News
Take Action to Increase Peace Corps Funding
We will need strong support from the House of Representatives in order to see a Peace Corps funding increase in the fiscal year that begins next October (FY 2020). Here's why. Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA), Joe Kennedy (D-MA), and Garret Graves (R-LA) are circulating their annual Peace Corps funding letter. This letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State/Foreign Operations asks that Peace Corps funding for FY 2020 be increased by nearly ten percent, to $450 million. This increase would follow four consecutive years of flat funding for the Peace Corps. This letter carries great weight because of the high number of signatures it normally...
President Trump Recommends $14 Million Funding Cut for Peace Corps
For the third consecutive year, President Trump is recommending a reduction in funding for the Peace Corps. The president's request of $396 million for the agency in Fiscal Year 2020 would represent a slightly more than three percent cut in funding. It has been more than 35 years since a president has proposed consistent cuts in Peace Corps funding to Congress. "It is disappointing that the President has recommended this cut in Peace Corps' funding, especially as the number of citizens applying for Peace Corps service continues to be far higher than the number of available positions," said National Peace Corps Association...
Support International Women’s Day
Since its formation in 1961, the Peace Corps has advanced the empowerment of women as a pillar of development, recognizing that expanding opportunities for women can transform their futures and the futures of their families. As part of this initiative, Peace Corps has committed to raising $1 million per year through 2025 from private donors supporting Community Economic Development, Agriculture, and Education projects. NPCA's affiliate group Women of Peace Corps Legacy invites you to recognize International Women's Day by getting involved with a women-led organization. Here are their recommendations: Windows of Peace: This non-profit uses communications and media to asses conflict and is a...
Best Capitol Hill Day of Action Ever? Not Yet!
Once again this year, NPCA marked Peace Corps Week by kicking off its 15th Annual National Day of Action, urging our community to reach out to Congress in support of the Peace Corps. Approximately 125 passionate advocates joined us on Capitol Hill for more than 160 meetings with congressional offices. Was it the best Day of Action ever? The answer: Not yet. NPCA on the Hill "We had a great day on Capitol Hill," said NPCA Advocacy Director Jonathan Pearson. "But the work is actually just beginning. We laid a great foundation for our efforts to increase funding for the Peace...
Community Achievements – March 2019
Community News - Achievements of RPCVs Author: Peter Deekle March 2019 ALBANIA Brenna Mickey (Albania, 2011-2013; Vanuatu, 2016) in addition to working as a product user experience designer at a digital learning platform company, she holds an adjunct teaching position in art appreciation, imaging, and public speaking at William Peace University in North Carolina. Following graduation, she moved to Bajram Curri, Albania in the Peace Corps’ Community Development Division, where she refined her interest in design and communication. ARMENIA Mandy Manning (1999-2000) the 2018 National Teacher of the Year will deliver the keynote address at the 3rd Annual Armenian Genocide Education...
The Places I’ve Been
I can distinguish three different eras in my life on the road. The first focused on Getting the Furthest with the Most Stops at the Least Cost. My first overseas adventure started in 1956 thanks to Icelandic Air and Holland-American ships both offering dirt cheap student fares. We were contemptuous of that new book, Europe on $5 a Day. Why, we puzzled, would anyone spend that much money? There were great hostels for $1 a night, hearty meals the same. So that philosophy was pretty well settled by the time I arrived in Nigeria on New Year’s Day, 1965 as a freshly...
Universal Service
One of the many privileges of serving as director of the Peace Corps was the chance to see first-hand the value and impact service has in our communities, our country and across the globe. A commitment to service maximizes Americans’ spirit of engagement and in so doing embeds civic engagement into our national identity while uniting us all in pursuit of the common good. I take that experience and knowledge with me as vice chair for national and public service at the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. This bipartisan, 11-member commission created by Congress is working to...
Welcome to Your New Home
The growing Peace Corps community invites you... … to unite in our vibrant Peace Corps community United and vibrant communities drive transformative change. Over four decades we’ve grown from the nascent National Council of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to the rebranded National Peace Corps Association. As we adapt to our ever-changing world, we have demonstrated steadfast commitment to the Peace Corps mission. While I pause to reflect on the merits of this 40-year milestone and marvel at the winding road our Peace Corps community has taken, I also look back on my own Peace Corps journey. Coming home to northern...
Healing Grace for Our Times
The question over the phone unsettled me. “Will Senator Wofford be joining you?” I was calling to make a reservation for a regular group of Peace Corps friends at Ristorante La Perla, our preferred lunch spot on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was logical that Vincent, the restaurant’s host, would ask. This was Harris Wofford’s preferred meeting place for lunch or dinner, just a short walk from his Foggy Bottom apartment. Peace Corps people usually didn’t gather there without him. But this time was different. I hesitated and collected myself before telling Vincent that Senator Harris had passed away. With reverence Vincent...
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...