News
Kul Chandra Gautam: Relevance of the Peace Corps in the post-COVID World
A host country perspective from Nepal. Remarks from the July 2020 global ideas summit: Peace Corps Connect to the Future. By Kul Chandra Gautam On July 18, 2020, National Peace Corps Association hosted Peace Corps Connect to the Future, a global ideas summit. NPCA invited three winners of the Harris Wofford Global Citizen Award to share their perspectives. Here are remarks delivered by Kul Chandra Gautam — diplomat, public policy expert, and peace advocate — and former Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF. I want to thank National Peace Corps Association for this opportunity to share my views on the future of the Peace Corps...
Mohamud Said: The Main Aim of Peace Corps is to Empower People
A host country perspective from Kenya. Remarks from the July 18, 2020 global ideas summit: Peace Corps Connect to the Future. By Dr. Mohamud Sheikh Nurein Said On July 18, 2020, National Peace Corps Association hosted Peace Corps Connect to the Future, a global ideas summit. NPCA invited three winners of the Harris Wofford Global Citizen Award to share their perspectives. Here are remarks delivered by Dr. Mohamud Sheikh Nurein Said — volunteer, philanthropist, and humanitarian engaged in a wide range of medical service and human rights activities on the local, national, and international levels. Below is an edited version...
Peace Corps Today
Address by the Director of the Peace Corps to the July 2020 global ideas summit: Peace Corps Connect to the Future By Jody Olsen On July 18, 2020, National Peace Corps Association hosted Peace Corps Connect to the Future, a global ideas summit. NPCA invited Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen to speak. She was introduced by Glenn Blumhorst, President and CEO of National Peace Corps Association. Her remarks come a week after Peace Corps signed a historic agreement for launching a program with Viet Nam in 2022. And they come as the COVID-19 pandemic makes the future for all international...
In Memoriam — July 2020: Honoring Those Who Served
Service comes in many forms. Among those members of our community who recently passed away, we honor those who served our nation not only through Peace Corps, but also in the military, in other federal agencies, through civic organizations, and as leaders of National Peace Corps Association affiliate groups. Ross Joseph Pritchard (1924 – 2020) joined the Navy at age 17 to fight in World War II. After the war, he enrolled at the University of Arkansas where he played football, ran track, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science and history. Though he was drafted to play professional...
Man of Peace and Justice: John Lewis
In these most challenging times for our nation, we have lost an icon in the struggle for racial justice in America. By Jonathan Pearson Photo of John Lewis in 1965 by Stanley Wolfson, World Telegram staff photographer / Public domain The Peace Corps community mourns the loss of Congressman John Lewis, who died today. As a very young man in the early 1960s, Lewis pushed the boundaries and fought against power used unjustly. He never, ever stepped away from speaking truth to power. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of how the “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends...
Signs Look Promising for the Next Peace Corps Budget
Appropriations Committee in House of Representatives signals ongoing Congressional support. But this is just a first step. By Jonathan Pearson Amid growing talk of another round of COVID-19 emergency relief legislation, Congress is moving along with some of its regular responsibilities. This includes the annual appropriations process where the initial, early returns pertaining to Peace Corps are positive. Early Thursday afternoon, the full House Appropriations Committee passed (on a party line vote) a proposed Fiscal Year 2021 State/Foreign Operations spending plan that includes steady funding of $410.5 million for Peace Corps. The bill will next go to the full House...
Peace Corps Achievements — July 2020
Achievements of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Across the country — and around the world By Peter Deekle (Iran 1968-1970) A science fellow on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, a 2020 American Food Hero, a sustainable bee keeper in Cambodia, a ballet dancer, and an artisan are just some of the community members we feature this month. Learn more and remember to share your news with us! ALBANIA Ackeem Evans (2018-2020) is leading operations for World Central Kitchen in Georgia, distributing more than 65,000 free meals to the needy and underserved in the metro Atlanta area. BELIZE Eileen McGowan (2016-2018) has an active role in the COVID-19...
Opinion: We are the problem.
From someone who has worked in international development: We must stand with Black Americans and acknowledge the role racism plays in our institutions — and the work itself. By Tasha Prados Photo of Stockholm protests by Frankie Fouganthin / CC As the granddaughter of immigrants, I grew up knowing how privileged I was simply by the sheer luck of having been born in the United States. Being multicultural and Latinx, I spent most of my formative years between two worlds, never quite fitting in either, eager to connect more deeply with my Latin American roots. I went to El Salvador with a nonprofit...
Systemic racism is real. Here’s what we’re doing about it at National Peace Corps Association.
Ideas and actions — and the principles that guide us By Maricarmen Smith-Martinez and Glenn Blumhorst As Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, current and former staff, host country nationals, family, and friends, we uphold a commitment to creating a better world, one that promotes world peace and friendship. In this spirit, National Peace Corps Association envisions a united and vibrant Peace Corps community. We Stand Against Racial Injustice and affirm our commitment to empathy and justice — around the world, and here at home. Yet in the midst of national unrest ignited by systemic injustice, a vision of unity and vibrance is not enough....
In Memoriam – June 2020
Among those members of our community who recently passed away, we honor those who excelled in government, politics, education, agriculture, and public and community service. Mary Ziegenhagen (1936-2020) was born in Illinois, moved to Minnesota, and received training as an accredited medical records technician. Then moved to Washington, D.C. in 1960 to work on the staff of Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy. In 1962, she joined the first Peace Corps staff in the Philippines as an assistant to the director. Mary returned to Washington to work as an assistant for another Minnesotan, Hubert Humphrey, when he served as vice president under Lyndon Johnson. In...