Fall 2010 - National Peace Corps Association

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A magazine of news and comment about the Peace Corps worldWoRldViewKevin F. F. Quigley, publisherErica Burman, editorContributorsScott Beale Joshua BermanJohn M. Bridgeland Jessica DuceyNatalie Hall JoAnna HaugenLisa Hayes Travis HellstromCarrie Hessler-Radelet Juliane HeymanKatherine Jamieson Maria KarlyaAmy Kunz Jeanne LemkauRoger K. Lewis Sarah LyonKristina J. Owens Wendy A. OwensJames Tobin Lisa HayesWoRldview adveRTiSIngPartyke Communicationssuepartyke@cs.com540 374 9100WorldView (ISSN 1047-5338) is published quarterlyby the National Peace Corps Association to providenews and comment about communities and issuesof the world of serving and returned Peace Corpsvolunteers. WorldView © 1978 National Peace CorpsAssociation.Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C. & additionalmailing offices.POSTMASTERPleased send address changes toWorldView magazineNational Peace Corps Association1900 L Street NW, Suite 404Washington, DC 20036-5002ADVERTISINGQuestions regarding advertising should be sent tosuepartyke@cs.com orPartyke Comunications1101 Caroline St., Suite 200Fredericksburg, VA 22401SUBSCRIPTIONSMagazine subscriptions may be purchased from theNational Peace Corps Association by check or creditcard. Prices for individuals are $25 and institutions$35 [add $10 for overseas delivery]. Order formsare also available on the NPCA website at www.peacecorpsconnect.org or www.worldviewmagazine.comEDITORIAL POLICYArticles published in the magazine are not intendedto reflect the views of the Peace Corps, or those ofthe National Peace Corps Association, a nonprofiteducational membership organization for those whoselives are influenced by Peace Corps. The NPCA isindependent of the federal agency, the Peace Corps.EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONSLetters to the editor are welcomed. Unsolicitedmanuscripts, photographs, or other illustrations willbe considered. The editors prefer written proposalsbefore receiving original material. Send queries ormanuscripts to the editor at news@peacecorpsconnect.orgor by mail to the NPCA address.All inquiries can be addressed to the appropriateperson at NPCA by fax at 202 293 7554 or by mailto NPCA, or through the NPCA website at www.peacecorpsconnect.org or www.worldviewmagazine.comWORLDVIEWFall 2010 Volume 23 Number 3Peace Corps 50th Anniversarypublished by the National Peace Corps AssociationSPECIAL ISSUENPCA and the 50th Anniversary:Let’s celebrate the past 50 years and recommit to a better futureby Natalie Hall 24Making Peace Corps History:Commemorative would mark Peace Corps founding and idealsby Roger K. Lewis 26JFK at the Union: The unknown story of the Peace Corps speechby James Tobin 29A World of Peace Corps: Five decades of Peace Corps Stampsby Sarah Lyon and Erica Burman 34“I Am Something”:A shea butter conundrum unlocks a story of Peace Corps successby Maria Karlya 36Ties that Bind: A look at multigenerational Peace Corps familiesby Kristina J. Owens and Wendy A. Owens 41Voice from the 1980s:Hard lessons learned and a life changed for the betterby Lisa Hayes 42Voice from the 2000s:A Volunteer Finds Herself at Home in the Worldby Jessica Ducey 43Voice from the 1960s:How I met Sargent Shriver and joined the Peace Corpsby Juliane Heyman 44Peace Corps Volunteer, 2010 Edition:What is success in the Peace Corps?by Travis Hellstrom 45A “Reverse Peace Corps”:Atlas Service Corps finds inspiration in a 50-year-old visionby Scott Beale 47Meeting President Kennedy’s Challenge:On the 50th anniversary of his Peace Corpsby John M. Bridgeland 50COVERPresident John F. Kennedy greeting Peace Corps Volunteers, August 28, 1961.Abbie Rowe, photographer. U.S. National Archiveswww.worldviewmagazine.comFrederick L. ShippeyJoan NewcombMaria Karlyawww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 5

Put Your passion Into PracticeSIT congratulatesthe Peace Corpson its 50th AnniversaryCombine your master’s degreeand Peace Corps service through theMaster’s International programat SIT, founded as a training center forearly Peace Corps volunteers.RPCV Scholarships available!“ SIT provides the international environmentthat Peace Corps Volunteers seek.”MAry STrAbAlA, PCV, Costa Rica, 1991–93Learn more at www.sit.eduadmissions@sit.eduToll-free (US) 800-336-1616or 802-258-3510

From the PresidentTHE 50th ANNIVERSARYIt’s about the futureby Kevin F. F. QuigleyAfter years of planning, the50th Anniversary Celebrationis finally here!One thing that is increasinglyclear is that in order for this goldenanniversary to be successful, it has to beabout much more than celebrating theaccomplishments of the past.Rather, this anniversary year needsto be about the future. In particular,we need to take advantage of thisanniversary to revitalize the PeaceCorps so that it makes more progress inadvancing its timeless mission of makingthe world more peaceful and prosperous.Since the Peace Corps was establishedin 1961, the world is changed utterly.Now, more of us live in cities than thecountryside. We have far greater accessto education and healthcare, and manyof us live longer. Perhaps most strikingly,the world is interconnected throughtechnology, trade, and travel in waysunimaginable just a half-century ago.Despite this, some fundamental thingsare unchanged: our world is far frompeaceful and too many individuals livein need.In planning for this anniversary year,we kept a number of principles in mind:1) whatever we do should advance thefundamental work of the Peace Corps,2) activities should enable participationby anybody who values the PeaceCorps, and 3) the momentum from theanniversary year should propel the workof the Peace Corps and its communityfor decades to come.To lay a solid foundation for thisanniversary effort, three years ago welaunched a campaign to generate moreresources for the Peace Corps so that itcould realize much more of its initialpromise. These hoped-for resourceswere not just more money but alsoinnovative ideas and entrepreneurial newleadership.Due to the remarkable work ofour community, this campaign hadunprecedented success. We helped securethe highest appropriation in the agency’shistory, and supported new leadershipand a set of innovative ideas that canhelp improve the Peace Corps.With this foundation now in place, thefuture-oriented anniversary events canbegin. These events will begin where itall started: at the University of Michigan.There, along with the University andthe Brookings Institution, NPCA isorganizing a symposium on internationalvolunteering.On March 1, 2011, the day that thePeace Corps was established through anExecutive Order, there will be a globalbirthday party with participants in the139 countries where the Peace Corps hasbeen and individuals in all 50 states. Wehope that you will consider hosting abirthday party wherever you are.On September 22-25, 2011,coinciding with the half-centuryanniversary of the signing of thePeace Corps Act, there will be a set ofcapstone events in Washington, D.C.One of these events, we hope, willbe a ceremony at the site of a futurecommemorative to the historicalsignificance of the founding of the PeaceCorps and the values that it represents.We expect that this new commemorativewill be near the National Mall, whichhelps record and narrates our evolvingAmerican story, and will be a welcomesupplement to the other nationalcommemoratives regarding service,courage and sacrifice.This commemorative would be onemanifest expression of our collectiveefforts to “bring the world back home”and perhaps the most tangible means topromote “…a better understanding ofother peoples on the part of the Americanpeople.” (See page 26 for furtherdiscussion of this commemorative.)Throughout this anniversary year,we will also be showcasing the winnersof our “My Piece of the Peace Corps,”YouTube Video Contest. We havealready received some poignant entriesfrom host country colleagues whose liveshave been touched and transformedby the Peace Corps. We hope that yousubmit a video and share with us howthe Peace Corps has touched your life.We look forward to your participationin these upcoming events, especially aswe use this golden anniversary year tohelp the Peace Corps play its part inbuilding a more peaceful and prosperousworld in the future.Kevin F. F. QuigleyKevin F. F. Quigley is President ofthe National Peace Corps Association.He served in Thailand, 1976 to 1979.Please send your comments topresident@peacecorpconnect.org.8 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

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Your TurnREADERS WRITE USLetters to the EditorIguess I have been readingWorldView for longer than I careto acknowledge… but I willreadily acknowledge that I have beencontinually impressed with the qualityand currency of its content. First-ratepublication, for sure, and one thatshould be on required reading lists forany serious student pursing a curriculumin international development or crossculturalunderstanding.Elizabeth Tunkle’s commentary inthe Summer 2010 issue, “SpeakingMy Truth: HIV positive and serving asa Peace Corps Volunteer,” moved andimpressed me more than any article Ihave read in all these decades. She isto be lauded for sharing her poignantOnline Master ofProfessional StudiesDegreeHumanitarian ServicesAdministration• Humanitarian Response• Disaster Relief• Sustainable DevelopmentFor more informationcontact Donna Campbellphone: 860.486.0184email: donna.campbell@uconn.edumps.uconn.eduBe Part ofSomethingBiggerCenter for Continuing Studiesstory with all of us; WorldView is to beappreciated for printing it.I know there has been much writtenabout President Kennedy these past 50years and his profound legacy for thePeace Corps but/and if there were ever agenuine “profile in courage” it is the storyof Elizabeth. All good wishes to her!Dr. Steven J. Noble (Tunisia 68-70)Former Assistant Dean,Columbia UniversityGraduate School of International andPublic AffairsIabsolutely agree with the article“The Third Goal is Our FirstGoal,” that the third goal of PeaceCorps is hardly addressed as thoroughlyas the first and second, and is in direneed of more attention.There is an untapped resource thatPeace Corps has not used to its advantage:blogs. Blogs are becoming more andmore popular, especially in an era whereidle time is spent surfing the Web andwatching YouTube videos. But we asVolunteers are almost deterred fromkeeping a blog because of all the work wehave to do to get it cleared.This organization is filled with manytalented people, including gifted writerswho write intriguing, insightful, tasteful,and humorous blogs about their PeaceCorps experience. But almost all ofthese people have their blogs passwordprotected because it is pretty muchthe only option volunteers have, thusseverely reducing the number of peoplethey are able to reach. Selecting a fewblogs from each country to be placed ina more public domain or encouragingVolunteers to keep a blog are cheap andeasy solutions to the neglected third goalof Peace Corps.Paula OsbornPeace Corps Ukraine10 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

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Your TurnREADERS WRITE USLetters to the EditorTo Wofford’s “Third Goal: Yes,No, and Maybe” (WorldView,Summer 2010), I urge adding apoint of political strategy.For too many years, neither PeaceCorps nor the RPCV communitygave priority to nurturing a domesticpolitical constituency. Both isolatedthemselves in cultures of parochialnostalgia, partly, I suspect, becausePeace Corps allowed early partnershipswith many universities and privateagencies to atrophy.We naively ignored history. FDR’sCivilian Conservation Corps succeededdue partly to careful partnering withlocal leaders. Countless programsThank You!Because You Helped Us,We Could Help ThemA Self-help Assistance Programwww.asapafrica.orgCFC No. 10029survive by cultivating support in“iron triangles” of federal agencies,Congressional committees, and interestgroups.By contrast, domestic service leadersunderstand political realities. In themid-1990s, they mobilized universities,private agencies, and beneficiaries toreverse funding cuts. They formed theServiceNation coalition to promotethe Serve America Act. Now theygraciously support NPCA and others inthe ServiceWorld coalition proposingthe Shriver International Service Act.(Harris plays lead roles in both!)So, strategic political reasonssupport Harris’ argument: “Directadministration of . . . overseas projectsby experienced universities and collegesor by non-governmental organizations. . . may be the best and fastest way toachieve Obama’s aim of doubling thePeace Corps….”Robert C. Terry, Jr.(Headquarters 1961Bangladesh 61-63, India 66)RPCV Peter Ross’ Spring2010 response to the coverphoto caption of the Winter2009 edition, “Revitalizing thePeace Corps,” is a surprising slightgiven that the living allowance PCVsreceive is determined as to allow thevolunteer to live as close to the meansocio-economic status of communitycounterparts as possible. But let’s behonest, on average (and for this I canspeak assuredly only for my experienceserving in Peace Corps Paraguay) itstill allows volunteers to live morecomfortably than the vast majority ofhost country nationals in developedsites, especially when one considersthat these are funds that are not onlycounted upon, but dependably andregularly received.It would seem that Mr. Ross, in hisresponse, is suggesting that volunteershire local domestic laborers to allocatea greater percentage of time towardproductive developmental work.While this would certainly allow fordedicating more, and admittedly muchneeded, extra time for one’s project, itwould, in many cases, denigrate culturalintegration in economically strugglingcommunities. In short, if a Volunteeravoids doing as the locals do it makes aPCV’s individual commitment to theSecond and Third Goals exceedinglydifficult. And in Paraguay, what Ms.Morrison-Cooper demonstrates in herphoto is what the locals do in ruralParaguayan communities.Though I commend Mr. Ross forfollowing suit along with his Indiancounterparts in 1963 by takingadvantage of his privileged position inhiring help to complete his domesticchores, I would remind him that“choosing what to do, and what not todo” does not always mean doing whatis best for one’s self. Often “the bigpicture” we are looking at as Volunteersappears different in the mind’s eyes ofthe varied host country nationals thatwe respectably serve.Frederick J. McClelland(Paraguay 08-10)View over 20,000 profiles of peoplewho care about the Peace Corps,plus hundreds of communitygenerated groups.Visithttp://community.peacecorpsconnect.orgtoday!12 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

From the global village tothe global classroomThe Darla Moore School of Business and the Peace Corps have apartnership that is developing business leaders for our expandingglobal community. The Moore School’s unique Peace Corps Fellow/USAprogram awards returned Peace Corps volunteers a $20,000 scholarship,substantial fee reductions, and work grant salary that allows them towork in underserved U.S. communities during their studies.Show YourPeace Corps Pride!Purchase logo itemsfrom our online storeThe NPCA online store offersa wide selection ofPeace Corps and NPCAlogo merchandise—from t-shirts and coffee mugs,to pins and license plate framesWearing logo merchandise isa great way to spark conversationsabout the Peace CorpsYour purchase supportsthe efforts of the NationalPeace Corps Association.Purchase logo merchandise atwww.cafepress.com/NPCAPeaceCorpsStoreAndy Allen is a former Peace Corps volunteerand 2009 graduate of the Moore School’stop-ranked International Master of BusinessAdministration (IMBA) program.“As a volunteer in Morocco I witnessed the impact ofeconomic and business development on communitygrowth, stability and opportunity. I wanted a graduateprogram with an integral international focus where Icould increase my knowledge of hard businessskills. The International MBA program atthe Moore School was a perfectmatch and provided me with thenecessary cross-culturalskills and experiences tolaunch a career ininternational relations atthe U.S. Department ofState. I was able to focus mystudies on French andeconomic issues in Africa whichled to my current positionin Madagascar.”Andy Allen, IMBA,Political/Economic Officer, U.S. Embassy,Antananarivo, Madagascarmoore.sc.edu • 800.236.6427gradinfo@moore.sc.eduwww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 13

Around the NPCANPCA Presents 2010 Sargent Shriver AwardGuatemala RPCV recognized for environmental efforts in Latin Americaby Sarah LyonNational Peace CorpsAssociation board membersand additional ReturnedPeace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs)gathered to applaud RPCV and Trees,Water, and People co-founder StuartConway (Guatemala 84-87) as hereceived the Sargent Shriver Awardfor Distinguished HumanitarianService on June 25. The award,named after Sargent Shriver, the firstPeace Corps director, honors RPCVswho make significant contributions topublic service in the United States orabroad.Trees, Water, and People“develops and manages continuingreforestation, watershed protection,renewable energy, appropriatetechnology, and environmentaleducation programs in Latin Americaand the American West.” Theorganization has worked in Haiti andCentral America planting over 3.5million trees, developing the JustaStove, which reduces emissions andwood usage, among other projects.Conway continues to assist hisPeace Corps host country throughfundraising efforts and an emergencyrelief fund. As suggested in thename, the organization promoteseco-friendly practices and alsoencourages supporters to take mattersinto their own hands through the100% Replanted and Memorial Treeprograms. Whether by purchasinga water bottle or planting seeds,Conway and his organization makeit easy for everyone to get involvedin going green and establishingsustainable practices.Before co-founding TWP, Conwayserved for eight years as the Directorof the Washington D.C.-based NewForests Project. During that time,Conway initiated reforestation and2010 Shriver Award Winner Stuart Conway.watershed protection projects inCentral America, Africa, and thePhilippines.“We are excited to honor StuartConway for his work co-foundinga nonprofit that helps communitiesto protect, conserve, and managenatural resources and for his untiringconservation efforts on behalf ofcommunities worldwide,” said NPCAPresident Kevin Quigley. “Hiscommitment is in the finest traditionof Peace Corps Volunteers since thedays of Sargent Shriver.”Information about the NPCA’sSargent Shriver Award forDistinguished HumanitarianService—as well as a listing of pastwinners—can be found at www.peacecorpsconnect.org/about/awards/.Erica Burman14 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

Africa RuralConnect AwardsWinners of itsWorld PolicyJournal EssayContestNPCA’s Africa Rural Connect(ARC) program awarded twowinners of the joint World PolicyJournal 2010 Essay Contest in September.The first place essay, “Ingenuity,Peanut Butter, and a Little Green Leaf:Combining Local Ingredients to Assuagea Global Problem,” by J.T. Simms (Niger07-09) and second place essay “Brick byStone Brick: Microinsurance in Africa”by Michael Norton (Malawi 02-04),describe unique initiatives that Africangovernments or others in the internationalcommunity can implement to improvefood security in rural Africa.“The authors demonstrated a keenunderstanding of the problems facingrural Africa while also showing a wayforward,” said David Andelman, WorldPolicy Journal editor. “The essays werecrisply written and will stand nicely nextto the professional writers who regularlyappear in our publication.”A distinguished panel chose the winningessays, including City Press EditorFerial Haffajee, Millennium InstitutePresident Hans Herren, former AssistantAdministrator for Economic Growth,Agriculture, and Trade at USAID, EmmySimmons, and Senior Fellow for globalagriculture and food policy at the ChicagoCouncil on Global Affairs, Roger Thurow.The essays are published in the Fall2010 issue of World Policy Journal (www.worldpolicy.org), one of the leading foreignpolicy publications in the U.S.“Through the Africa Rural Connectplatform, we have seen that there are manyanswers to some of the most pressingproblems in Africa,” said Molly Mattessich,NPCA’s Manager of Online Initiatives.“By tapping the power of the communityto come up with new ideas today, we mayfind the solutions that policymakers will beimplementing tomorrow.”Graduate ProgramsUSF offers these unique Master’s Programs:InternatIonal StudIeS+ Students integrate and apply knowledge acrossdisciplines to analyze global issues and problems.+ The program focuses on development issues, human rights,peace and conflict resolution, political and economic globalization,and international law, organizations and conflicts.+ Program includes a Summer Internship.InternatIonal and development economIcS+ The program provides a strong foundation in quantitativeeconomics with a focus on international economic development.+ Program areas include evaluation of development projects,microfinance, globalization and international integration,agricultural economics/commodity markets, internationallabor migration and causes of poverty.+ All students undertake Summer Research Internshipsoutside the U.S.publIc affaIrS and practIcal polItIcS+ For political professionals with a passion forcommunity organizing and nonprofit advocacy,campaign management, lobbying, electionmanagement, government work, political writingand communications, and media strategy.+ The Program includes a fall internship.aSIa pacIfIc StudIeS+ Pursue an interdisciplinary program thatexplores the rich cultures, economies,politics and history of East Asia— witha focus on China, Japan and Korea.Apply for fAll 2011 Admission At:www.usfca.edu/grad/applyonlineVisit the progrAms Andrequest informAtion At:www.usfca.edu/asgradContACt us:asgrad@usfca.edu or call +1 415 422 5101Educating Minds and Hearts to Change The Worldwww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 15

Around the NPCAGROUP NEWS HIGHLIGHTSA look at what NPCA member groups are up toby Erica BurmanFriends of Pakistan USAFollowing the terrible floodingin their former Peace Corps home,Friends of Pakistan USA, isspringing back into action. Thegroup investigated relief agencies,urged donations to those that haveeffective operations in Pakistan, andvoted to send $1,000 in currentFOPUSA funds to Pakistan. Inaddition, the group has drafted aletter to the USAID administratorwith their ideas for developingmore effective monitoring andaccountability of future USAIDprojects in Pakistan. FOPUSAwas founded in the aftermath ofthe 2005 Pakistan earthquake. In2008 they decided to focus on anarea that would provide maximumlongterm benefit to the country,namely education for girls. Workingthrough The Citizen’s Foundation,the group has committed itself toraising $2,000 per year for five yearsto fund scholarships for ten Pakistanigirls at the TCF Girls SecondarySchool in Phengali, Pakistan.Last summer three FOPUSAmembers traveled to Pakistan toimplement science camps for 1,000students at the school. http://peacecorpsfriendsofpakistanusa.blogspot.com/Returned Peace CorpsVolunteers of IdahoThe Returned Peace CorpsVolunteers of Idaho gathered togetheron June 20th to enjoy an outdoorbarbeque and to fix up their old PeaceCorps taxi. This beloved icon has beenused in dozens of parades and recruitingevents over the years and was beginningto show its age. RPCVs banded togetherto repair holes, tighten wheels andtouch up the paint. The taxi was usedIdaho Returned Peace Corps Volunteers gather around their Peace Corps taxi.in the July 3rd Liberty Day Parade indowntown Boise. In October, theyplan to redesign and rebuild the taxifor the Peace Corps 50th anniversarycelebration.Pittsburgh Area PeaceCorps AssociationThe NPCA Board of Directorsrecently approved the Pittsburgh AreaPeace Corps Association (PAPCA)as its newest member group. PAPCAheld an August 14th backyard potluckthat attracted more than 60 people.All eras of Peace Corps service were onhand—from a Mongolia volunteer whoreturned home in the past few months,to PAPCA treasurer and self-described“Kennedy girl” Kirsti Adkins, whowas at the steps of the University ofMichigan Student Union fifty years ago.RETURNED PEACE CORPSVOLUNTEERS OFWASHINGTON, DCEach year the Returned PeaceCorps Volunteers of Washington,D.C. (RPCV/W) holds a wreathlaying ceremony on May 29 atArlington National Cemetery tohonor John F. Kennedy’s birthday.Traditionally 13 roses are placedon the grave, to symbolize the 13original Peace Corps countries. Thisyear Ambassador Daniel OheneAgyekum of Ghana, and AmbassadorOmbeni Sefue of Tanzania took partin the ceremony.Wreath laid at the Kennedy gravesite byRPCV/W.Idaho RPCVsRPCV/W16 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

Where will yourmaster’s degreetake you?Where do you want to be two years from today?Halfway to a Ph.D., or halfway around the world?Making it to the weekend or making a difference?Located on California’s spectacular Central Coast,the Monterey Institute’s intimate campus and 11degree programs attract students from more than50 countries every year.Choose the degree that will get you to your destination.PracticalProfessionalTrainingGlobal AlumniNetworkInternationalStudent BodyImmersiveEducationalExperiencesComprehensiveAcademic &Career AdvisingBe the Solution • www.miis.eduPeace Corps Responseprovides returned PeaceCorps Volunteers theopportunity to serveagain in rewarding, shorttermassignments.Bring your skills andexperience to projects inplaces where you areneeded most.For a list of open positions orto submit your resume, go topeacecorps.gov/responseTalk to a recruiter at800.424. 8580 ext. 2250Once in a lifetimecan happen more than once.090929 WorldView Ad_2.indd 1 11/5/09 11:19 AMwww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 17

Life is calling. More than 200,000of you have answered.RTI International congratulates themany thousands of Peace Corpsvolunteers who for 50 years haveanswered life’s call.RTI InternationalResearch Triangle Park, NC 919.485.2666 www.rti.orgRTI is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving the humancondition by turning knowledge into practice.RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute.www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 19

WORLDVIEWmagazineSalutes the Peace CorpsServing in partnership with communitiesaround the world for 50 yearsThe United States African Development FoundaonCongratulates the Peace Corpsin Celebrang its 50th Anniversary.We Salute all current USADF Employeeswho served in Peace Corps andgained their grounding in workingwith marginalized populaons.Lloyd O. Pierson, StaffChrisne Fowles, Volunteer & StaffPaul Olson, Volunteer & StaffKim Ward, Volunteer & StaffTom CooganRegina NealPablo SolorioJe ThomasonGinger TissierCaitlin Welshwww.usadf.gov20 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

G W ’ S G R A D UAT E S C H O O L O F E D U C AT I O N A N D H U M A N D E V E LO P M E N TCongratulations Peace Corps …on 50 years of excellence!Celebrating 20 years of providing scholarship programs forRPCV’s who wish to teach in Early Childhood, SecondaryEducation and Special Education Programs.gsehd.gwu.edu/teachers2000G40763www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 21

The National Peace Corps Associationcongratulates past and presentPeace Corps Volunteers on50 years of service!We would like to express ourdeepest gratitude to the founders,donors, and supporters of the NPCAthroughout the years. Your generosityhelps Returned Volunteers continueto make a difference.22 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

DAI congratulates thePeace Corps on50 extraordinary yearsand countless contributionsto international goodwill.Advancing Human ProsperityFor RPCV career opportunities in internationaldevelopment, visit www.dai.com387Peace Corps Fellowshave becomeJohns Hopkins NursesThank you, Peace Corps,for the passion, commitment, andcommunity spirit you instill in volunteers.Congratulations on50 years of excellence!www.nursing.jhu.eduJohns Hopkins University School of Nursing—A place where exceptional people discoverpossibilities that forever change their lives and the world.www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 23

50th AnniversaryNPCA AND THE 50TH ANNIVERSARYLet’s celebrate the past 50 years and recommit to a better futureby Natalie HallHere at the National PeaceCorps Association, we liketo say that the Peace Corps50th anniversary is bigger than allof us. It’s not just a celebration forReturned Peace Corps Volunteers,serving Volunteers, founding staff,Peace Corps headquarters—or theNational Peace Corps Association.The Peace Corps, and the ideals thatit embodies, really belongs to ourentire nation and, indeed, the world.Wherever you may be this comingyear, we invite you to participate inevents to mark 50 years of the PeaceCorps, and to consider hosting anevent of your own.NPCA is honored to play asignificant role in the 50th anniversaryand will be directly involved in severalevents between October 13, 2010 andDecember 31, 2011. NPCA is hostingthe official, comprehensive PeaceCorps 50th Anniversary calendar onits website at www.PeaceCorps50.org.In addition, you can sign up now toreceive anniversary updates at www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org/50th-RSVP.As we go to press, here are some ofthe highlights of the 50th anniversaryyear:October 13-16, 2010: TheUniversity of Michigan is hosting amulti-day series of events including anational symposium on the future ofinternational service, co-sponsoredby NPCA and Brookings Institution.See the University of Michiganwebsite for details at http://peacecorps.umich.edu/March 1, 2011: NPCA celebrates withPeace Corps 50th Anniversary GlobalHouse Parties around the world to honorthe date President Kennedy signedan executive order creating the PeaceCorps in 1961. Individuals and groupscan host parties in homes and publicvenues. Toolkits are available online atPeaceCorps50.org.June 30-July 11, 2011: The SmithsonianFolklife Festival on the Mall inWashington, D.C. will feature the PeaceCorps, with more than a million peopleexpected to attend. More information willbe available at http://www.folklife.si.eduSeptember 22-25, 2011: NPCA’s major50th anniversary celebration will take placein Washington, D.C. The four-day seriesof events recognizes September 22, 1961as the date Congress approved legislationformally authorizing the Peace Corps.Thursday, September 22: AdvocacyDay on Capitol Hill with anorientation on Wednesday evening.Friday, September 23: RPCVs andothers will participate in a ServiceDay at Washington, D.C. areacharities. Many of the 140 NPCAmember groups will gather forreceptions, country updates, embassyvisits, and get-togethers throughoutthe weekend. Peace Corps staff willhave a reunion Friday evening. Acentral calendar and hospitality suitewill be set up to facilitate sharing ofinformation.Saturday, September 24: NPCA Boardof Directors meeting and a forum ondevelopment issues are scheduled. Theforum audience will select the firstGlobal Community Grant Project. A50th Anniversary Gala will be held inthe evening.Sunday, September 25: A morningceremony in Arlington NationalCemetery followed by a wreath layingat President Kennedy’s gravesite, amarch across the Memorial Bridge withthe Country of Service flags, and aclosing ceremony on the National Mall.Stay tuned for updates, join theactivities, and plan your own!Natalie Hall (Thailand 67-69) is theNPCA’s 50th Anniversary Coordinator.She and her husband Mike, whom she metduring training, are in the Peace Corpsapplication process awaiting placement.24 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

Erika Strandrpcv Honduras 1999mpa/id 2006ASK WHATYOU CAN DOMaster in Public adMinistration/international develoPMentThe two-year mpa/id program atHarvard Kennedy School is anexciting, rigorous graduateprogram designed to train thenext generation of leaders ininternational development. Theproven combination of doctoralleveleconomics with a multidisciplinaryapproach sets thisprogram apart. The demandingset of core courses includes publicsector management, institutions,governance, and the practice ofeconomic development.lwww.hks.harvard.edumpaid_program@hks.harvard.eduPHONE: 617-495-2133FAX: 617-495-9671www.hks.harvard.eduOur graduates are positionedtoward all-around excellence ina challenging field that requiresboth analytical and professionalskills. Exceptional, motivatedpractitioners from all over theworld with strong backgroundsin math and economics areencouraged to apply.Applications are due in earlyDecember. Classes beginin August. Full and partialscholarships are availablefor qualified applicants.mpa/id ProgramHarvard Kennedy School79 John F. Kennedy Street, Box 15Cambridge, MA 02138 USAFor information on other master’s and doctoral programs at hks,please visit: www.hks.harvard.edu/apply.www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 25

50th AnniversaryMAKING PEACE CORPS HISTORYCommemorative would mark Peace Corps founding and idealsby Roger K. LewisBetween 15 and 20 millionpeople visit Washington, D.C.each year, with more than amillion of those visitors being citizens ofother nations. For large numbers of thesevisitors, museums and monuments onand near the National Mall are among themost popular stops of the tourist itinerary.It is through these attractions that theevolving American story is told.Many memorials in Washington arededicated to momentous events andworthy individuals whose valor, visionand sacrifice embody the nation’s identity,history and experience, especially duringwar. Yet these inspiring works give anincomplete picture of America’s ideals,values and role in the world. By taking itsplace near these memorials, a Peace Corpscommemorative will help complete thatpicture and add a missing chapter for themillions who visit our nation’s capital.Worthy of CommemorationEstablishment of the Peace Corps in1961 is a seminal event in Americanhistory, as affirmed in testimonials bysome of the nation’s most respectedhistorians. The founding of the PeaceCorps, writes Doris Kearns Goodwin,“has produced an enduring legacy ofservice in the cause of peace, a timelesssymbol of American’s most honorableideals and aspirations.”Peace Corps took its place inAmerican history at a pivotal momentnationally and internationally. The worldwas engaged in a cold war. Cultural,ideological and economic divisionsbetween America and many recentlyindependent, post-colonial nationsof the Third World were deepening.Lack of mutual understanding betweenAmericans and people of other countrieswas a serious barrier. At home andabroad, well intentioned U.S. foreignpolicy, actions and motives were beingquestioned and perceived negatively. ThePeace Corps provided an unprecedentedopportunity to profoundly change theseperceptions, to break down barriersby actively expressing America’s truecharacter and motivation. Creation ofthe Peace Corps marked a fundamentalturning point in American foreign policyand American history.Nearly a half-century later, the PeaceCorps remains the only entity created andsustained by Congress whose sole missionis to promote intercultural understandingwhile unconditionally lending a helpinghand through overseas, nonpolitical andnonmilitary volunteer service. There havebeen profound geopolitical changes in theworld and dramatic changes in global andnational economic conditions. Yet theprinciples on which the Peace Corps wasfounded have not changed. Meanwhile,the Peace Corps concept has becomeiconic, a recognized and enduring symbolof American humanitarianism andvolunteerism in the cause of internationalpeace, understanding and development.The proposed Peace Corpscommemorative will not bemonumental in size or cost. Financedentirely by private sector contributions,it will require no federal funds. Thepreliminary construction budget targetis not to exceed five million dollars. Nobuildings, grandiose structures or heroicsculptures will be erected. Instead, thecommemorative will be an experientiallandscape in which to stroll, gather,rest and meditate. It will be an intimaterefuge where visitors can sense andlearn about the historic significance ofestablishment of the Peace Corps in1961, and about the ideals and valuesits establishment lastingly represents.The commemorative will not be amemorial to individual Peace Corpsvolunteers, officials or leaders. Ratherit will commemorate the meaning ofa unique event in American history,widely recognized and admired aroundthe world. It will forever expressthe lasting significance of the PeaceCorps’ inspired creation and the idealsand values embodied in its creation:humanitarian service motivated bycompassion; belief in the right of allindividuals to pursue life, liberty andopportunity; commitment to helpeliminate barriers of poverty, ignoranceand disease; and an unwaveringoptimism about building a betterworld for all humankind.This aspect of American history,American character and the enduringAmerican spirit has found very littleplace in Washington’s memorials andmonuments. As the 50th anniversary ofits founding nears, now is the time toadvance a Peace Corps commemorative.Led by Returned Peace CorpsVolunteer Congressman Sam Farrand strongly supported by the fourother House Returned Peace CorpsVolunteers (Congressmen Mike Honda,Tom Petri, Steve Driehaus and JohnGaramendi) legislation to authorizethe establishment of a Peace Corpscommemorative (H.R. 4195) wasintroduced late last year. Passage ofH.R. 4195 is required before the PeaceCorps Commemorative Foundationcan proceed with site selection, designapproval, fundraising and construction.Visit www.PeaceCorps50.org forupdates on the commemorative andways you can help.Roger K. Lewis was a Peace Corps architectin Tunisia from 1964 to 1966. He is anarchitect and planner, Professor Emeritus at theUniversity of Maryland School of Architecture,and planning and preservation columnist(“Shaping the City”) for The WashingtonPost. He is also a member of the board ofdirectors of the Peace Corps CommemorativeFoundation, whose only mission is to build theCommemorative. Portions of this article aredrawn from the PCCF case statement.26 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

Why study international affairs?irps.ucsd.eduSchool of International Relations and Pacific StudiesUniversity of California, San DiegoRaka Banerjee, MPIA 2009internship: the advocacy project, nepalemployer: the world bank, washington dcNOW HIRING:Country Directors* Program & Training Offic ers* Administrative Officers*The Peace Corps is looking for senior-level execut ives andmanagers with exceptio n al leadership and mot ivat i o na lskills, internatio na l experience (including living overseas),administrative and financial management expertise, andstrong cross-cultural experience to serve as country directors.Internatio n al development experience is desired.We seek candidates that are reflect ive of the diversity ofPeace Corps and our Volunt eers.Country directors must be United States cit izens and must nothave been associated with intelligence activ it i es. Candidatesshould have work experience managing a program or businessof comparable size to a Peace Corps country program (i.e.,approximately 15 to 50 sta ff, 50 to 250 Volunteers, and anoperating budget ranging from $900,000 to $4 million), aswell as experience mentoring sta ff and volunt eers. Sinceapproximately 90 percent of Peace Corps staff at each postare host country natio n al s , cross-cultural communicatio n skillsare critical.The salary range for these positions is $87,848 - $140,940.These pos i ti o n s are tim e limited, as are the positions ofall Peace Corps U.S. direct hire employees. Employees areappoint ed for a 30-mont h tour and may be grant ed a secondtour for a maximum of five years (60 months) with the agency.The Peace Corps is looking for mid-senior level managers wit hexcepti on a l skills to manage sta ff and design and manage int ernatio n a ldevelopment programs in a variety of fiel d s such as health, educatio n ,small business development and agriculture/environment thatp o si t ively impact communities overseas. Int ernatio na l and crossculturalexperience are required.PTOs manage, advise and dev elop teams of professional programand training sta ff to support Peace Corps Volunt eers at post . OurPTOs oversee the processes of planning, analysis, implement a tio nand monitoring of programs and training acti vitie s , support staff andVolunteers to meet the expectatio ns of project partners and conductstaff development. These offic e rs guide coordinatio n between work ingunits to ensure effective strategic planning, cost-effective budgeting,and appropriate recommendatio n s.We seek candidates that are reflect ive of the diversity of Peace Corpsand our Volunt eers.All PTOs must be United States citi zens and must not have beenassociated with intelligence activ it ie s. Candidates should have workexperience managing an internatio na l development program orbusiness, and mentoring staff and volunteers. Since approximately 90percent of Peace Corps sta ff at each post are host country natio na l s ,strong cross-cultural communicatio n skills are crit ical.The salary range for these positions is $57,678 - $129,008. All PeaceCorps U.S . direct hire pos i ti o n s are tim e limited. Employees areappoint ed for a 30-mont h tour and may be grant ed a second tour for amaximum of five years (60 months) with the agency.The Peace Corps is looking for mid-senior level managers withextensive administratio n and fin a nce experience, int ernatio na land cross-cultural experience (including living overseas),and exceptio na l management and leadership skills to serveoverseas as administrative off ic ers.The Administrative Off ic er ensures the effective managementof country operatio n s in support of a populati on of staffand Volunt eers entirely dependent on the crit ical services(administrative unit supervision, financial analysis, policyexecu t io n and implement a tio n) the AO prov ides.We seek candidates that are reflect ive of the diversity ofPeace Corps and our Volunt eers.All Administrative Of fice rs must be United States citi zens andmust not have been associated wit h int elligence activ it i e s.Candidates should have work experience managing a programor business, and ment oring staff and volunteers. Sinceapproximately 90 percent of Peace Corps staff at each postare host country natio n al s , cross-cultural communicatio n skillsare critical.The salary range for these positions is $46,736 - $104,534.All Peace Corps U.S. direct hire positions are tim e limited.Employees are appointed for a 30-month tour and maybe grant ed a second tour for a maximum of five years (60months) with the agency.The Peace Corps is one of the most successful and respected development agencies in the world. More than 195,000 Volunt eers have served in 139 countriessince the inceptio n of the Peace Corps in 1961. Thousands more from every background are eager to serve as teachers, business advisors, informatio n technologyconsultants, health and HIV/AIDS educat ors, and agricultural extension Volunt eers.Peace Corps accepts applicatio n s for these pos it i o n s throughout the year. You may apply on-line through the website, http: / / pcoverseasjobs.av uedigital.us/. Youmust complete t he on-line applicatio n to be considered for a pos i ti o n; resumes are supplement al.If you have any questio n s , please cont act the Offic e of Overseas Recruitment, Select io n and Support at 202-692-2411 or e-mail AOandPTOjobs@peacecorps.gov forAO and PTO po s it i o ns and CDSelection@peacecorps.gov for Country Director pos it i o n s.*While many of these positions do not require fluency in a language, some do. We anticipate a specific need for flu e nt French, Portuguese and Spanish speakers.www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 27

50th AnniversaryJFK AT THE UNIONThe unknown story of the Peace Corps speechby James TobinWell after midnight on October 14,1960, presidential candidateJohn F. Kennedy arrived at the steps ofthe Michigan Union. Legend has it thathe first proposed the idea of the PeaceCorps here. The truth is a little morecomplex, but far more interesting.Senator John F. Kennedy’smotorcade rolled into AnnArbor very early on the morningof Friday, October 14, 1960. Theelection was three and a half weeksaway. The Democratic nominee forpresident and his staff had just flowninto Willow Run Airport. A few hoursearlier, in New York, Kennedy hadfought Vice President Richard Nixon,the Republican nominee, in the third oftheir four nationally televised debates.The race was extremely close, andMichigan was up for grabs. Kennedy’sschedule called for a few hours of sleep,then a one-day whistle-stop train touracross the state.Black and White Photography: David GiltrowColor Photography: Frederick L. ShippeyThe campaign got word that studentshad been waiting outside the MichiganUnion, where Kennedy was to spend thenight, for three hours. As the cars reachedthe corner of State and South University,Kennedy’s speechwriters, TheodoreSorensen and Richard Goodwin, lookedout the window. Students, denselypacked, were milling all over the stepsand sidewalks and into the street. Somecarried signs or wore Kennedy hats.There were signs for Nixon, too. Criesarose as the cars pulled up.“He won’t just let them stand there,”Sorensen told Goodwin. “He’s going tospeak. Maybe that’ll give us a chance toget something to eat.”They hadn’t prepared a speech, butKennedy was good at extemporizing in apinch. He might have given the studentsa quick greeting and a standard pitchfor votes. No one knows why he chose,instead, to ask them a question thatwould launch the signature programof his administration and ignite theidealism of a generation.Since early in the campaign year,there had been scattered proposals fora volunteer corps of young Americanswho would go abroad to help nationsemerging from colonialism in Africa,Asia and South America. Kennedyhad asked for studies of the idea,including from Samuel Hayes, a U-Mprofessor of economics and director ofthe Center for Research on EconomicDevelopment. In early October, hisstaff had floated the idea in a pressrelease, but no sparks had been struck.And Kennedy, according to aides,had been leery of the idea, fearing thedamage Nixon might cause, in thejittery atmosphere of the Cold War, bycalling him naïve about foreign affairs.Possibly it was a remark of Nixon’sthat drew Kennedy’s mind back to theidea. In the debate the night before,Above, Top Right: Michigan students waited into the night for Kennedy to appear.Center: The 2 a.m. scene at the Student Union.28 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

the vice president had remindedthe national audience that threeDemocratic presidents—WoodrowWilson, Franklin Roosevelt andHarry Truman—had taken the U.S.to war. Kennedy may have wantedto strike a note that would associatehis campaign with peace.In any case, he did not actuallypropose a program. He issued achallenge.Speaking into a microphone atthe center of the stone staircase,with aides and students aroundhim, Kennedy began by expressinghis “thanks to you, as a graduate ofthe Michigan of the East, HarvardUniversity.” (A recording shows thatthis got a shout from the crowd.)The campaign, he said, was the mostimportant since the Depressionelection of 1932, “because of theproblems which press upon the UnitedStates, and the opportunities which willbe presented to us in the 1960s, whichmust be seized.”Then he asked his question:How many of you who are goingto be doctors are willing to spendyour days in Ghana? Techniciansor engineers: how many of you arewilling to work in the Foreign Serviceand spend your lives traveling aroundthe world? On your willingness to dothat, not merely to serve one year ortwo years in the service, but on yourwillingness to contribute part of yourlife to this country, I think will dependthe answer whether a free society cancompete. I think it can. And I thinkAmericans are willing to contribute.But the effort must be far greater thanwe’ve ever made in the past.Therefore, I am delighted to come toMichigan, this university, because unlesswe have those resources in this school,unless you comprehend the nature ofwhat is being asked of you, this countrycan’t possibly move through thenext 10 years in a period of relativestrength.He said he’d come to Ann Arbormerely “to go to bed”—drawing aribald roar from the crowd—then:“This is the longest short speechI’ve ever made, and I’ll thereforefinish it.” The state had not builtthe university “merely to helpits graduates have an economicadvantage in the life struggle,”he said. “There is certainly agreater purpose, and I’m sure yourecognize it.” He was not merelyasking for their votes, but for “yoursupport for this country over thenext decade.”The students roared again. ThenKennedy went up to bed, tellingan aide he appeared to have “hit awinning number.”There were 50 or 60 reporters withKennedy, but few mentioned thesenator’s remarks. Russell Baker of theNew York Times reported that duringJFK’s entire swing through Michigan, hesaid “nothing that was new”—which wastrue, if one counted the early-Octoberpress release. But in the aftermath of thespeech, something new began.The following Tuesday, October18, Congressman Chester Bowles ofConnecticut, a Kennedy supporter andadvisor, spoke to students in the UnionAbove: Kennedy meets with University of Michigan students.www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 29

allroom. He, too, proposed whatthe Daily called “a U.N. civil service,which would send doctors, agriculturalexperts and teachers to needy countriesthroughout the world.”Among Bowles’ listeners were twomarried graduate students, Alan andJudy Guskin. From Bowles’ talk, theywent to a diner where they drafted aletter to the Daily on a napkin. Theletter was published the followingFriday. The Guskins noted that Kennedyand Bowles had “emphasized thatdisarmament and peace lie to a verygreat extent in our hands and requestedour participation throughout the worldas necessary for the realization of thesegoals.” The two then pledged to “devotea number of years to work in countrieswhere our help is needed,” and theychallenged other students to writesimilar pledges to Kennedy and Bowles.“With this request,” they wrote, “weexpress our faith that those of us whoGu s k i n le t t e r to th e Michigan Da i l y th a t inspired an ou t p o u r i n g of su p p o r t.The Michigan Daily, October 21, 1960To the Editor:Representative Chester Bowles and Senator Kennedy in theirspeeches to the students of the University of Michigan both emphasizedthat disarmament and peace lie to a very great extent in our hands andrequested our participation throughout the world as necessary for therealization of these goals.In reply to this urgent request, we both hereby state that wewould devote a number of years to work in countries where our helpis needed, either through the United Nations or through the UnitedStates Foreign Service.WE ALSO WOULD like to request that all students who feel that theywould like to help the cause of world peace by direct participationsend a letter to this paper and/or our address. These letters will beforwarded to Kennedy and Bowles as an answer of the students of theUniversity of Michigan to their plea for help. If it is at all possible,we would like students to start asking others in their classes, dorms,sororities, fraternities, house, etc. to send letters expressing theirdesire to work toward these goals. We also request that those whohave friends at other universities write to them asking them to startsimilar action on their campuses.With this request we express our faith that those of us who havebeen fortunate enough to receive an education will want to applytheir knowledge through direct participation in the underdevelopedcommunities of the world.— Alan E. Guskin, Grad.— Judith T. Guskin, Grad.have been fortunate enough to receivean education will want to apply theirknowledge through direct participationin the underdeveloped communities ofthe world.”Over the next two weeks, eventsmoved fast. The Guskins werecontacted by Samuel Hayes, theprofessor who had written the positionpaper on a youth corps for Kennedy.Together, they called a mass meeting.Some 250 students came out to sign apetition saying they would volunteer.Hundreds more signers followedwithin days.Then Mildred Jeffrey, a Democraticstate committeewoman and UAWofficial whose daughter attended U-M,got word to Ted Sorensen about whatKennedy and Bowles had wrought inAnn Arbor. Sorensen told Kennedy.On November 2, in a major address atthe Cow Palace in San Francisco,Kennedy formally proposed “a peacecorps of talented young men andwomen, willing and able to serve theircountry…for three years as an alternativeor as a supplement to peacetime selectiveservice.” (Nixon responded by calling theidea “a cult of escapism” and “a haven fordraft dodgers.”)On Sunday, November 6, two daysbefore the election, Kennedy wasexpected at the Toledo airport. Threecarloads of U-M students, including theGuskins, drove down to show him thepetitions. “He took them in his handsand started looking through the names,”Judy Guskin recalled later. “He was veryinterested.”Alan asked: “Are you really seriousabout the Peace Corps?”“Until Tuesday we’ll worry about thisnation,” Kennedy said. “After Tuesday,the world.”Two days later, Kennedy defeatedNixon by some 120,000 votes, one ofthe slimmest margins in U.S. history.Some argue the Peace Corps proposalmay have swayed enough votes to makethe difference.“It might still be just an idea butfor the affirmative response of thoseMichigan students and faculty,” wrote30 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

Whistle stop tour across Michigan.Right: Kennedy arrives in Michigan.Sargent Shriver, JFK’s brother-in-lawand the Peace Corps’ first director, inhis memoir. “Possibly Kennedy wouldhave tried it once more on some otheroccasion, but without a strong popularresponse he would have concluded theidea was impractical or premature. Thatprobably would have ended it then andthere. Instead, it was almost a case ofspontaneous combustion.”Alan and Judy Guskin were amongthe Peace Corps’ early volunteers. Theyserved in Thailand.James Tobin is an author and historian.His most recent book is To Conquerthe Air: The Wright Brothers andthe Great Race for Flight. This articleappeared originally in MichiganToday, the alumni publication of theUniversity of Michigan.Sources include articles in The MichiganDaily and the Ann Arbor News and thefollowing books: Robert G. Carey, The PeaceCorps (Prager, 1970); Richard N. Goodwin,Remembering America (Little, Brown &Co., 1988); Gerard T. Rice, The BoldExperiment (Notre Dame, 1985); KarenSchwarz, What You Can Do For YourCountry: An Oral History of the PeaceCorps (Morrow, 1991); Sargent Shriver,Point of the Lance (Harper & Row, 1964);Theodore C. Sorensen, Kennedy (Harper &Row, 1965); Harris Wofford, Of Kennedysand Kings (FSG, 1980).www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 31

Start celebrating the50th anniversary of the Peace Corps —Order your 2011 International Calendar TODAY!PHOTO © ALI ZINGSTRA2011 marks the50th anniversaryof the Peace Corps.We are fond andproud of this fineprogram andgrateful to bepart of its legacyof peace andcooperation.Featuringthe first13 countriesto hostPeace CorpsVolunteerscover photo: nigeriaFOLDED CALENDAR SIZE = 12 1 ⁄4”x 9 3 ⁄8”PHOTO © CHRISTINE PEARSON MUSAPHOTO © ANNABEL IPSENPHOTO © DONALD LOVETTPHOTO © MARY CLAIRE HENSLEYPHOTO © HAILEY THOMPSONST LUCIASIERRA LEONE CHILE THAILANDphilippinesPHOTO © DONALD LOVETT PHOTO © MATT MCCLURE PHOTO © ALISON HOEMAN PHOTO © MARY CRAVE PHOTO © MUNIR UL HAQMALAYSIAINDIACOLOMBIA GHANA PAKISTANTHE INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR IS A PROJECT OF THE RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS OF MADISON, WISCONSIN. WEBSITE: www.rpcvcalendar.orgEMAIL: calenarmail@rpcvcalendar

Reach out & celebrate50 years of PeaceCorps serviceOver the past 50 years nearly200,000 Americans have spenttime serving in communitiesoverseas. Many returnedhome wishing they could domore. Since 1988 the RPCVsin Madison, Wisconsin havebeen producing the Inter -national Calendar whichfeatures countries whereVolunteers have served. Allnet proceeds from calendarsales—more than $900,000 —have been donated tocommunity developmentprojects around the world.Projects funded include:• clean water• sanitation projects–latrines& composting toilets• textbooks and teachertraining; girls’ education• building schools, librariesand science labs• beekeeping and businesscourses• HIV/AIDS education• rural health clinics• fish farming improvements• chicken coops and seedstorage• solar panels for medicalclinics• community centersReaching out for 50 years!Producing the International Calendar is partof our ongoing commitment to the PeaceCorps goal to “bring the world back home.”This effort has depended on the collaborationof many people over the years. We are verygrateful to those who have contributed timeand energy to this project and to those whosepictures have made this calendar one thatinspires, informs, and entertains.We encourage you to submit pictures if theywere taken in a country where Peace CorpsVolunteers have served. Pictures are votedon by Madison-area volunteers in January.The story the picture tells, its visual appeal,and its quality are important factors. Havinga picture in the calendar is a good way toshare your experiences in another culture,raise awareness of other traditions and,ultimately, to provide support for educationand development projects.RPCVs of Wisconsin–MadisonTEL 608.829.2677WEBSITE www.rpcvcalendar.orgEMAIL calendarmail@rpcvcalendar.orgPHOTO © YURI CHERNEVYYUpdated Photo Submission GuidelinesEligible countries Photos must be from a country where Peace CorpsVolunteers have served (past or present). See list in calendar.Format To qualify you can submit a quality 5x7 print or a high-resolutionJPG file from a 5.0 megapixel camera or better. Maximum of five photosper photographer. Originals can be color prints, transparencies, ordigital images as specified above. Pictures submitted for the competitionwill be retained in an RPCV image library. If your photo is selected, youmay be asked to supply your original for use during production.Quality Submit clean, focused images with realistic color. B&W pictures,framed or mounted photos, or images with dust or scratches will not beconsidered. Do not touch up or resample digital images.Documentation A completed Photo Form with signed authoriza tion mustaccompany your entry (see website). For prints, write photo grapher’sname & country where photo was taken on back of each photo in nonsmudgingink. For JPG submissions, file name should be in the format[country/entry#.name]. Example: Morocco1.jsmith. Send currentaddress, phone and email where we can contact you if you win.Winners In gratitude, those who submit quality images will receive acomplimentary calendar, small photo winners will receive five calendars,and large photo winners will get 25 calendars.Mail to Photo Coordinator, RPCVs of WI–MadisonPO Box 1012, Madison WI 53701Must be postmarked by Dec 31Online to submissions@rpcvcalendar.orgCelebrate each and every daywith the 50th anniversary editionof the International Calendarwww.rpcvcalendar.orgCelebrate in Washington DCSeptember 22-23, 2011Details at: www.peacecorp.govSee website forcomplete details.PHOTO © JENNIE QUINLANTANZANIAPHOTO © RALPH BLESSING2 0 11 P R I C E L I S TQUANTITY PRICE PER CALENDAR SHIPPING*1-5 $12.00** included6-24 $7.00 $10 per order25-49 $6.00 $12 per order50-99 $5.50 $17 per 50100-299 $5.00 $17 per 50300-499 $4.50 $17 per 50500-999 $4.00 $17 per 501000+ $3.75 $17 per 502 0 11 C A L E N D A R O R D E RNAME _____________________________________________________________________________________STREET ADDRESS (P.O. 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TOTAL$ _______________$ _______________.orgBRAZILNO foreign checks or currency.Payment by check preferred.To ensure delivery by the first of the year,place your order by November 15th.For more information, contact us at:calendarmail@rpcvcalendar.org CHECK ENCLOSED (payable to RPCVs)Charge my: VISA MASTERCARDSEND ORDERS TORPCVs of WI–MadisonPO Box 1012Madison, WI 53701-1012ACCOUNT NO.______________________________________________________________________________EXPIRATION DATE __________________________________________________________________________NAME ON CARD ___________________________________________________________________________

50th AnniversaryA WORLD OF PEACE CORPSFive decades of Peace Corps stampsby Sarah Lyon and Erica BurmanIn a world of email, blogs, cellphones, and Skype, stampsare evocative reminders of aslower, somehow more charmingand yet fast disappearing world. Fordecades, letters were the only tetherconnecting Peace Volunteers in faroff lands to family and friends backin the U.S. As a result, ReturnedVolunteers of a certain age holdtactile memories of onionskin paper,of blue aerograms, and yes, of stamps.Colorful, whimsical—and at timesdownright odd—stamps from theirhost countries.Two years ago, the National PeaceCorps Association published ashort piece on its blog about PeaceCorps-themed stamps from aroundthe world. Stamp collector JoanNewcomb contacted us to let us knowabout her singular collection, whichshe graciously offered to share withWorldView readers.Two-dollar stamps commemorating the 40th anniversary of the death of President Kennedy(right). Stamps from Liberia depicting JFK and the Peace Corps (left).WV: How did you becomeinterested in the Peace Corps stamps?Newcomb: I became interestedin Peace Corps stamps for tworeasons. First, it was an outgrowthof a collection of John F. Kennedystamps (of which there are thousandsfrom over 200 different localitiesaround the world). Second, I servedas an academic advisor to studentsat the University of South Floridawho were majoring in InternationalStudies. Many of them went intothe Peace Corps. Also, I am achild of the 60’s. I was in collegewhen Kennedy was elected and Iwell remember the excitement andprestige surrounding the foundingof the Peace Corps. Even today Ibelieve it is one his finest legaciesand probably one of the mostsignificant, positive, and enduringaspects of US foreign relations.WV: Are you a Returned PeaceCorps Volunteer?Newcomb: No, I am not an RPCV.However I have many friends andformer students who are.Stamps from “The Friendly Islands” of Tonga, welcoming Peace Corps Volunteers.WV: Where did you do most ofyour research?Newcomb: Most of my researchhas been done on EBay and aEuropean online stamp auctioncalled Delcampe. Parenthetically,I contacted the American Topical34 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

A selection from Joan Newcomb’s collection of Peace Corps stamps from around the world.Association of stamp collectors andthe Peace Corps, and found no onehad ever assembled any informationon the topic.WV: Why do other countries issuePeace Corps stamps, given that it is aU.S. organization? Is it to honor theVolunteers that have helped in thosenations?Newcomb: There are two majorreasons why Peace Corps stampshave been issued. First, thesecountries wanted to honor thePeace Corps Volunteers and theircontribution to their nation. Second,it is a moneymaker. Most stampsaround the world are issued forcollectors. Only a small percentageof stamps are purchased for postalservice. As you can imagine, it isvery inexpensive to issue stamps.They do not require much of aninvestment and essentially requireno natural resources. Many foreigncountries issue stamps based uponwhat will sell—Elvis, cars, boats...thousands of topics...all based on whatthe collectors will buy. And, collectingstamps is a worldwide hobby.Sarah Lyon is a student at ColbyCollege and an intern with theNational Peace Corps Association.She interviewed Joan Newcomb.Erica Burman (The Gambia 87-89) isthe director of communication for theNational Peace Corps Association.www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 35

50th Anniversary“I AM SOMETHING”A shea butter conundrum unlocks a story of Peace Corps successby Maria KarlyaThere is a shea butter mystery,and I am going to solve it.A small pink building withseveral rusting shea butter-producingmachines has been locked up for years.Meanwhile, shea butter continuesto be whipped by hand under trees(an incredibly long process) beforeit can be cooked with or made intosoap. The Red Cross women I workwith have been asking me to get thisold factory running since I arrived.Honestly, I don’t even know whereto begin. I am nearing the end of myservice, and I still don’t understandwhy after all the involvement fromthe local government, all the training,and all the shea nuts donated fromAfrica2000, this pint-sized factoryremains unused. Finally, I decide tocontact Adisa at Africa 2000, an NGOthat for decades has been empoweringpeople, especially women, to be selfsustainable.Their prior involvementwith the factory and my village mightcast some light on the situation.The author and local students.I walk into the office, and am greetedwith a smile a mile wide. The creases inAdisa’s eyes prove that she smiles likethis often. Do you remember anothervolunteer named Michael? I ask her as Ishake her hand. He is the one who gaveme your number. “No, I’m sorry, I don’t.I meet a lot of people.” Her smile isstill there. She speaks slowly, but withpurpose. She is wearing a traditionaldress and head wrap, and typing ona new laptop. Her English is perfect.“Maria, I have sons and daughtersfrom all over the world. Hundredsof sons and daughters,” she tells me.“Hundreds.” I was hoping she wouldextend an invite to be my mother also;she looked like the kind of woman whowould fatten me up and give me greatguy advice.“Where are you from in theStates?” Queens, New York. “I’vebeen to Queens,” she says dreamily.“Usually they have us stay in thesefancy hotels in Manhattan, but I hada daughter whose parents insisted IMaria Karlyastay with them in Queens one year.”Do you travel to the US often? “Notanymore. I’m near retiring, I don’thave the energy for it anymore. ButI used to go about three times a year.They send me all over the world.” Ican’t help but be impressed with thisNorthern Ghana native, who managedto overcome every obstacle under thesun in order to be an educated womanin Ghana. In a culture where girls areonly educated long enough to increasetheir bride price, Adisa has landed acareer that has brought her all over theworld, collecting sons and daughtersalong the way.I explained the tricky case to her, andit turns out she was aware of our sheanut problems. “Your community hasmore shea trees than any village I know,”she says, shaking her head. “Maria, hereis the problem. Making shea butter is asocial event for these women. All day,they are in the house serving their menand children. They can’t discuss theirproblems, because the men will hear.They have no privacy. But when theyare under the trees making shea butter,the men won’t mind them. That’s whenthey can talk. They give advice to theirdaughters; they share ideas and discussall their troubles. They cherish that time.Those machines are incredibly loud,and only a few can use them at a time.The process ceases to be social. You cankeep bringing in more machines. Theywill never use them. They won’t tell youwhy and you will think they just don’tcare. But they are smart, they know. ” Ofcourse, that makes perfect sense. I wouldhave never realized that on my own.Case closed.Adisa won’t let me leave until shefeeds me lunch. She leaves the spoonnext to her laptop, and eats the greasyrice and beans with her fingers.“Americans are very special to my heart,”36 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

Congratulations on50 years of promotingpeace and friendship.MA in Sustainable International DevelopmentMS in International Health Policy and ManagementMA in Coexistence and ConflictPhD in Global Health and DevelopmentBrandeis UniversityBostonhttp://heller.brandeis.eduTHEPOST-BACCALAUREATEPREMEDICAL PROGRAMWant to be a doctor?Make it a reality.The Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Programat Goucher College is a one-year curriculum ofcourses required for medical school admission. 99.5% medical school acceptance rate Classes separate from undergraduates Comprehensive advising and support Linkage agreements with sixmedical schoolsVisit goucher.edu/postbac or call800-414-3437 or 410-337-6559for more information.GOUCHER | collegewww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 37

Maria KarlyaThe author and members of the local Red Cross chapter.she tells me. I nod, not knowing whereshe is going with this.“I have had a few Peace Corps teachersin training school.” Really?“Yes, in the 60s.” These had to havebeen sone of the first Peace CorpsVolunteers, ever.“Ms. Amos. She was my literatureteacher. She had us translateShakespeare. She loved me. And Ms.Humpherson, she was a geographyteacher. None of our teachers tookus seriously in the North. Can youimagine, when I was in teacherstraining college, I had never seen amap! I told Ms. Humpherson this,and she took an interest in me. Shetaught me everything she knew aboutgeography, and now I’ve been tomany of those places.”“If it weren’t for Ms. Amos,” shecontinued, “I wouldn’t have fallen inlove with languages. That’s what I wasfor years, a language teacher. They bothtold me I could be something. Andnow look at me. I am something. I havebeen trying to reach them for years.Even if they have passed on, a familymember at least. They need to knowI made something of myself, becausethey told me I could.” She gave me thateye-creased smile again. I thanked heronce more for lunch and for the adviceon the shea butter group.As I traveled home, all I could thinkwas, there is no American or city-bredGhanaian that could have given me theinsight that Adisa has. Her knowledgeand experience is a gift to not only girlsand women throughout the northernregion of Ghana, whom she has servedher whole life, but to Volunteerslike me with whom she has workedthroughout her career. In her opinion,this can be traced back directly to Ms.Humpherson and Ms. Amos, a coupleof Peace Corps Volunteers who taughther English and Geography, and toldher if she worked at it, she could reallybe something.I have had some rough days inGhana. I could tell you a numberof times I was ready to pack upmy bags and head home, to theland of sushi, espressos and reliableelectricity. I know Ms. Amos and Ms.Humpherson had those days. I knowthey looked at the students beforethem, many of whom had never seena map in their lives, or had even heardof Shakespeare, and thought “Whatam I doing here? This is such a lostcause President Kennedy! You don’teven know!” They may have no ideathe woman Adisa is, because of them,the number of lives she has touched,in her own corner of the globe and allover the world.Ms. Humpherson and Ms. Amos,I have a message for you from Adisa:Thank you.Maria Karlya is a health sector PeaceCorps Volunteer currently serving inGhana.38 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

If you want to be a doctorbut don’t have the required courses for medical school,we’ll help you get there.If you are a college graduatewe have a program offering:Expert, individualized advisingMedical experience with Johns Hopkins facultyOutstanding preparation for medical schoolPost-BaccalaureatePremedical ProgramTo learn more about our Post-BaccalaureatePremedical Program, visit www.jhu.edu/postbacor call 410-516-7748.improving the human condition, enhancing human security, advancing human prosperityMA Degrees – Development Practice • Global Finance, Trade and EconomicIntegration • International Administration • International Development •International Human Rights • International Security • International Studies •Master’s International Program for Peace Corps Bound Students •Peace Corps Fellows Program for Returned Peace Corps VolunteersPhD Degree – International Studieswww.du.edu/korbel/wvwww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 39

50th AnniversaryTIES THAT BINDA look at multigenerational Peace Corps familiesby Kristina J. Owens and Wendy A. OwensWithin the span of 50 years,it is inevitable that thePeace Corps would makean impact on two or more generationsof Peace Corps Volunteers. Beingsecond-generation Returned PeaceCorps Volunteers (Kristina: Bolivia2000 to 2002; Wendy, Paraguay 2000to 2002), Peace Corps has alwaysbeen part of our lives. Our father,Robert ‘Bob’ Owens, was a Volunteerin Peru from 1970 to 1973 and metour mother, a native Peruvian, duringhis service. We grew up hearing allhis stories, and of course the story ofhow they met on a boat going downthe Amazon. Not only did we hearabout the Peace Corps, we also visitedPeru several times while growingup. Those typical childhood lectureson eating our vegetables “becausemillions of children in the world aredying of hunger” actually held someweight in our household! As the 50thanniversary of Peace Corps comescloser, we wondered whether therewere other families like ours, wherePeace Corps has become a tradition.We decided to ask our fellowReturned Peace Corps Volunteers(RPCVs) some questions viaNPCA’s online communityand Facebook, including whythey joined the Peace Corps,how influential the relative’sexperience was on theirdecision and how their PeaceCorps experience was differentor similar to their relative’s.Many RPCVs immediatelyjumped into this interestingdiscussion.What we found was bothwhat we expected—and didn’texpect. We thought we wouldfind a few families like ours,but surprisingly there were evenmore multigenerational Peace Corpsfamily combinations, including:• Father or mother served as aVolunteer, married a host countrynational, one or more childrenserved 20-30 years later.• Father and mother servedtogether, may have even hadchildren while in service.Children served 20-30 years later.• Father or mother served aftertheir children did because theywere inspired by their children’sexperience.• Grandmother and granddaughterwho served at the same time.• Families where a parent not onlyinspired children to serve but theirown parents, uncles, aunts, niecesand nephews to serve as well.These online discussions remindedus that Peace Corps Director AaronWilliams (Dominican Republic 67-70) currently has a son serving, andthat Deputy Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet (Western Samoa 81-83) ispart of four generations of PeaceCorps volunteers. Radelet-Hessler’saunt first served in Turkey from 1963The authors as children visiting Machu Picchu with their parents.to 1965, her grandmother then servedin Malaysia from 1972-1973, andmost recently her nephew served inMozambique (07-09). The parentsof NPCA Vice President Anne Baker(Fiji 84-87) served in Romania from2001 to 2003. The multigenerationalPeace Corps family, it seems, is aliveand well.We found that across thegenerations the reasons for joiningremained essentially the same: theopportunity to help others, to travelthe world, to learn a new language.The first generation respondentsdid not necessarily feel they directlyinfluenced their children or relativesin their decision to join the PeaceCorps—but by talking about theirexperiences or by taking them back totheir Peace Corps sites they certainlyinspired them.Many of us “Peace Corps babies,”second generation Peace CorpsVolunteers, have strong memoriesof our parents and relatives tellingstories of their time in their PeaceCorps countries. Our home, forexample, was filled with exoticsouvenirs and there was a constantparade of visitors from allover the world. The same wastrue for Donna Shanor (CostaRica 10-12), who said abouther father, “He always had aperson from another countryto introduce us to that he hadmet through Peace Corps.”Curiosity about communitiesbeyond our own was certainlyencouraged. My sister and Ibecame passionate about globalissues such as poverty, humanrights, and the environment.We realized we had a differentperspective of the world thanmost children but never reallyBob Owens40 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

understood why. Years later, we do. Itwas the Peace Corps. Of her decisionShanor remarks, “I reflected over theexperiences my dad talked about andam sure his experience influenced mydecision to do Peace Corps.”Many first generation RPCVshave also led by example, choosingprofessions where they continue togive back. For example, our fathertaught high school science for over30 years—a selfless career path ifever there was one! Today he helpsstreet kids in Peru finish theirschooling with his small nonprofitorganization, Peruvian Project, Inc.His story is not unusual.2nd generation andbeyond!For many first generation RPCVs,the opportunity to visit theirchildren or relatives at their sites isa particularly sweet experience. Ourfather was happy that we chose tojoin the Peace Corps and was excitedthat we were serving in Bolivia andParaguay. When he visited each ofour sites, we never worried whetherhe would like our host communitiesor how he would adjust to anydiscomfort. Our father saw it as anadventure and we knew he wouldbe fine.“Everything was very familiar tome,” he recalls, “almost like whenI was in the Peace Corps—withthe difference that it was 27 yearslater.” The way he saw us interactwith our host communities, how wewere accepted as people and not as“Americans,” was no different thanwhen he was a Volunteer. “It is thatkind of interaction that I think isvaluable to the U.S….the people ofthe developing world realizing thatAmericans care about them and arenot just a symbol to venerate or hate.”Our Peace Corps experienceswere both different from andsimilar to our father’s. Those whojoined the discussion online echoedthese sentiments. The most recentgeneration has email while the oldergeneration had handwritten letters.Our communities know the UnitedStates through television and movies;the older generation entered intocommunities with little knowledgeabout the U.S.The excitement of our experiencesin Peace Corps is influential to peoplearound us and is understandable thatit inspires our children, parents, andrelatives to serve as well. Sharingthese experiences allows futuregenerations to adjust to the ups anddowns of serving. Being referredto as “Peace Corps Babies” is acompliment that we proudly accept.We hope that our children will havethe opportunity to serve others in themuch same way we have.Kristina J. Owens (Bolivia 00-02) is aplant biologist with the USDA. Wendy A.Owens (Paraguay 00-02) is an AdjunctProfessor of Biology at three Marylandcommunity colleges.Top-ranked in the Nation– U.S. News & World ReportConsistently among top threeproducers of PresidentialManagement Fellows(2008, 2009, 2010)Internationally renowned facultyIdeas into action, action into service.American University has a long tradition of supporting Peace Corpvolunteers. Visit our website or contact an admissions representativetoday to learn more about our graduate programs.Graduate degrees offered:• Political Communication• Public Policy• Public Administration• Political Science• Applied Politics• Justice, Law & SocietyCall an Admissions representative: 202-885-6248 spagrad@american.edu.american.edu/spaApplication fee waived forPeace Corps volunteers.Admission deadline forFall 2011, February 1, 2011.EO/AAwww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 41

50th AnniversaryVoice from the 1980sHard lessons learned and a life changed for the betterby Lisa HayesMy Peace Corpsservice in Malawifrom 1989 to1991 was a time of activeself-discovery and personalgrowth.Coping with the challengeof being “re-slotted” outof my first assignmentand into a new job wasan early test of flexibility.Dealing with my first roundof malaria was a test offortitude. The lonelinessI lived with was a test ofmy tolerance as I steppedout of the safe shadow ofmy innate shyness andbefriended those aroundme, regardless of age,background, education orother factors that makefriendships naturallydevelop. Accepting thelimits of the transportationsystem and walking where Ineeded to go put me in thebest physical shape of mylife and made me love longwalks. Seeing dire povertymade me understand howblessed I am and that mymoney is not my own tohorde, but is in my handsto help others. Toleratingthe “other” American in myarea violating the rules ofhis own U.S. Governmentfundedposition and evangelizingto all and sundry was a test of myvery real Christian faith and faithin all that is good about Americanfreedom. Advising the Malawianswho sought my advice on how toshow this man they were “Christianenough” for a scholarship to the U.S.was a test of diplomacy.“This is the family I helped with the five kwacha loan. LikeScarlett O’Hara, the little girl’s dress is made from the curtainsof my first house. Her name was Sofeelet. Her mother had seena picture of a beautiful woman and named her for that woman:Sofia Loren.”Learning from my non-PeaceCorps co-workers in a World Bankfundedlibrary system that whatwe built was effectively destroyedand useless within two years of ourdeparture? Devastating, but notsurprising. Hearing that the men wereplaced so they could earn degreesand become librarians had comehome and quit, and thatone had misused studentloans? This bred even morecynicism that systemicchange can be created fromwithout with infusionsof money. Hearing thatPeace Corps projects I wasinvolved with or aware ofall turned into new homesfor headmasters or othersin power increased thecynicism again.But, none of thismanaged to make mecynical about one-on-one“development.”The 5 kwacha “loan” Igave a local women andthe education that truckgarden then provided to herchildren makes me glad tobe alive. Remembering somany other small “handsup” makes me proud—notonly of myself, but of thenation that sent us into thefield to truly change livesfor the better. One-on-onethere is no doubt of PeaceCorps’ effectiveness.“The toughest job I’veever loved?” No, that isparenting my two Ukrainebornteenagers today. But,I wouldn’t trade the years Ihad in Southern Malawi foranything.Thank you, America, for allowingme the opportunity to serve. Thankyou Malawi for changing my life forthe better, forever.Lisa Hayes (Malawi 89-91) isa librarian at Indiana WesleyanUniversity and “a passionate supporterof the Peace Corps.”42 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

50th AnniversaryVoice from the 2000sA Volunteer finds herself at home in the worldby Jessica DuceyGazing out over the scenerywhile riding the dawn busfrom Assela to Adama, I foundmyself humming a vaguely familiar tune.As we rounded the curve and the fullvista of shimmering gold grain fields infront of distant mountains came intoview, I recognized the opening bars of“America the Beautiful,”“O beautiful, for spacious skiesO’er amber waves of grainFor purple mountains, majestiesAbove the fruited plains . . . .”In that moment, Ethiopia lookedjust like the vast plains of theAmerican Midwest where I wasborn and I realized that Ethiopiahad become a second home to me.Looking back, I hardly rememberedmy first frightened trips to the market,testing my fledgling Amharic as Ibought a kilo of onions or found thegrinding mill for the first time. Onthat day, near the end of my service, itall felt like second nature to me.While my time was filled withchallenges as I adjusted to living farfrom home in a new culture, in the daysbefore my departure my mind was filledwith only the joyous moments of theprevious two years. The young womanwho stood up in an English class full ofmen and said she wanted to dedicateher life to campaigning for the rightsof women around the world. The boywho shyly thanked me and told me thatevery Ethiopian he knew wanted to goto America, but I was the only Americanhe’d ever seen in Ethiopia. The old womanwho passionately taught her daughtersthat respect is a universal human right.The prisoners overjoyed to discover theydeserved the same opportunities as anyoneelse. The teacher who said he can identifyan American because we are always smilingand treat everyone the same. The buspassengers and cafe patrons with whomI shared countless humorous culturalexchanges. The list was endless.My heart was torn as I alternatedwww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 43

etween excitement to be going back toAmerica and sadness for this new homeI would be leaving behind. I believethat more unites us than divides us,and never has that been more true thanafter my time in Ethiopia. When I firstarrived there, all I could see was howdifferent Ethiopia was from America.But in time, I realized that deep down,we are all citizens of the world; we allwant the same things: the opportunityto improve our lives. To leave the worlda little better for the next generation.The comfort and love of a family. I missthe Ethiopian family I created. I misscatching my breath every time I lookup at the beauty of Chilalo Mountainsilhouetted against the crystal blue sky.I miss being welcomed like a long lostfriend in my local cafes and restaurants.I miss introducing dozens of Ethiopiansto American chocolate cake and fallingasleep to the sound of rain crashing on atin roof.In America, we say, “Home is wherethe heart is.” If that is true, then my homeis scattered around the world, but there’snow a little piece of my heart snuglynestled in the Ethiopian highlands. Oneday, I’ll go back to find it again.Jessica Ducey (Ethiopia 07-09) justcompleted her Peace Corps service.On the day President Kennedywas inaugurated, I was sittingin a San Francisco hotel roomwaiting for an early flight to East Pakistan(now Bangladesh) to fulfill a contract withMichigan State University and the FordFoundation. I listened to the new Presidenttell the nation, “Ask not what your countrycan do for you, but ask what you can dofor your country” and was deeply movedand inspired. It echoed my commitmentto do something for my country that hadgiven me so many opportunities since myfamily escaped from the Nazis.My assignment was to establisha library and train two male collegegraduates as librarians for the Academiesfor Rural Development in Comilla, EastPakistan, and Peshawar, West Pakistan.The Academies were established less thantwo years previously with the assistanceof the U.S. government as training anddevelopment centers. After the long flightto East Pakistan, I took the train fromDacca to Comilla, a small town with apopulation of perhaps of 70,000 at thattime. The 65-mile journey took six hours.I was the only woman on the faculty ofthe Comilla Academy. Indeed, it seemedlike I was the only Western woman in theentire town.In early summer Sargent Shriver, brotherin-law of President Kennedy, visitedComilla to meet Akhter Hameed Khan,the Academy’s founder and Director and50th AnniversaryVoice from the 1960sHow I met Sargent Shriver and joined the Peace Corpsby Juliane Heymana well-known development activist. I wasintroduced to Mr. Shriver when he touredthe campus. With his warm smile, heshowed an intense interest in everythinghe saw and the people he met. He wassurprised to meet an American womanand asked about my work. He wanted tosee how I lived and I showed him my littleone room guesthouse.After Mr. Shriver left, his assistantarrived and we talked for many hours.He gave me more details of the newlyestablished Peace Corps and asked memany questions about working and livingin Pakistan. It sounded like a wonderfulprogram, so I told him that althoughI still had to go to Peshawar, perhaps Iwould like to join the Peace Corps whenI returned. In Peshawar, I met anotherstaff member of the Peace Corps, futureWisconsin congressman Jim Moody. I wasnow very inspired and excited about thisnew agency.After my stint in Peshawar I returned tovisit my parents in Los Angeles and hadhardly been there a week when a call camefrom the Peace Corps in Washington,asking me to come there the followingweek. I went without knowing what I wasgoing to do, nor what my salary would be.But that was the way Mr. Shriver recruitedmany of the Peace Corps staff.For the next five years I worked for thePeace Corps, first as a training officer (theonly woman among five colleagues), andlater as the Deputy Director of Trainingand University Relations for NANESA(North Africa, Near East, South Asia).Our duties were to design trainingprograms, to choose universities and otherorganizations to implement the training ofVolunteers, to help find appropriate facultyand language teachers and to participateon selection boards.These were hectic and wonderful years,even if many times we worked and traveled24-hour days. We were not a bureaucraticgovernment agency; we learned by doing.We were all infected by the enthusiasm ofSargent Shriver and the passion, idealismand energy of the Volunteers.It was perhaps the most rewarding jobthat I have ever had.When I left in 1966, I continued todo international development work andstayed in touch with the organizationand individual Volunteers. In 1979 theNational Council of Returned PeaceCorps Volunteers was founded and wasincorporated in 1983 as the NationalPeace Corps Association, which I joinedalmost immediately. I attended the 20th,the 35th and 40th anniversaries of thePeace Corps in Washington D.C. Now Iam active in helping with the celebrationsof the 50th anniversary, particularly at theUniversity of California Santa Barbara.I believe that after 50 years the PeaceCorps has been a most successfulorganization. It has resulted in life changingexperiences for all who were involved. Wehope the number of volunteers will increaseand the Peace Corps will be better andbolder in the coming decades.Juliane Heyman (Peace Corps staff 61-66) isa former board member of the Santa BarbaraPeace Corps Association. Her memoir is titledFrom Rucksack to Backpack.44 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

50th AnniversaryPeace Corps Volunteer, 2010 EditionWhat is “success” in the Peace Corps?by Travis HellstromSometimes a story is so goodthat I don’t want it to end. Asthe pages in my right hand getlighter, I might even flip back a fewchapters to try and enjoy it again—toremember what just happened andmaybe catch something I missed.For whatever reason, I broughtthat blue invitation packet with meacross the ocean, the same one everyVolunteer gets in the mail with “PeaceCorps invites you to serve” printed onthe front. It’s been a long time sinceI opened it, more than two years.A couple papers fall out: a bookletentitled Your Assignment, a StagingWorkbook, a Diarrhea Flow Chartfrom the PCMO (with “No punintended” written below the title),maps and a few other handouts. It allfeels like it happened yesterday, butstrangely it feels like it happened tosomeone else. I open up the StagingWorkbook to a page with the headingPersonal Definition of Success. Ruledlines and blank space fill the pageunderneath the sentence, “I willknow that I am a successful Volunteerwhen….”A lot has changed since I wroteon that page. At some point duringservice my understanding of successand happiness (and which comesTunga Jargalsaihanfirst) reversed. As my relationshipsgrew, “being” with my counterparts,students, fellow volunteers, friends,and family became more importantFielding Graduate University’scommunity of faculty, students, and alumnileads and influencespositivesocialchange.Take the next step—enroll in graduate school!Check out our doctoral, master’s, and certificate programs,including online master’s programs in:• Media Psychology and Social Change (MPSC)• Organizational Management and Development (OMD)Concentrations: Healthcare Leadership, Sustainability, EvidenceBased Coaching, and Integral StudiesLearn more about our Institute of Social Innovation and Fielding’smany projects in communities around the globe.www.fielding.edu/peacecorps”What drew me to Fielding was itscommitment to social justice andacademic excellence. I was happy tobe able to connect my Peace Corpsexperience in my coursework.”Heidi DinnogenRPCV, Turkmenistan 02-04Fielding Alumna, 2008At the home of a Mongolian friend for theannual Tsagaan Sar (White Month) festival..Call 800.340.1099Visit www.fielding.eduE-mail admission@fielding.eduwww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 45

Nomin GouldenThe author gazes towards one of the most sacred mountains in Mongolia, Altan Ovoo (Golden Mountain).than “doing” and relationshipsbecame the end, not the means. Itwas simple but profound for me.The point was driven home lastweek when I spoke with my hostcountry counterpart and friend. Iasked her what she liked about PeaceCorps and she thought about it for awhile. “Volunteers help people,” shesaid, “they’re kind and they listen,they’re talented in many areas andthey stay with us for a long time.”I smiled and asked, “Don’t otherorganizations do that too?” I nameda few organizations we were bothfamiliar with, but she looked backat me a little surprised, “Those havepeople?”In a world of budgets, deadlinesand benchmarks it’s easy for me toforget about people, but a Volunteershould never do that. When someonesmiles at the mention of PeaceCorps they’re probably thinkingbeyond awesome projects. They arethinking about who they knew: theteacher who served in their village,the counterpart who became theirfriend, the Volunteer who becamepart of their community. More thanwhat we do, people remember whowe are. With that in mind, everyinteraction changes and so then doesthe end of the story.When my Peace Corps storybegan, I thought there was a setnumber of pages to fill—twentysevenmonths worth. However, morerecently, I’ve noticed the story justkeeps getting longer. Twenty-fivemonths in I feel like I’m just nowhitting my stride, I’m still at thebeginning. We live in a changed andchanging world with technologythat allows us to communicatewith people like never before. Nowespecially our service in the PeaceCorps can be just the beginningof life-long and life-changingfriendships, if we want it to be. It’sour choice.Maybe that’s one of the best thingsabout our Peace Corps stories and therelationships we form as Volunteers,they last as long as we want them to.We have our whole lifetime to finishthe sentence, “I will know that I ama successful Volunteer when…” If thestory is so good that you don’t want itto end, it doesn’t have to.Travis Hellstrom is a Peace CorpsVolunteer serving in Mongolia. Heis the editor of the Unofficial PeaceCorps Handbook. To learn more visitwww.peacecorpshandbook.com.46 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

50th AnniversaryA “Reverse Peace Corps”Atlas Service Corps finds inspiration in a 50-year-old visionby Scott BealeMaria anxiously awaits takeoff.Her bags are packed. Herpassport and visa are inorder. Her medical clearance and shotsare complete. She has said her goodbyes.Maria, an MBA graduate, is leaving herhometown and an established position ina local nonprofit that empowers womenthrough entrepreneurship to serve abroad.Friends tell her that the city can bedangerous and hostile to foreigners buther commitment is undaunted. She isready for the challenge.Like thousands of Peace Corpsvolunteers before her, Maria eagerlyawaits her overseas volunteer adventure.However Maria is not your typical PeaceCorps volunteer. Maria Duenas is fromBogota, Colombia, and her service willbe in the United States. She will travel toWashington, D.C., and serve as an AtlasCorps Fellow at TechnoServe. Maria isready to bring her knowledge, gained asAtlas Service Corpsa nonprofit professional in Colombia, tothe U.S. while furthering her professionalskills. She joins the 50 current and pastleaders from 17 different countries whoThe University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration,a premier program for graduate social work education, combinesinnovative initiatives in aging, community organizing, familysupport, and community schools with outstanding programs inclinical social work, social policy, and social service administration.Full- and part-time programs are available.APPLICATION DEADLINES:Master’s program: December 1, 2010; January 15 and April 1, 2011Doctoral program: December 15, 2010Accelerated program: October 15, 2010ONLINE APPLICATION FOR ALL PROGRAMS FOR 2011(except Accelerated program) opens September 1, 2010 at:https://grad-application.uchicago.edu/index.cfmAPPLICATION FOR Accelerated program beginningSpring 2011 is now open. Application period ends October 15, 2010.For more information, please contact: admissions@ssa.uchicago.eduOver 90% of master’s students receive scholarships. 100% of doctoral students receive full funding.www.ssa.uchicago.edu 866.213.6794Atlas Service Corps member Maria Duenas ofColombia.SSA congratulates thePeace Corpson your first 50 years!www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 47

Atlas Service CorpsAtlas Service Corps members from 17 different countries.are Atlas Corps—the organization thatsome people describe as “a reverse PeaceCorps” because the vast majority of theparticipants are nonprofit professionalsfrom the developing world who volunteerin the United States.In 2010, Atlas Corps welcomes ourfifth class of Fellows, skilled nonprofitprofessionals from around the world whovolunteer overseas for 12-18 months.Atlas Corps addresses critical social issuesby developing leaders, strengtheningorganizations, and building internationalnetworks of nonprofit professionals. Ourvision is to create a world where everyonecan serve and the developing world is seenas a partner in development as opposed toa recipient of aide. Our host organizationsinclude Ashoka, the Grameen Foundation,Oxfam, the International Centre forMissing and Exploited Children,Population Action International, andWorld Resources Institute. This year, eventhe U.S. Peace Corps will receive AtlasCorps Fellows from Mexico and Uganda.Host organizations pay a cost share thatcovers about two-thirds of programexpenses (still far below the averageexpense for such high caliber candidates)and Atlas Corps maintains a sustainableoperational model.While many components of the AtlasCorps model are new (a two-way flowof skilled nonprofit professionals), ourinspiration finds its roots in the originsof the Peace Corps. During the firstyears of the Peace Corps, volunteersfrom Africa, South Asia, and LatinAmerica also volunteered in the U.S.until Congress cut funding for theprogram. Sargent Shriver and HarrisWofford advocated for a two-way PeaceCorps and thought that volunteerscoming to the U.S. could also advancethe three goals of the Peace Corpsthrough their presence on home soil.However, since the 1960s, there arefew examples of a two-way or reversePeace Corps approach. Enter AtlasCorps in 2006. Our first Fellows arrivedin Washington, D.C., in 2007. Thetypical Atlas Corps Fellow possesses 3-10years of nonprofit experience, a collegedegree, and is fluent in English. It is acompetitive fellowship with about 100applications for every one position. Theyvolunteer full time at U.S. organizationsand participate in monthly managementdevelopment trainings. After 12 months,some Fellows extend for an additionalsix months, though all Fellows return totheir countries after 18 months. In fouryears, the program boasts 50 participantsfrom 17 different countries (Armenia,Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador,Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mexico,Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines,Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, the UnitedStates, and Zimbabwe). In 2009, theBrookings Institution called AtlasCorps a “best practice” in internationalexchange.48 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

The concept of Atlas Corps reallycomes as no surprise to the PeaceCorps community. Returned PeaceCorps Volunteers realize that theinternational pool of talented peopleis large and that service should not bea one-way flow of ideas, people, andresources. Rather, it should be a twowaypartnership where we all learnfrom and support each other.The best results can be found in thestories of our Fellows. Take for exampleMasoora Ali, a 28-year-old, nonprofitleader from Pakistan. In Islamabad, sheworked with VSO on empowermentof women. As an Atlas Corps Fellow,she served at Asian American LEADand helped launch a girls leadershipprogram. Her dedication, commitment,and quality of work resulted in a sixmonthcontract extension, as requestedby her host organization.And what about Maria Duenas? Afterher term of service, TechnoServe invitedher to remain in Washington, althoughpersonal commitments and the structureof the fellowship did not facilitate suchan opportunity. Instead, TechnoServeasked her to help establish a newTechnoServe office in Bogota. Before,Maria helped hundreds of Colombianwomen through entrepreneurship. Now,she reaches thousands of individualsthrough TechnoServe and her AtlasCorps experience.Currently, Atlas Corps is preparing forour 50 in the 50th campaign—50 AtlasCorps Fellows from around the worldvolunteering in the U.S. in the 50thanniversary of the Peace Corps. It is asmall, yet significant step, in promotinginternational service and positioningthe developing world as a partner indevelopment as opposed to a recipient ofaid. To learn more about this campaignand general Atlas Corps activities, pleasevisit www.atlascorps.org.Scott Beale is the Founder and CEOof Atlas Corps. Prior to Atlas Corps, heserved with the U.S. Department of Statein New Delhi helping coordinate theU.S. Government’s efforts to fight humantrafficking in India. He also worked atAshoka’s Youth Venture, in the WhiteHouse, and with OSCE organizingelections in Bosnia.Exclusive Savings.Without the firewall.Get a free quote today.NPCA members could getan additional discounton car insurance.Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states or in all GEICO companies. Discount amount varies in some states. One group discountapplicable per policy. Coverage is individual. In New York a premium reduction is available. See geico.com for more details. GEICO and Affiliates. Washington DC 20076. GEICOGecko image © 1999-2010.© 2010 GEICOGerman Chancellor FellowshipInternational Opportunity for Young ProfessionalsGermany’s Alexander von Humboldt Foundation awards ten German ChancellorFellowships annually to young professionals in the private, public, not-for-profit,cultural and academic sectors who are citizens of the United States. Theprogram, which also includes fellowships for citizens of the Russian Federationand the People’s Republic of China, sponsors individuals who demonstrate thepotential to strengthen ties between Germany and their own country through theirprofession or studies. The fellowship provides for a stay of one year in Germanyfor professional development, study, or research. Prior knowledge of German isnot a prerequisite.The program begins September 1 and lasts twelve months. It is preceded bythree months of intensive language classes in Germany. Must be a U.S., Russianor Chinese citizen. A bachelor’s degree is required. Candidates must havereceived their degree after September 1, 1999. Application deadline for U.S.applicants: October 15, 2010. Applications and information available at:www.humboldt-foundation.deinfo@americanfriends-of-avh.org – (202) 783-1907Economics ● Environmental Affairs ● Finance ● GovernmentJournalism ● Law ● Management ● Public Policywww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 49

50th AnniversaryMEETING PRESIDENT KENNEDY’S CHALLENGEOn the 50th Anniversary of his Peace Corpsby John M. BridgelandAnniversaries often promptreflection and renewal. The50th anniversary of the PeaceCorps is no different.The Peace Corps has been ourcountry’s flagship international serviceprogram since 1961, sending nearly200,000 volunteers to 139 hostcountries to meet critical needs ineducation, agriculture, health care andmore. I recently saw the influence ofa Peace Corps Volunteer working ina local health care center in Gagenke,Rwanda, as we work to end malariadeaths across Africa.But I also wondered how the PeaceCorps could have influenced America’sforeign policy, diplomatic strategy andglobal awareness if President Kennedy’soriginal dream had been fulfilled.Former Kennedy advisor HarrisWofford told me that when PresidentKennedy sent a wave of Peace CorpsVolunteers from the Rose Gardenof the White House to their serviceassignments, Kennedy told Woffordthat the Peace Corps would be trulyserious when 100,000 Americans wereserving abroad each year. Kennedythought that for the first time wewould have a large constituency for agood foreign policy.After years of work, a new ServiceWorld coalition of more than 300 nonprofits,colleges, corporations and faithbasedinstitutions released a plan to meetKennedy’s goal of mobilizing 100,000Americans every year—one million overa decade—to meet needs abroad.The proposed “Sargent ShriverInternational Service Act” calls for thedoubling of the Peace Corps to 15,000by 2015, lowering costs per volunteer,and partnering with many of the nonprofitinstitutions that have sprungup since its creation. Both PresidentsHarris Wofford with President Kennedy at a White House Rose Garden send-off ceremony for 600 Peace Corps trainees(300 headed to Ethiopia). August 9, 1962.George W. Bush and Barack Obamahave called on Congress to double thePeace Corps—a bipartisan Congressshould answer that call.Volunteers for Prosperity, a newprogram created by executive order in2003 and authorized in the EdwardM. Kennedy Serve America Act, willmobilize 75,000 skilled Americansfor flexible term assignments to workon HIV/AIDS, malaria, clean waterand other challenges that Congressand many Presidents have madetop priorities. These volunteers willbe deployed through a network ofmore than 200 existing non-profits,leveraging both public and privatesupport to cover their costs.Ten thousand Global ServiceFellows will be tapped by Membersof Congress, much as policymakersnominate top talent from their districtsand states for the military academies,to serve for up toone year abroad.Civic EnterprisesImagine thereports Membersof Congress willreceive from theirinternationalservice nominees.Together, theseefforts will meetPresident Kennedy’sgoal and do so inthe name of theman he chargedwith building thePeace Corps.An internationalsocial innovationfund will strengthenthe capacitiesof indigenousorganizations toutilize the time andtalents of volunteers50 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

from many nations. Innovative modelswill be scaled.The Service World plan also focuseson mobilizing volunteers from manynations to serve side-by-side to solveproblems, including in the UnitedStates. We believe this will forge a spiritof partnership, not paternalism.Young people will be encouragedto view an international serviceexperience as part of what it means toget a postsecondary education today,and in the process help create a nextgeneration of global leaders with amore sophisticated understanding ofthe challenges facing our world. BabyBoomers – the healthiest, most highlyskilled, and longest living generationin our history – can find encorecareers in their service in countriesaround the world.People of different faiths who areoften warring in the name of religionwill work in interfaith partnershipsto tackle shared problems and in theprocess foster peace and reconciliationin hot spots of conflict. Veteranswhose transitions home can be easedby continuing their service missionsshould be viewed as tremendous assetsin international volunteer service.Young people will inherit a morecomplex, globally connected world.Instead of the clash of civilizations thatmany fear, our interconnectedness canpresent an opportunity to learn fromone another and strengthen commonbonds among us. By engaging moreAmericans of all ages in internationalvolunteer service, we will be sharingour most valuable assets—the skills,talents and perspectives of ourpeople—to make a profound impact incommunities and nations throughoutthe world. And in the process, we willbe answering John Kennedy’s secondinaugural call, to “ask not what Americacan do for you, but what together wecan do for the freedom of man.”Master of New Professional Studies:Peace OperationsStudy the theory and practice of peace operations, internationalcivilian police operations, nongovernmental organizations,elections, refugees/internally displaced persons, andgovernance with world-renowned scholars and practitionersat one of the nation’s leading schools of public policy.• Small classes taught by world-renowned faculty• Conveniently located in the metropolitanWashington, D.C., area• Full-time or part-time study• Affordable costTo find out more, please contact Graduate Admissionsat the School of Public Policy at George Mason Universityat spp@gmu.edu or 703-993-8099.John M. Bridgeland is CEO of CivicEnterprises and former Director of theWhite House Domestic Policy Counciland USA Freedom Corps. Together withformer Kennedy Advisor and SenatorHarris Wofford, he is the co-chair of thenew Service World coalitionwww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 51

Commentary & OpinionMALIAN-AMERICANA FOLK MUSIC MASH-UPAdam Klein returns to Mali with a guitar and a cameramanby Joshua BermanAdam Klein, a singersongwriterfromGeorgia, stood on a flatrooftop in northern Guatemala.His lean, tall figure, bushyhair, and pregnant guitar casta silhouette against the MilkyWay. He sang and played andsearched for words. I sat atAdam’s feet with pen and paper,trying to help as he composed aballad about Don Fernando, theancient foreman on the bridgeproject where we were workingthat week.“O Fernando ... on a fatefulmorning/ there was a heavysun/ in the peaceful sleepytown/ Without a warning, theyrounded up everyone/ and they cutall the people down....”Adam and Iwere in Rabinal, in charge of fifteenstudents from Georgia who wereasleep downstairs, exhausted fromlifting stones. It had also been anemotionally exhausting day, the 25thanniversary of the “fateful morning” inAdam’s song. We had visited the gravesof massacre victims and attendedan indigenous ceremony for theirspirits, swathed in copal incense andsoft prayer, wondering how such anatrocious act of genocide could haveoccurred in such a peaceful setting.At the end of the day, our studentsneeded sleep; I needed fresh air;and Adam needed to write. Only bydescribing what he had seen in hissoulful, slightly pained voice, could hebegin to process it. Indeed, Adam’s artis not only influenced by, but actuallyformed by his travels, trip leading, andvolunteering, a cycle that has pushedand pulled him across the globe fornearly a decade. But no single placeplayed as big an influence on his musicas Mali did.Praise singersA few years before we met up inGuatemala, Adam served in thePeace Corps in Africa. His site, asluck would have it, was in one of therichest musical corners of the world,the Segou region of Mali, seat of theMande empire and its musical andstorytelling tradition.“I’ve always been moved by Mandemusic,” says Adam. “It’s a powerfulexpression of the sounds and thefeeling of Mali, which has such abeautiful, rustic aesthetic. Mandemusic captures the experience of beingin Mali and I wanted to share that.”“When I was a volunteer,” hesays, “I wrote songs in Bambaraabout development issues.” Thesongs were played as public serviceannouncements on the radio andhad a decidedly pop flavor. Thatexperience tapped Adam into Mali’smusic scene. As a folk singer fromAthens, he discovered that acousticMande music was not so differentfrom the country and Americanastyles with which he was mostintimate.In short, Mali explodedAdam’s musical boundaries. Hisfirst three albums—”DistantMusic,” 2006; “Western Tales& Trails,” 2008; “WoundedElectric Youth,” 2010—are each,in varying ways, offshoots of histime in Mali, drawing poignant,dusty parallels between the U.S.south and the drought-strickenSahel. Still, these albums areAmerican, not African music.Part of Adam’s adoptedBambara name, “Kouyate,” isone of the handful of designatedsurnames in Mande culture’sgriot caste. Griots, or djeliya,are storytellers, poets, historians,and musicians, all rolled up in one.“The griot,” adds Paul Oliver inSavannah Syncopators, “has to knowmany traditional songs withouterror; he must also have the ability toextemporize on current events, chanceincidents and the passing scene.His wit can be devastating and hisknowledge of local history formidable.Although they are popularly knownas ‘praise singers’, griots may also usetheir vocal expertise for gossip, satire,or political comment.”Adam—known as Lassine Kouyatein Mali—was fascinated by thedjeliya, not only by their performanceskills and musicality, but by the mereexistence of a wandering minstrelclass that had existed for thousandsof years. “I always wanted to goback and record an album of Mandemusic,” he says.The Mande SessionsIn February, 2010, after a successfulfund-raising effort on kickstarter.org,he got his chance. Adam traveled toBamako, Mali’s hectic capital, where,in a studio next to a giant baobab, he52 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

Joshua Bermansilhouette night in Guatemala, Adamsent me a completed track of thesong whose birth I’d witnessed: “OFernando ... lines carved in his faceand his weary eyes/ tell a starving painno one should bear/ such a beautifulplace/ who can know the disguise/spirits in the rain and the mountainair.... You are alive. You are yet alive.”It was a heartfelt, tear-in-yourbeer country song, accordion droneand pedal steel flourishes behind thesad lyrics. And for a moment, DonFernando was sitting there with me,recounting his family’s history like aproud, campesino griot.Adam Klein sings to Don Fernando at a bridge construction site, 2008.gathered some of the country’s finestmusicians and praise singers, and laiddown twelve songs, most of whichwere recorded in a single take.The result is an album named DuguWolo, recorded and produced byMalian engineer Baba Simaga andAdam’s independent label, CowboyAngel Music, and named after thevillage of Dougouolo where Adamserved in the Peace Corps. Theother instruments and voices on thealbum—including performances onthe ngoni, kora, tama, calabash, andnjarka, or horse-hair fiddle—are pureear candy, as are the spoken-wordgriot performances by Solo Tounkaraand Aiche Kouyate.Adam is not the first Westernmusician to explore Mali’s renownedmusical scene (Taj Mahal, RobertPlant, Bonnie Raitt); nor is hethe first to bring a documentaryfilmmaker with him to capture thecultural interchange (Bela Fleck inThrow Down Your Heart). He is,however, the first Western musicianto write and sing in Bambara, thelanguage spoken by six million peopleand the lingua franca of Mali. Singingin the native tongue, he explains,helped convey the raw, rustic powerof Mande music.The ballad ofDon FernandoAbout six months after that rooftopJoshua Berman (Nicaragua 98–00) isa freelance writer and Spanish teacherbased in Boulder, CO. His website isjoshuaberman.net. Adam’s website iswww.cowboyangelmusic.com. He israising funds to produce a documentaryfilm, tentatively entitled “The MandeSessions,” from the footage shot during histrip. To make a donation, search for himon www.fracturedatlas.orgYou can continue to Make a Difference in the World!Michigan Technological University announcesthe National Service Graduate FellowshipIn recognition of yourcompleted service with thePeace Corps, you are eligiblefor a graduate educationfellowship (equal to 30percent tuition reduction)at Michigan Tech.For more information, contactthe Graduate School.www.gradschool.mtu.edu/nsgfEmail gradadms@mtu.eduGraduate SchoolHoughton, MichiganMichigan Technological University is an equal opportunityeducational institution/equal opportunity employer.www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 53

Commentary & OpinionSTRATEGIES TO GUIDE PEACE CORPS’ FUTUREThe Agency undergoes a comprehensive assessmentby Carrie Hessler-RadeletFifty years ago, PresidentKennedy launched arevolutionary new programto spearhead progress in developingcountries and promote peace andfriendship between the United Statesand the people of the world. Fivedecades later, the three goals thatinspired Peace Corps’ birth are still veryrelevant. But much has changed sincePresident Kennedy’s historic speech onthe steps of the student union at theUniversity of Michigan. All countriesnow have university-trained leaders andpoverty-reduction plans. Cell phonesreach remote villages and the Internetconnects our world with informationthat transcends boundaries.Although new technologies provideanswers to formerly intractableproblems, the people-powerof Peace Corps is as vitaltoday as it was in the sixties.A cell phone can’t inspirea generation. But whilethe three goals are equallyrelevant today, Peace Corpsmust be able to clearlyarticulate its strategies forhow it will meet these goalsin today’s complex andinterdependent world andbeyond.The recently completedComprehensive AgencyAssessment provides PeaceCorps with just that—astrategy to guide the agencyas it embarks on its nextfifty years. Built uponthe input of the broaderPeace Corps community,including NPCA leadershipand 30 randomly selectedRPCV affiliate groups,the report provides63 recommendations,six strategies and a new vision forachieving the agency’s three goals intoday’s world. The RPCV communityprovided the assessment team withinvaluable contributions and insight tothe research process, a testament to ourcommon passion for Peace Corps.The assessment report detailssix strategies to guide Peace Corpsoperations in today’s world byanswering the following key questions:1. Where in the world should PeaceCorps work and why?Peace Corps will strategically targetits resources and country presenceaccording to specific country selectioncriteria to maximize grassrootsdevelopment impact and strengthenrelationships with the developing world.Deputy Peace Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet.2. How can we maximize PeaceCorps’ impact?Peace Corps will focus on a smallernumber of evidence-based, highlyeffective technical areas that will enableus to show impact and achieve globalexcellence.3. How can we recruit the rightpeople and support their work asVolunteers?Peace Corps will embrace thefact that 85% of our Volunteers arecommitted, service-oriented generalists.We will use social media and otherproven methods to actively recruitthe best. We will intensively trainVolunteers in high-impact technicalareas; proactively provide support;and monitor and evaluate their workso that Peace Corps candemonstrate results.Peace Corps4. How can we attractand better utilize highlyskilled applicants?We will expand PeaceCorps Response as a wayto more effectively usehighly-skilled RPCVs andnon-RPCVs to meet thedevelopment challenges ofour host countries in newand innovative ways.5. How can we betterengage the Americanpublic to fulfill our thirdgoal?Peace Corps’ newstrategy is to “bring theworld back home” at everystage of the Volunteerlifecycle – duringrecruitment, training,service, and the returnhome. Peace Corps will54 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

more extensively support third goalactivities throughout the Volunteerlifecycle by strategically partneringwith non-profits, schools, businesses,universities and RPCV groups topromote global citizenship andvolunteer opportunities as a way to“continue the service.”6. How can Peace Corps operatemost effectively and efficiently?Peace Corps will strengthen itsmanagement and operations byusing modern technology, innovativeapproaches and improved businessprocesses to more effectively carry outits new strategic vision.Immediately following the officialroll-out of the Comprehensive AgencyAssessment by Director Williamson June 28, the agency began tomove from the assessment phase toimplementation of the new strategicvision. I am honored that DirectorWilliams asked me to chair this processand am delighted to work with all ofyou on this undertaking. In order tosucceed, we will need your assistanceand continued involvement. We willactively seek opportunities to engage theRPCV community in the coming yearsas we implement the new strategies.In the meantime, we welcome yourcomments and suggestions, and ask thatyou send them to: agencyassessment@peacecorps.gov.Peace Corps at fifty is ready for awhole new level of engagement, witha bold new strategy to both revitalizeits operations and achieve even greaterimpact in the nations it serves. Byworking together, Volunteers, staff,RPCVs, and our partners, we canprovide this agency with a well deserved50th birthday present—a more vibrantand strategic future.NOTE: The assessment report,implementation matrix, frequentlyasked questions, and summary documentare available on Peace Corps’ OpenGovernment site for your review.CLASSICWHEN YOU KNOW SOMETHING BACKWARDAND FORWARD, YOU’RE A WONK.Explore the limits of classic disciplines in the arts, education, humanities,and the sciences, as well as newer disciplines like international trainingand education, environmental science, and gender economics.Own your wonk status at cas.american.edu/wonk.Q. What drives real sustainable development?A. Products, Services, Jobs ... BusinessThe MBA for WorldchangersGlobal Social and Sustainable Enterprisewww.csugsse.orgKNOWWONKCarrie Hessler-Radelet (Samoa 81-83;Washington, D.C. 84-86) is the DeputyDirector of the Peace Corps.www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 55

Letter from GuatemalaTYPING LESSONSSometimes the most important things are learned on a dirt road and over kitchen tablesby Amy KunzChenta thinks youare trying to steal her“Doñahusband.”With that I knew that I had justmade my first and only woman friendat my Peace Corps site —Los Mixcos,Guatemala.Betty told me Doña Chenta’s opinionof me soon after I met her on the dirtroad between her house and mine. Shehad worked up the courage, she toldme later, to call to me with a persistent“chiiit!” chiitt!”—the noise men used toget a look from me in the capital city andeveryone, men and women alike, used toget a waiter’s attention. I usually ignoredit, not wanting to hear the “hello, baby”or “hola, muñeca preciosa” that inevitablyfollowed. Betty’s chiit sounded different,higher pitched and more urgent than theothers so I turned toward it instead.There we were: me in my mud-cakedpants, clunky leather hiking boots, andSyracuse Chiefs’ baseball hat hiding mydirty, sun-bleached hair and her in amodest, feminine, flowered dress thatfell about mid-shin, her long, black hairin loose curls on her shoulders. It wasthe dry season so the dust clung to myboots and her jelly sandals as we talked.She looked me dead in the eye whiletrying to quiet the little girl pulling onher skirt and tugging at her hand, shrillywhining for her mother to keep movingtoward home. The skeleton of a familydog, or chucho,—more security systemthan beloved pet—snapped and growlednastily from a few feet away, daring me tocross his imaginary property line.Betty (preferring the nickname forBeatriz, her given name) decided shewould see if I had time to help her. Shedidn’t want to learn how to build a treenursery, hear a talk in my high schoolSpanish about the water cycle, or keepher soil from eroding during the rainyseason. Betty ran a typing school out ofher home and she wanted to practiceher English to improve her chances offinding a job in the capital.Betty’s intelligence about Doña Chenta’ssuspicions cleared up something that hadconfused me during my service. Now Iknew why I never got past the threshold ofDoña Chenta’s house each time I showedup to work with her husband. She neverinvited me in. She never offered me somuch as a cup of coffee or a piece of pandulce to me, let alone a chair. She answeredme in one-word answers and barelyopened the front door more than a crackas she talked to me.Once a week I sat opposite Betty ina small child’s school desk so she couldstill keep a watchful eye on her typingstudents behind me. We simply talked inEnglish. If she stumbled upon something,we dug further into it: irregular verbs, theconcept of puns, homophones and howregional accents made English speakershard to understand. Soon she startedinviting me for afternoon coffee andsweets, then eventually for dinner and anightly viewing of telenovelas—Mexicansoap operas—until her husband wouldcome home and made it obvious that itwas time for me to leave.Betty taught me a lot in exchangefor my English lessons. She mademe fiambre on All Saint’s Day andshe told me the town gossip, maybeto prove to me that people talkedabout others besides me. Betty wasn’texempt from the rumor mill either.Once, gossip circulated about aromance between Betty and one ofher teenaged students. Betty said sheknew the boy had a harmless crushon her and she probably should havekept her distance, but she liked talkingto him because he had so many ideasabout his future. He reminded her ofherself and she liked to talk about thepossibilities beyond Los Mixcos.Near the end of my service, Bettyfinally asked me why I wasn’t marriedand why my mother had let come toGuatemala to live and work for two years.She sat aghast as I explained that I hadn’treally thought about getting married yeteven though I had been seriously datinga Guatemalan man who lived in the city.She was especially surprised when I told56 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

her that, now that I was in my 20’s, mymother really didn’t get a say in what Idid anymore; I was basically on my ownto decide my future.The day I said goodbye to Betty, herdaughter and Los Mixcos, I was both sadand hopeful. I told Betty to keep studyingher English and write letters to me if shewanted to keep practicing.“I hope you get that big job in the cityone day,” I said as I hugged her.She laughed and blushed a little.“Oh, Amy, I will never leave LosMixcos. My husband set up this schoolfor me here so he would always knowwhere I am and so we could earn a littleextra money.”She explained that her husband didn’teven allow her to go too far off their road.She could go to the store two houses overbut to no other; he didn’t like the waymen look at her in stores, in restaurants,at Mass. She could go those places withhim, on his arm, but not on her own.I stood there a little stunned for amoment but not entirely surprised. Ihad heard, or overheard, this from otherGuatemalan women but I just didn’tthink my feisty friend would stand forit. I asked why she didn’t protest, but shejust shrugged, looking exhausted by themere thought of that particular fight.I hugged her again and stepped outonto the dusty road toward my waitingchauffeured truck ride to the city and theplane ride back to the U.S. Betty’s chuchofollowed me out of her yard, stayingthree paces behind me, head down, taillowly wagging. Each time I turned backto wave at Betty and Scarlett, who werelooking after me stoically, he would flinchas if in pain or as if some invisible fishingline were jerking him backwards towardshome. He would start up his cautiouspursuit of me only with my back safelyturned on him. He followed me in thatstop and start pattern until I got to theend of Betty’s road. Then—having neverbeen that far from home before—he satand stared, not knowing where to gofrom there.Amy Kunz (Guatemala 95-97) is the SeniorGrants Manager at the Latin AmericanYouth Center in Washington, D.C., whereshe has traded her Guatemalan village forthe urban village of Mt. Pleasant.BRYN MAWR COLLEGEIt’s not too late tobecome a doctorThe Postbaccalaureate PremedicalProgram at Bryn Mawr CollegeRealize your dream to become a physician at one of the nation’s oldest,strongest, and most respected postbaccalaureate premedical programs.• For women and men changing career direction• Intensive, full-time preparation for medical school in one year• Highly respected by medical schools—many look for Bryn Mawrpostbacs• Over 98 percent acceptance rate into medical school• Early acceptance programs at selected medical schools—more thanany other postbac program• Supportive, individual academic and premedical advising• Ideal size—small enough for personal attention, yet large enough fordiverse perspectives• Wide range of medically related volunteer and job opportunities andprogramsA low-residency program that combinesfaculty-mentored, individualizedlearning with a challenginginterdisciplinary core curriculum.This distinctive program is forprofessionals seeking a degree thatoffers:• Quarterly residencies• Academic mentoring• Learner-centered focus• Integration of theory and practice• Distinguished faculty• Flexibility of pace to completionPOSTBACCALAUREATE PREMEDICAL PROGRAMCanwyll House | Bryn Mawr, PA 19010610-526-7350 | postbac@brynmawr.eduwww.brynmawr.edu/postbac/“Be ashamed todie until you havewon some victoryfor humanity.”Horace Mann,Antioch’s First Presidentwww.phd.antioch.eduemail: admissions.phdlc@antioch.edu toll-free: 877-800-9466www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 57

Book LockerCUBA BENDSAn excerpt from the RPCV memoir, Lost and Found in Cubaby Jeanne LemkauFrantic to escape a soul-deadeningposition and the drone of middle age,medical school psychologist and formerPeace Corps Volunteer Jeanne Lemkaugrabbed the raft of professional leaveand sailed to Cuban shores to conductresearch on health care and the effectsof the U.S. embargo. When her bestefforts collided with the realities ofcommunist Cuba, a more personalagenda emerged—to belatedly claimher right to solo adventure and tofigure out how to construct a morejoyful life.Jeanne’s tale of angst andadventure is at once engaging andthought-provoking. She invites thereader to reflect on the human cost ofthe embargo, the meaning of beingan internationalist in a dividedworld, and the arbitrary rules wechoose to live by or break. PCVreaders are likely to hear echoes oftheir own cross-cultural experiencesin her deeply personal writing, as inthe excerpt below.No trip to or from Cuba wasever straightforward. I alwayshad to overnight somewherebetween the two psychological poles ofHavana and Ohio. This time I wouldfly home via Cancun, staying the nightat a hotel on the beach.Enrique and Belkis insisted ondriving me to the airport. I welcomedtheir help, and the day before mydeparture slipped Enrique a ten dollarbill for gasoline. Although he receivedabout five gallons a month as part ofhis government ration, fuel beyond theration was available only in dollars andhis salary was in pesos. As we climbedinto the car, I wondered if he had usedthe bill to buy gas on the black market,perhaps from another physician whohad stolen it from the health ministrywhere he worked. Such practices werecommonplace, the source of blackmarket fuel depending on which stateministry one had access to. Es Cuba, Ithought. Se inventan. Cubans invent.The flight from Havana to Mexicotook less than an hour. The road fromthe Cancun airport to the SolymarHotel where I had booked a room waswide and smooth, flanked by a glitzof billboards in a rainbow of colors:cigarettes, luxury hotels, a bottle ofliquor twelve feet high, and giganticairbrushed images of women’s body partseverywhere—legs, cleavage, sultry eyes.We zoomed by a sign that said “TheMillennial Body,” but speed preventedme from discerning whether plasticsurgery or cosmetics were being sold.I’d become accustomed to the absenceof commercial culture in Cuba and, asthe billboards flipped by like a shuffle ofcards, I was repelled by their vulgarity.The hotels along the beachfrontlooked like plastic buildings from achild’s game. Stucco walls and designerlandscapes obscured even visual accessto the beach. I imagined Cuba post-Castro, “opened up” and engulfed bycorporate, capitalist, consumer culture.How long would the finest reefs left inthe Caribbean survive, should the U.S.have its way with Cuba—Cuba, withthousands of miles of pristine beachesto develop and millions of people tosubjugate into roles of hotel maid andbellhop?By the time I checked in I washungry. The hotel offered a gourmetMexican buffet and, after weeks ofscrounging for vegetables and variety,I was eager. Spread before me wasmore food than I had seen in a month.Crowding me at the table were gringoswith beer bellies and sunburns. Theirshirts were too loud. Eating by myself,I eavesdropped.“The people here are so nice. Theywork so hard.”“I should learn Spanish sometime.”“They never finish anything. Thethings they make just fall apart whenyou get home.”I looked at the guacamole on myplate. It was the color of Enrique’s car. Ifelt paranoid, as if these strangers wereinsulting members of my own family.Pangs of yearning and anxiety overtookme; I was surfacing too fast out of thedepths of Cuba. I needed rescue fromthis bends, but how?A woman sat by herself at a nearbytable. She was about my age, and I likedher flowing, brightly-flowered dress.I willed myself to be social, hoping toregain my equilibrium. Yes, she said, shewas traveling by herself. She had checkedinto the hotel for a month on an allinclusivepackage—three meals a day,lodging, drinks, and a weekly massage.58 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

MASTER’S PROGRAM IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRSOFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS TORETURN PEACE CORPSVOLUNTEERSHoping for common ground, Ithought of how I would spend a monthof leisure in the sun. “Do you read?” Iasked.“No,” she replied, dashing my hopesfor congenial company.“And you?” she asked. “What bringsyou here?”Could I say that I was a burned outacademic who was thinking of jumpingout of the Ivory Tower, a would-bewriter who had become enamored withCuba?“I’m on my way home,” I replied,and looked away.A young couple, each wearingwhite Bermuda shorts over pasty legs,waddled up to the buffet and scoopedwhipped chocolate desserts into parfaitglasses.People spoke English here. It jangledin my ears. After struggling with theopacity of Havana street-Spanish,the transparency of my native tonguemade me feel raw and exposed. Thesetourists—chatting affably with eachother, sipping margaritas, and helpingthemselves to seconds—were mycompatriots. They just wanted toescape the late winter doldrums of theNorth Country, an impulse I shouldhave been able to relate to—I’d beenan escapee too. But I was more thanthat now, altered by Cuba in ways Ididn’t yet understand and evolving indirections not yet clear. With all thatchurned inside me, I couldn’t bridgethe divide.Jeanne Lemkau (Nicaragua 70-72)practices psychology and writes in YellowSprings, Ohio. To learn more abouther book or to purchase, visit www.lostandfoundincuba.com. Proceeds fromthe sale of the book support the Cubaprogram of the Latin America WorkingGroup Education Fund.Interestedin a careerin globalhealth?The MedicalSchool forInternationalHealth is theonly four yearAmericanstylemedicalschool thatincorporatesglobal healthinto all fouryears of therequired M.D.curriculum.The Bush school ofGovernmenT and PuBlic serviceat Texas A&M University offersan international affairs master’sdegree with career tracks ininternational development,international economics andnational security. The School’sown vibrant intellectualcommunity of faculty andstudents draws addedstrength from collaborationwith outstanding programs inagriculture, urban planning,rural public health, nuclearengineering and other parts of amajor public research universitythat is also committed to service.Washington Monthly – 5th in contributionto public goodPrinceton Review – top 10 for “best valueamong public universities”Kiplinger’s – top 30 for “best value amongpublic universities”http://bush.tamu.edu979.862.3476As a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, I spentthree years working with youth on HIV/AIDSprevention; I knew I wanted to pursue a careerin global health.I chose the MSIH because it gave me theunique opportunity to study population healthand cross-cultural medicine as part of my M.D.degree and gave me clinical experience in areaslike refugee health and humanitarianemergencies.I am taking clinical electives at ColumbiaUniversity Medical Center and my GlobalHealth Clinical Clerkship this spring will completemy MD degree.Where do you want to be in fouryears?Ben-Gurion University of the NegevThe Medical School for International Healthin collaboration with Columbia University Medical Center212-305-9587 admissions bgcu-md@columbia.edu www.cumc.columbia.edu/dept/bgcu-mdwww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 59

Profiles in ServiceUNDER THE ALMOND TREETreating malaria with homeopathy in Ghanaby Katherine JamiesonOne day, during her PeaceCorps service in BurkinaFaso (83-86), a soothsayerpaid a visit to one of Adjoa MargaretStack’s neighbors. After scattering cowryshells on the ground to see her future,he reported that the shells also hada message for a white lady who livedin the courtyard. The soothsayer toldAdjoa that her destiny was to be a healer.“I had no idea what he was talkingabout,” says Adjoa, who holds a degreein business and was teaching Englishat a university. Though she says hisprediction was “always in the back of mymind,” she wouldn’t fully understand itsmeaning for twenty-five years.Adjoa stayed in Burkina Faso afterher service ended, living with Ghanaianwomen in the capital city and doingodd jobs. Complaining that her givenname “put their tongue in a knot,”they renamed her “Adjoa,” meaning achild born on a Monday. Adjoa says thename tied her to the women, and shekept in touch with them for decades,even after they went home to Ghana.After returning to the States, Adjoaused her background in econometricsand computers to help nonprofits inNew York City develop databases totrack their work with AIDS patients.As a caretaker for friends dying ofAIDS, she saw very quickly thelimitations of conventional medicine.“Back then, it seemed like anyone whostarted on AZT died quickly. In mygroup of friends, we were encouragingpeople to stay away from hospitals,”she says. Adjoa sought out alternativeremedies, including nutrition andherbs, as more humane treatments.“My love for getting healing going ina public health setting started in NewYork City,” she says.Adjoa’s introduction to homeopathydidn’t come until she returned homeDosing a client at the Senya Clinic.to San Francisco to tend to her dyingfather. A friend gave her a book onthe practice, and she was intriguedby its promise of effective and naturaltreatments, with no side effects. Itwas only after enrolling in a four-yearprogram at the Institute of ClassicalHomeopathy, though, that she realizedthe connections between her workin Africa and this unique branch ofmedicine.Homeopathy is a holistic systemof healing, which was developedby Samuel Hahnemann, a Germanphysician who practiced in the late1700s and early 1800s. Unimpressedwith the medical science of the time,which depended on high doses oftoxic drugs, bloodletting, and surgery,Hahnemann looked for alternativeways to treat his patients. Aftercoming across an article about howPeruvian bark cures malaria, he startedingesting the bark, and symptoms ofmalaria manifested in his body. Thisinitial discovery led him to developthe central principle of homeopathythat “like cures like”: substances thatproduce symptoms of a disease ina healthy person can also be usedto treat people suffering from thatdisease. Hahnemann’s first remedy wasformulated to treat malaria.After graduating from the Institute,Adjoa began to practice homeopathy inSan Francisco, but the idea of workingin the developing world stuck withher. In Burkina Faso she had seen howmalaria undercuts people’s lives, leadingto chronic illness and limited vitality.Worldwide, malaria affects about halfa billion people, killing roughly 1million, most of whom are childrenunder age five. Sub-Saharan Africa,where Ghana is located, is one of themost severely impacted areas.Mariam Yussif60 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

Even with her first-hand knowledgeof the region, Adjoa underestimatedthe demand for her work when shereturned to Ghana for a visit in 2006.Though she had not formally plannedto see patients, she brought a fewof her books and remedies with her.News of her arrival was sent out to thecommunity by drumbeat: “There isa doctor here, people should come.”Unplanned, she ended up seeing morethan 75 people that summer.Allopathic medicine for malaria isexpensive and loses its effectivenessover time because the short lifespan ofa mosquito enables it to mutate andquickly develop resistance to drugs.“The conventional approach to malariais to kill—either the parasite or thehost,” says Adjoa. Her approach hasbeen the opposite: to focus on makingthe individual healthy enough to resistthe parasite. “Homeopathy is aboutbringing a person into his or her ownhealth. In health, our bodies shouldn’taccept such a destructive parasite to livein us,” she says.Spurred by the results she witnessedthat first summer, including almostimmediate relief of symptoms for manymalaria patients, Adjoa decided to setup two clinics in the country. Staffedentirely by Ghanaians, the clinicsoffer treatments for one Ghana CD,about 70 cents, one tenth of the costof a regular doctor’s visit. People startarriving at 6 a.m. every day, thoughshe doesn’t see patients until 7:30 or8. The treatment sites are informal: inSenya, she meets patients on a benchunder an almond tree. Both clinics arelocated in the households of womenshe met during her Peace Corps servicetwo decades before. “My translatorat the clinic is a man I held as a baby.Peace Corps creates these bonds that areunbreakable in some way,” she says.Adjoa has returned to Ghana forthe past four consecutive rainy seasons(when malaria is most prevalent) andtreated 175 people for malaria usingseven different remedies. Reviewing herdata and notes, she made a surprisingdiscovery: though it is parasitic inorigin, malaria acts like an epidemic inareas where it is endemic. This enabledher to change her treatment protocol,Household Helper in Senya - Ay-nee and herson Kofi.as Hahnemann did during scarlet feveroutbreaks. “You can start with a smallergroup of remedies and prescribe morequickly. You can also give the most usedremedy as a preventive,” says Adjoa.Her vision for the project stemsfrom this significant finding.Currently, she is testing the use ofhomeopathy as a prophylactic onchildren in several nursery schools,with the goal of preventing the onsetof the disease or lessening its severity.Adjoa also wants to make the programentirely sustainable. “My ultimate goalis for each clinic to become the hub ofa wagon wheel. I want to train peoplein how to use the remedies, and getthis all run by the community,” shesays. She intends to create a manualand begin training Ghanaians toadminister remedies within the nextseveral years.Adjoa says that working at thegrassroots level has enabled her to makeprogress quickly. “It’s given me thefreedom to just do the work and seewhat the results say. Now the resultsare talking, and what they’re saying is:treatment, education, and prevention.”Katherine Jamieson (Guyana 96-98) is afreelance writer whose work has appearedin The New York Times, Ms., andWashingtonian. You can find more of herwriting, including essays about her servicein Guyana, at www.katherinejamieson.com.To learn more about Adjoa MargaretAdjoa’s work, visit her website: www.senyatamalehomeopathyproject.net.MASTER OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL ADMINISTRATIONUniversity of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida U.S.B‐Course topics Civil Society Economics Grant Writing InternationalRelations /Affairs Marine Affairs Management Public Health World Religions ...Adjoa M. StackInternationalexperiences andpracticum Argentina Czech Republic France Ghana Guatemala Peru Russia …The world is ourclassroom!Contact InformationUniversity of MiamiMAIA Program+1‐ 305‐284‐8783maiaprogram@miami.eduwww.miami.edu/maiawww.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 61

Giving BackTHE PEACE CORPS COMMUNITY MAKING A DIFFERENCEby JoAnna HaugenEDUCATION AND AWARENESSIN SOUTH AFRICAPhil Lilienthal (Ethiopia 65-67,Philippines 73, Thailand 73-74) is thefounder, president and CEO of GlobalCamps Africa, which helps boys andgirls affected with HIV/AIDS. GlobalCamps Africa currently conductssix 10-day camps each year at SouthAfrica’s Camp Sizanani, located inthe mountainous region outside ofJohannesburg. The camps, which arepart education and part HIV/AIDSawareness and prevention, bring togetherabout 140 children at a time and helpreinforce the message that they don’thave to be victims. The children rangefrom 10-15 years of age and currentlyare largely from the Soweto area.http://www.globalcampsafrica.orgTELLING STORIESIN AFRICABernard Pollack and DanielleNierenberg (Dominican Republic96-98) are currently traveling throughnearly every country in Africavia their non-profit organization,BorderJumpers. Pollack andNierenberg began their travels inOctober 2009. As they traverse thecontinent, they are meeting withand collecting untold stories fromfarmers, community organizers, laboractivists, unions, non-governmentalorganizations and the local press,which they hope will inspire otherswho live in the region.http://borderjumpers1.blogspot.com/SUPPORTING SECONDARYEDUCATION STUDENTSIN TANZANIAThe Tanzania Education Fund is anon-profit organization dedicatedcompletely to the development andsustainability of Nianjema Secondaryand High School in Bagamoyo,Tanzania. President Charles W. Sloanfounded the school in 2000. Today,the school provides equal educationalopportunities for both boys and girlsand expanded education that includesafter-school programs and athletics.Because the executive director ofthe school and its staff are volunteerpositions, 100 percent of all donatedfunds go directly to Nianjema and thestudents it serves.http://www.tanzaniaeducation.org/CREATING WARMTHAROUND THE WORLDIn 2009, Heather Brown (Bulgaria00-02) founded the nonprofitorganization Global Knit. Through theorganization, Brown coordinates anddelivers clothing and other productsto homeless and orphaned childrenwho might otherwise be cold. So far,the organization has donated itemsto children in the United States,Afghanistan, Mongolia and Haiti.http://www.globalknit.org/Providing Support forMothers In Cote d’IvoireChicago resident Patricia Mertz isbuilding a clinic in the rural village ofBraffoueby in Cote d’Ivoire throughIvory Coast Mothers and Children, aChicago non-profit organization shefounded. Mertz is also president ofthe organization, which is helping toprovide medical aid for up to 6,000people. Services at the clinic will havea minor cost attached to them, butantiretroviral drugs for HIV and AIDSwill be free. Ivory Coast Mothers andChildren is close to raising all of thenecessary funds for the clinic.www.ivorycoastaid.org/Training Local ExpertsIn MaliECOVA MALI was founded in 2007by Cynthia Hellmann (Mali 99-01)and Gregory Flatt (Mali 97-99) as analternative to the top-down approachto development in the country. Theorganization hires local experts inareas such as agricultural training,business planning, accounting andmarketing to teach Malian farmersthese skills. This approach is moresustainable, affordable and effectivethan bringing in third-party expertsfrom Western nations to do the samething. In addition to coordinatingtraining sessions, ECOVA MALI alsoprovides start-up capital in the formof micro-loans and mini-grants.www.ecovamali.org/Sending Kids to SchoolIn LesothoBelinda Collias (Lesotho 07-09)launched The M.O.S.A. Projectwhen she was serving as a PeaceCorps volunteer. The organizationis a program by which Americanscan sponsor disadvantaged Basothoyouth so they can attend highschool. It also aids small childrenliving with HIV and othercommunity-building projects suchas restoring rural elementary schoolsand building libraries.www.mosalesotho.org/62 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

Community NewsRECENT ACHIEVEMENTS OFOUR COMMUNITYby JoAnna HaugenLife is calling.So is SPEA.BOLIVIAAcademy Award-winning director TaylorHackford (68-69) was awarded with theUniversity of Southern California’s 2010Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award,the highest honor given by the USCAlumni Association. Hackford beganhis cinematic career at Los Angeles’ localpublic television station. When he movedfrom the mailroom to behind the camera,he won an Academy Award for his shortfilm Teenage Father. Since then, Hackfordhas worked with some of Hollywood’sbiggest stars. He is currently the presidentof the Directors Guild of America.BOTSWANAAlice Fitzpatrick(88-89), head ofthe New LondonbasedCommunityFoundation ofSoutheasternConnecticut, hasbeen honored by theConnecticut Council for Philanthropywith the 2010 Martha S. NewmanAward for her service to her organizationand to the state’s philanthropic sector.She recently oversaw the merger of twocommunity foundations and serves onmany statewide committees and boards.BRAZILBernard Blanche (65-67) has justpublished his first novel, Iracema’sFootprint. Published by Eloquent Books,the story was inspired by notes Blanchekept while serving in the Peace Corps inBrazil. He also has a second book finishedand a third book in the works. Blanche isa retired high school English teacher.BULGARIAIn 2009, Heather Brown (00-02)founded the nonprofit organizationGlobal Knit. Through the organization,Brown coordinates and delivers clothingand other products to homeless andorphaned children who might otherwisebe cold. So far, the organization hasdonated items to children in the UnitedStates, Afghanistan, Mongolia and Haiti.Cynthia Morrison Phoel (94-96)recently had her book Cold Snap: BulgariaStories published by Southern MethodistUniversity Press. This collection of linkedstories provides an insider’s look at life ina small Bulgarian village.BURKINA FASOThe March of Dimes has awarded AmyStarke, MPH, RN, (99-01) a scholarshipfor her graduate studies in nursing witha specialization in midwifery. Starke is astudent at the University of Michigan.She is currently working on a projectin Liberia to help reduce maternal andinfant mortality in that country.CAMEROONChristoper Hill (74-76), former U.S.ambassador to Iraq, has been named asdean for the University of Denver’s JosefKorbel School of International Studies.Hill has spent more than 30 years in theForeign Service; previous assignmentsinclude serving as assistant secretary ofstate for East Asian and Pacific Affairs andas ambassador to the Republic of Korea,Poland and Republic of Macedonia.Hill also led the U.S. delegation to theSix-Party Talks on the North Koreannuclear issue and was the special assistantto the president and senior directorfor Southeast European Affairs in theNational Security Council.CHILE, GUATEMALAEd Dove recently became the presidentof the University of Iowa Faculty Senate.A professor in the biomedical engineeringprogram at the university, Dove hasKate Slavens MPA ’11RPCV MaliSPEA Peace Corps FellowCongratulationson 50 years!• Master of Public Affairs (MPA)• Master of Science inEnvironmental Science (MSES)• Joint MPA-MSESSPEA’s Peace Corps Fellows programuses community placements to enableFellows to share experiences whileenhancing their skill-sets in one of thetop graduate programs.SPEA Fellows receive benefits that includecredit waivers and financial aid.SCHOOL OF PUBLIC ANDENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRSINDIANA UNIVERSITYContact us for more information:www.spea.indiana.eduspeainfo@indiana.edu800.765.7755www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 63

had a career thatincludes teaching anddeveloping medicalbreakthroughs byusing mathematicalmodeling to solvephysiologicalproblems. He receivedbachelor’s and master’sdegrees from Virginia Tech and a doctoratefrom Case Western Reserve University.Dove has been teaching at the Universityof Iowa for 22 years.ECUADOREd Steele has been sworn in as the newestmember of the Dunsmuir City Councilin California. Steele has been serving asa member of the city’s Water and SewerTask Force and works as a buildingremodeling contractor. His communityservice work includes coordinating andvolunteering for the Dunsmuir / Mt.Shasta Emergency Food Pantry andChristmas Basket Project.GHANAFrancis Marion University has namedKenneth M. Autrey (67-69) as the J.Lorin Mason Distinguished Professor forthe 2009-2010 year. The honor is basedupon a faculty member’s contributionsto teaching, professional service andscholarly activities. Autrey has been amember of the FMU faculty since 1989.Prior to his service at the university,Autrey taught middle school in upstateNew York, the University of SouthCarolina and Tougaloo College. He wasalso a visiting professor at HiroshimaUniversity in Japan.HONDURASDr. Peter Rogers (97-99), an assistantprofessor of civil engineering at theUniversity of Texas at Tyler, was recentlyappointed to the International Rural WaterAssociation Board of Directors. Duringhis three-year term, Rogers will overseegovernance issues, partake in fundraisingand enhance the overall functionalitycapabilities of the organization. Hehas worked with several internationalengineering and aid organizations,including a stint as the national supervisorwith the United States Agency forInternational Development. Rogers isalso active in Engineers Without Borders,serves on the program committee of Waterfor People and has leadership roles onmany committees within the AmericanWater Works Association.JAMAICAEllen Siler (71-73) has worked herentire adult life in the non-profitsector. She is currently the CEO ofHubbard House Inc., which providescomprehensive domestic violenceservices in Jacksonville. Prior toher current position, Siler was theexecutive director of Quigley House inClay County.LESOTHOGreg Felsen (05-07) recently becamethe new 4-H youth developmentextension agent in La Plata County,Colorado. In this position, he will beworking with Colorado State UniversityExtension, La Plata County and 4-Hclub leaders and volunteers to fosterthe next generation of local farmers,ranchers and agricultural leaders.MICRONESIAThe College of the Holy Crossawarded a Sanctae Crucis Award toGregory M. Dever (68-70). Dever isa pediatrician who has dedicated hiscareer to improving medical care in theSouth Pacific. He served as the directorof the Pacific Basin Medical OfficersTraining Program, which educated andtrained 70 Micronesians and AmericanSamoans as physicians.PANAMAThe International Visitor Corps ofJacksonville selected Steven D. Orr (64-66) as the 2009-2010 Volunteer of theYear. Now retired from internationalwork, Orr worked in 75 countriesthroughout the course of his career. He iscurrently an English language officer withthe U.S. State Department and recentlypublished his book, The PerennialWanderer: An American in the World.Orr is the co-founder, past president andon the board of First Coast ReturnedPeace Corps Volunteers, Inc.Brian Caouette (00-02) is the creator ofFarm Builders, a social enterprise designedto jumpstart investment in smallholderfarms. It forms joint ventures withindividual farmers and helps the farmers torehabilitate their farms. The organizationthen securitizes the future cash flows.Development fees and proceeds from aportion of future sales funds technicalassistance, marketing and expansion.PHILIPPINESGary E. Robson (87-89) recently left histeaching post at St. Petersburg Collegeand started a small publishing housecalled Nipa Hut Press. His first book,Misadventures in Maasin, is a collectionof humorous stories from his PeaceCorps days. His second book, ChessChild, picks up where the first bookends. It is a narrative of his relationshipwith his son, Ray Robson, and tells thestory of how Ray passed Bobby Fischerto become the youngest grandmaster inthe United States.SENEGALAllegra Troiano(80-82) received anaward of appreciationfrom AmbassadorBrownfield andthe U.S. StateDepartment fortraining teachers inten different Colombian cities as well astraining the handicapped Colombianmilitary and police. She is a Senior EnglishLanguage Fellow in Bogota, Colombia,and recently finished a term on theNational Peace Corps Association Board.SIERRA LEONEWilliam Warshauer (86-88) has beenappointed chief operating officer of PactInc. in Washington, D.C. In his position,Warshauer will oversee new businessdevelopment, program developmentand delivery, policy/advocacy, strategicpartnerships and overall operations.SRI LANKAAngela Meyer O’Connor (92-94) wasrecently inducted into the TwentyninePalms High School Hall of Fame. Shegraduated from the school in 1987and has since become vice presidentof domestic markets at the New YorkFederal Reserve Bank.64 WorldView Fall 2010 National Peace Corps Association

THAILANDChris Morrow (89-91) recently joinedthe Board of Trustees for Long TrailSchool. Currently the general manager ofthe Northshire Bookstore, Morrow hasworked as a project assistant in ProjectCARE in Honduras. He also helpedimplement a geographic informationsystem in Lahore, Pakistan, for theDepartment of Education in Pakistan andthe Department of Health in Syria.VANUATUBiology and zoology teacher AaronReedy (01-04) was recently awarded witha Golden Apple Award, an honor givento some of the best teachers in Chicagoand neighboring suburbs. Reedy is thefirst teacher at Thomas Kelly High Schoolin Chicago to win the award. He wasselected from a pool of 562 nominees;he will receive a tuition-free sabbatical atNorthwestern University and a cash prize.ZAMBIALara Weber (00-02) is the nationalhealth content editor for the ChicagoTribune and Tribune Co. newspapers.She was an editor at the Chicago Tribunefor seven years before joining the PeaceCorps and returned to the newspaperafter her service to create and launch theRedEye, a commuter newspaper ownedby the Tribune. Weber has held variousediting positions in the news and featuresdepartments. She also served as a CrisisCorps volunteer in New Orleans afterHurricane Katrina in 2005.Make aDifferenceHost an AFS High SchoolExchange StudentADVERTISERS INDEXAFS, 65American Friends of Humboldt, 49American University, College of Arts & Sciences, 55American University, School of Public Affairs, 41Antioch University, 57ASAP Africa, 12Brandeis University, 37Bryn Mawr, 57Colorado State University, College of Business, 55Columbia University, 25Cornell University, 43Developments Alternatives International, 23Fielding Graduate University, 45Geico, 49George Mason University, 51George Washington University, 21Goucher College, 37Harvard University, Kennedy School, 18Harvard University, Kennedy School, 25Indiana University, 63John Snow, Inc., 21Johns Hopkins University, Postbacc PreMed, 39Johns Hopkins University, School of Nursing,Cover 2, page 1Johns Hopkins University, School of Nursing, 23The Medical School for International Health, 59Michigan Tech University, 53Monterey Institute of Int’l Studies, 17NPCA, 22Oliberté Footwear, 4Peace Corps, 2, 3Peace Corps, Overseas Recruitment, 27Peace Corps Response, 17RPCV Wisconsin-Madison, 33, 34RTI, 19Texas A&M University, 59Thunderbird School of Global Management, 11Tufts University, 8University of California San Diego, 27University of Chicago, 47University of Connecticut, 10University of Denver, 39University of Miami, 61University of San Francisco, 15University of South Carolina, 13USADF, 20Western Illinois State University, 51Willammette University, 18World Learning SIT, 7WorldView Magazine, 20Bring the World Back HomeHelp Americans gain abetter understanding ofother people.Learn more aboutbecoming anAFS Host Family at:www.afsusa.org/pcfamilyAFS proudly participates in the followingU.S. Department of State funded programs:www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org WorldView Fall 2010 65

the National Peace Corps Associationcordially invites youto save this date:2011Tell A friendAbouT The 50th Andwin A TriP for Two!Update your contact information and sharethe good news about the 50th AnniversaryCelebration with at least three of yourPeace Corps friends. You’ll be automaticallyeligible to win a two-week, all-inclusivevolunteering trip to Central America foryou and a friend, courtesy of GlobalVision International (GVI).The Peace Corps turns 50 next year.You’re an important part of our history,and we’d like you to help us celebrate!We’re planning several events around the world to recognize this landmarkachievement. We want to make sure you don’t miss out on this globalcelebration, but we need to know the best way to keep in touch.You helped make history.Now, be part of the celebration.The 50Th AnniversAry of The PeAce corPs in 2011.Sign up here to receive your save the date:PeaceCorpsConnect.org/50thRSVP