin (November 2018) wrestles with the challenges of encountering a reality in which magic, science, and the Vodun religion converge into a single universal life force. ECUADOR In December 2018, the congregation of Asylum Hill Congregational Church of Hartford, Connecticut called the Rev. Erica A. Thompson (1997-2000) as its tenth senior minister - the...
Time to Mobilize for a Bigger, Better Peace Corps!
2019 marks the 15th consecutive year that National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is mobilizing the Peace Corps community during Peace Corps week in order to advance our goal to help the Peace Corps be the best it can be. That effort will involve a push to secure the first increase in funding for the agency in nearly five years, continue to seek health care improvements for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) who come home with service related illnesses or injuries, and advance legislation that honor and respect Peace Corps service. We Need YOU From the hallways of Congress to...