Peace Corps Achievements – May and June 2023
News and updates from the Peace Corps community — across the country, around the world, and spanning generations of returned Volunteers and staff. Compiled by Peter V. Deekle (Iran 1968–70) Alexandria Dreher (pictured, Azerbaijan 2009–12), American Rescue Plan Program Manager in Oregon state’s...
Partnering, with People
Following the reintroduction of the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act in Congress last March—on Peace Corps’ birthday no less—hundreds of NPCA members rallied around our National Day of Advocacy, including visits to nearly every office in the House and Senate. The...
Found Objects: Two Medical Kits Filched from the Field
To assure that Volunteers had ready access to emergency medicine in the world’s remote and sometimes dangerous places, the U.S. Public Health Service issued medical kits to all serving Volunteers for their personal use. Thirty-five items were packed in each...
Mental Health Hurdles
Serving in the Peace Corps is hard. It’s right there in the tagline: “The toughest job you’ll ever love.” Arguably, the single most important trait of a Peace Corps Volunteer is the grit it takes to overcome the many challenges...
Doubling Down on the Future
As a Volunteer serving in Romania after the fall of communism, Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn worked with entrepreneurs who wanted to start businesses during a time when the country was shifting toward a market economy. Nearly 30 years later, she was...
A Walk in (the) Peace Corps Park
When scores of members of the Peace Corps community visited Congress in March 2022 for the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) Day on the Hill, those who made their way on foot from Union Station southwest toward the U.S. Capitol...
Department of D.I.Y.
When Jodi Hammer trained to serve as a community health worker specializing in child and maternal health in Ecuador in 1994, she learned about nutrition, malnourishment in children, and how to identify and treat common health conditions in the absence of health...
From Stuttering Kid to International Serial Entrepreneur
RPCV Craig Chavis Jr. overcame a severe speech impediment and the loss of his football dreams to find his calling in entrepreneurship — and his Peace Corps service played a crucial role in laying the groundwork. By Tiffany James As Holistic Business Coach and...
Legislative Win in Colorado Grants All Returned Peace Corps Volunteers In-State Tuition
A Colorado bill was signed into law to address a major inequity: qualification for in-state tuition. Now RPCVs will qualify regardless of where they lived prior to their service. By the RPCVs of Colorado In April of 2022, National Peace Corps...
International Victorious Woman Month: Celebrate some of Peace Corps Most Victorious and Inspirational Women
May is International Victorious Woman Month! This month, we recognize some of the women in Peace Corps history who made significant impacts and contributions in various industries such as government, business, science, arts and more. By Priyasha Chakravarti Happy International...