News
Peace Corps Achievements — April 2022
News and updates from the Peace Corps community — across the country, around the world, and spanning generations of returned Volunteers and staff. By Peter V. Deekle (Iran 1968–70) Carrie Hessler-Radelet (pictured left), a former Peace Corps director, begins a new position as president and CEO of Global Communities — an organization whose recent efforts include working in partnership with communities in Ukraine to provide essential non-food items, mental health support, and assistance to internally displaced persons. President Biden appoints Lisa E. Delplace as a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts to help oversee the cultural and historic preservation of the District of Columbia. A new director of operations for a...
Breaking News: President Biden Announces that He Will Nominate Carol Spahn to Lead the Peace Corps
Carol Spahn has led the agency during a challenging time in Peace Corps history. On Wednesday, President Biden announced that he intends to nominate her to serve as the 21st Director of the Peace Corps. By Jonathan Pearson Photo from Peace Corps video In a release issued by the White House on April 6, President Biden announced that he intends to nominate Carol Spahn to serve as Director of the Peace Corps. She began serving as acting director in January 2021 and has led the agency for the past 14 months, one of the most challenging periods in Peace Corps history. Just...
President Proposes Slight Increase in Peace Corps Funding in Newest Proposal to Congress
Two weeks after finally signing a Fiscal Year 2022 spending package into law, President Biden has sent his Fiscal Year 2023 budget to Capitol Hill. His proposal requests a $20 million increase for the Peace Corps. By Jonathan Pearson For the first time in six years the executive branch has submitted a Peace Corps budget increase to Congress — two weeks after the budget for fiscal year 2022 was passed. President Biden has sent Capitol Hill his Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal – for the fiscal year that begins next October 1st – requesting $430.5 million for the Peace Corps. “The president’s Peace Corps request is a step in...
In Memoriam – March 2022
As we mourn the loss of members of the Peace Corps community, we celebrate the lives they led with a commitment to service. By Molly O’Brien and Tiffany James Photo courtesy PVSBond, Wikimedia Our tributes include Robert Beckel (pictured), a Fox News commentator, USA Today columnist, and former presidential campaign manager. We remember John Polhemus, an advocate for farmland preservation and former New Jersey state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. An early Volunteer and international educator, who devoted her career to teaching people far and wide. An RPCV with over 30 years of experience in the Foreign Service. We honor the wide range of...
Peace Corps Budget Update: Congress Votes for Flat Funding for the Seventh Year in a Row
Congress has finally passed a budget for fiscal year 2022. It keeps funding flat for the Peace Corps for the seventh year in a row. To ensure a better and stronger Peace Corps as Volunteers return to the field, and to enable the agency to make needed reforms, Congress needs to provide more funding. By Jonathan Pearson Congress has completed its work on a budget for fiscal year 2022, passing a $1.5 trillion spending package. That’s the good news. Unfortunately, for a seventh consecutive year, instead of providing new resources to better meet the needs of a changed world, it...
RPCV-Founded Chica Bean Makes Impact and Supports the Peace Corps Community
Enjoy fresh Guatemalan specialty coffee while supporting the Peace Corps community. Shop at Chica Bean through March 21 and NPCA will receive 15 percent from online sales. By NPCA Staff Treat yourself to incredible coffee that contributes to a better world with Chica Bean — from an RPCV entrepreneur whose Peace Corps service shaped a successful business committed to producing quality Guatemalan roasted coffee, shipped fresh from their roastery to your doorstep. Stock up on Chica Bean products through March 21 and help support the Peace Corps community. Co-founded by returned Volunteer Alene Seiler-Martinez (Guatemala 2008–12) and husband Josue Martinez, CHICA BEAN has brewed up a way to more equally distribute value between coffee producing and consuming countries. Try out...
National Days of Advocacy in Support of the Peace Corps Underway
On March 3 we kicked off our 18th season of advocacy in support of the Peace Corps. Our key priority: passing the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act. Congressional meetings are being organized, and op-eds are being published. Now is the time to get involved. By Jonathan Pearson National Peace Corps Association kicked off National Days of Advocacy in Support of the Peace Corps on March 3. For 18 years, this grassroots effort by the Peace Corps community to work with members of Congress has been one of NPCA’s key contributions to Peace Corps Week (which concluded on March 5, 2022). Moving forward, our key legislative priority this year is passing...
Peace Corps Achievements — March 2022
News and updates from the Peace Corps community — across the country, around the world, and spanning generations of returned Volunteers and staff. By Peter V. Deekle (Iran 1968–70) Park Ranger Shelton Johnson (pictured) who received the 2022 American Park Experience Award for his lifelong efforts advocating for diversity in U.S. national parks. Kathleen Chafey, the founder of a Montana State University program to support nursing students from Indigenous communities, has endowed a professorship to ensure the program continues to thrive. An RPCV is appointed to finish a term in the North Carolina State House. New leadership roles supporting efforts in sustainability as well as diversity, equity, and...
Peace Corps Week 2022: Events to mark the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps — and to renew a commitment to the work of building peace and friendship
Celebrate Peace Corps Week February 27 – March 5. Events are taking place across the country and throughout the world. Here are a few highlights, including a special forum hosted by the Peace Corps Agency and a kickoff for National Days of Advocacy in Support of the Peace Corps. By NPCA Staff As we mark Peace Corps week in 2022, it is with a sense of both hope and fear. The Peace Corps Agency has announced that the first groups of Volunteers are preparing to return to service overseas in March. The first groups are set to begin service in...
Why Ukraine Matters: Read, Listen, Understand — A Few Voices from the Peace Corps Community
Five journalists and scholars who have helped bring valuable reporting and perspectives to understanding current events, history, and policy in Ukraine. By NPCA Staff For a better understanding of what’s at stake in Ukraine, here are a few ideas of where to start. Particularly for journalists like Christopher Miller or Terell Starr, who are currently based in Ukraine, use what’s here as a jumping off point: See what they’re reporting day by day — or now, hour-by-hour — on Twitter, and see the sources and connections they follow and recommend. As always, especially amid a conflict where disinformation has played...