Peace Corps continues its programs of service around the world

[caption id="attachment_20773" align="alignleft" width="300"] San Dancers of Botswana at 50th year celebration of Peace Corps[/caption]

Carol Forsloff----As the 50^th year memorial of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy approaches, some of the programs identified with his tenure remain as the symbol of that era where social service in the US or abroad was lauded. One of those programs is the Peace Corps. But what is its status today?

The Peace Corps was established during Kennedy's administration, however the idea of American adults serving people in underdeveloped areas or countries was that of Hubert Humphrey, Vice President under President Lyndon Johnson and a well-respected educator from Minnesota who later became its Senator.

Humphrey had introduced the idea in Congress, and although the Senate favored and folks considered it a popular idea, the State Department was against it. However, during Kennedy's administration the idea was adopted and made a signature program of the New Frontier. Thousands of young people in the 1960's signed up to dedicate two years of their lives to serving abroad.

Today the Peace Corps remains a viable agency, however there are increased risks in some countries that include sexual assault and other forms of violence. The organization, however, continues to be vigilant about those risks in order to continue to entice service-minded folks to help individuals and whole villages with everything from planting food to basic education and medical care.

The Peace Corps also serves as a way of helping people understand each the culture of one another. For example, this year in Macedonia a young volunteer, Sara Scholin of Pine City, Minnesota, put together a three-day Halloween celebration along with two other teachers at the school where she has been teaching so that students in grades five through eight could participate in traditional Halloween activities.

 

 

Here are the ways you can help the world through the Peace Corps

Ben Duke — The Peace Corps is perhaps one of the best known volunteer agencies in the United States and was created in 1961 by John F. Kennedy. Since then, over 200,000 volunteers have served in more than 139 countries around the world. Volunteers and employees who work as a part of the Peace Corps hold down jobs both in the United States and in countries around the world, and they take on careers as varied as medical workers and administrative assistants.  This article looks at the ways you can help the world by working with the Peace Corps.

In recent years, there has been a greater interest in the Peace Corps, thanks to the option of earning graduate school credit while volunteering abroad with the organization. Many people are interested in helping the world with the Peace Corps, but not everyone has an accurate representation of what it is like to work for the volunteer organization. If you might be interested in a Peace Corps career, then read through to learn more about six different areas of the agency that provide employment to those who want to help others around the world.

1. Education

This is one of the most exciting and popular fields for potential volunteers in the Peace Corps, and many of the people who decide to work in this area of the agency are younger adults without significant professional experience. Volunteers might work in a local school for girls in Africa, teach Asian professionals how to speak English in order to improve their odds of finding a job; or even teaching seminars that teach South Americans about how to earn grants and scholarships for college education. Although degrees in education are helpful, they are not necessary. This field is where Aaron S. Williams, the current director of the Peace Corps, worked during his time in the Dominican Republic. He claims that this period was among the best in his life.

2. Youth and Community Development

These areas of work are a large part of the Peace Corps, and they require dedicated and interested volunteers to help with tasks like helping orphaned children find families, increasing HIV/AIDS awareness in remote areas, and developing libraries in the local language so that local citizens can have reading material. If you are interesting in hands-on volunteering, then this is a top choice.

3. Health

The volunteers within the Peace Corps who find careers in the area of health typically have some medical experience. They may give physicals to young children, administer medications, give vaccinations, or help teach citizens about the importance of finding clean drinking water.

4. Business and Communications

This area of the Peace Corps typically involves helping citizens around the world advance their technological knowledge in order to better run their businesses. It might also include improving the local area networks to bring telecommunication access to a greater number of areas.

5. Agriculture

Those working in the agricultural sector of the Peace Corps might work in the area of food production, preservation of natural resources, or improved farming technologies. Agriculturists, farmers, and environmental scientists will all be incredibly useful in this section of the volunteer agency.

6. Environment

This part of the Peace Corps helps average citizens learn more about preserving the environment. It might teach recycling, set up large recycling centers in urban areas, or even plant trees in small communities.

Each of these areas of the Peace Corps is unique ways to help the world. If you are interested in working with this incredible volunteer agency, you can find satisfaction and fulfilment around the world.



About the Author

Ben Duke writes for several higher ed blogs. 

Peace Corps volunteer uses plastic bottles to build school

[caption id="attachment_7566" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="National Peace Corp Association"][/caption]

Justin Hargesheimer/GHN Editor - The Peace Corps began in the 1960's with a dream to help the developing countries by providing specialized help from volunteers who provide service for a period of two years in different areas specific to helping a particular region.  The enterprising potential of these volunteers is told in this narrative as one volunteer has been working with youth to use plastic bottles to build a school in Guatemala.

Peace Corps volunteer Justin Hargesheimer, 32, is spearheading the construction of a 1,033 square-foot school in the Guatemalan village of Nuevo Paraiso, in which plastic soda and water bottles are placed within the concrete walls. The project, funded with the help of American non-profit Hug It Forward (www.hugitforward.com), benefits the environment and provides a much needed education facility for children currently forced to attend classes outside, with only a metal roof overhead in the rain-soaked lowlands of Western Guatemala.

Project promotes trash cleanup, environmental awareness and community involvement

The community broke ground May 24 with the inauguration set for Aug. 21.

“It’s inspiring to watch the community come together for the benefit of their children, who desperately need a permanent building to conduct classes,” said Hargesheimer, of Fairbanks, Alaska.

In recent months residents of Nuevo Paraiso and surrounding villages rallied to collect 6,500 plastic bottles and stuff them with inorganic trash like candy wrappers, plastic bags and Styrofoam. These bottles, or “eco-bricks,” are inserted within the school walls, keeping trash out of streets and rivers, reducing construction costs and teaching important environmental lessons.

Nuevo Paraiso’s elementary school students attend classes on a mud floor without side or rear walls. The two classrooms have only a thin metal roof overhead and a chalkboard at front. The mornings are hot and heavy afternoon rains often force an end to classes.

Hug It Forward has funded bottle school projects throughout Guatemala.   The organization donates funds for materials and skilled labor, but requests the recipient community provide the unskilled labor and bottles, giving villages such as Nuevo Paraiso direct involvement.

Hargesheimer began his Peace Corps service in coastal region of Guatemala in November 2010. He will continue until October of 2012.