Peace Corps 101

So, I am doing this thing called the Peace Corps as you know. I thought I would focus this post on the history of the Peace Corps and some fun facts about the organization. We learned a lot during orientation, which I am excited to share, but you can also visit  https://www.peacecorps.gov/ for more information. 

Peace Corps began in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy in order to promote world peace and friendship through enabling Americans to serve abroad. Since then, more than 210,000 Americans have served in about 140 countries. Currently, volunteers are serving in 61 countries. Peace Corps does its best to reflect the diversity of the United States in its volunteers; my cohort has people from all over the country, of all backgrounds. Fun fact: the average age of a Peace Corps volunteer is about 29. In my cohort, K10, there are about 73 people, and we are comprised of both health education trainees and English education trainee. 

So, the Peace Corps has three goals:

1.     to help interested countries meet their needs for trained men and women, particularly in areas that improve the lives of their citizens.
2.     to promote a better understanding of the American people on the part of the peoples served.
3.     to promote a better understanding of other peoples and cultures on the part of Americans.

Peace Corps Cambodia was established in 2006-2007, and has a proud and respectful relationship with the peoples of Cambodia. Some of us, myself included, will work with secondary school English teachers, and others will visit health clinics and do health education outreach. Both groups will also work on secondary projects, such as after-school clubs, community seminars, and infrastructure projects.

We will both also work towards the goals of the Let Girls Learn program, which is a partnership initiative started in 2015 between the First Lady, Mrs. Obama, and Peace Corps. There are only a handful of countries initially in this initiative, and Peace Corps Cambodia is one of them! We will receive extra training and support to improve opportunities for girls to obtain quality education, increase girls' leadership and overall perceived sense of agency, and increase community engagement in support of positive gender norms that facilitate girls’ education and full participation in economic and community life. We will work with community members, schools, and young men and women in a variety of activities, projects, and initiatives to promote the above mentioned goals. The First Lady actually visited the Peace Corps volunteers in Cambodia last year to kick off the Let Girls Learn program; I wish we could have met her!!

So, that's it for now! There is a lot of other information out there or feel free to message me. I will leave you with a quote from the first Peace Corps director, Sargent Shriver, which sums up the mission of the Peace Corps and reflects one of my motivations for joining: 

 

“Peace requires the simple but powerful recognition that what we have in common as human beings is more important and crucial than what divides us."

Until next time, 

Carissa