Peace Corps Volunteer – October 1966 - Peace Corps Online

Far EastLatin AmericaAfricaAsiaPeace Corps Portfolio . . .By ik nature, a photographic essayattempts to relate the visual worldas it really is. But any collection ofpictures-ven one from VOlunteers—can only begin to share the expansiveworld of the Peace Corps.This group of photos hinb at thediversity and universality of the 46countries where Volunteers now work(eight other countries will be addedthis fall). Geographically, the PeaceCorps penetrates the Himalaya mountainsof Nepal, the Sahara d=ert ofNiger, the grassy highlands of Bolivia’saltiplano, and the thick primary jungleof Malaysia’s interior stat=. The areain which Volunteers sewe cover nearly13 million square miles or roughlyone-quarter of the earttis land surface.Volunteers are posted in obscure,rural SPOG such as Songhor, Kenya,Yasothon, Thailand; and Tejutepeque,El Salvador and teeming cities such asCalcutta, Bogoti, Accra and Manila.In five years, a total of 20,000 Volunteershas tried to help the 1.04 b]llionpeople of the Peace Corps world tohelp themselves.Upon completing semice, Volunteersgenerally express a worldwideespr;t de corps. But few can communicatethe Peace Corps experience.Perhaps it is because of its intenselypersonal nature.These photographs all reflect a singleview+ ither by a Volunteer oroverse% stti member~f the PeaceCorps world. None is comprehensive.The pictures were solicited for a“Family of Man’’-type book, but theresponse to the original project waslimited and the plan cancelled. THE5VOLUNTEERdecided to use tbe contributionsin [his special pictorial sectionin an eKort to let Volunteers sharetheir world—both land and people—ina new way. The photos obviously presenta somewhat deceptive, thoughkaleidoscopic impression. And, thelimits of available material and spaceadd distortion.Nonetheless, the editorial decisionto publish this section is breed on atacit philosophical agreement with renownedphotographer Edward Steichenwbo wrote, “The art of photographyis a dynamic process of giving form toide= and of explaining man to man. ”This section, like Mr. Steichen’s collection,“was conceived as a mirrorof the universal elements and emotionsin the everydayness of life—~ a mirrorof the essential oneness of mantindthroughout the world: