Peace Corps is an overseas volunteer program of the United States government. Men and women in the Peace Corps work with people in developing countries to help them improve their living conditions. The chief goals of the corps are (1) to help the poor obtain everyday needs, (2) to promote world peace, and (3) to increase understanding between Americans and the people of other nations.
The Peace Corps was established in 1961. In 1971, it became part of ACTION, a government agency that combined several volunteer programs. In 1981, the Peace Corps became an independent agency.
How the corps works.
The Peace Corps selects, trains, and supports American men and women for two years of service. The corps sends people into a country only at the request of that nation. Corps members are called volunteers, and the country in which they serve is called the host country. The corps consults the government of the host country in deciding what projects to undertake and what skills to seek when choosing volunteers. Most projects are designed to raise the living standards of people who live in villages. The Peace Corps works to improve agriculture, health care, and education in the host country. It also promotes local leadership and local management of community resources and helps develop small businesses.
Volunteers serve in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and on various islands in the Pacific Ocean. They live and work with people of the host country. The most important part of their work consists of training the people to do the job that the volunteers are doing. For example, a Peace Corps carpenter may teach people construction skills as he or she works.
The Peace Corps cooperates with volunteer organizations of other countries and with the United Nations Volunteers program. The corps also works with various private organizations in the United States. For example, the Peace Corps Partnership Program works with American schools, civic organizations, youth groups, and other private organizations. Under this program, the corps arranges for the construction of a clinic, school, or other community facility in the host country. The project is then financed by the participating organization.
Choosing volunteers.
To qualify for service in the Peace Corps, a person must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old. The corps has no upper age limit. Married couples may volunteer if both the husband and wife have skills the corps can use in the same country.
The Peace Corps seeks dedicated individuals who can learn skills and work effectively with people. Volunteers must be able to adapt to cultures and living conditions widely different from those in the United States. Members of the corps vary greatly in abilities and background. Most are college graduates, but the corps does not require applicants to have college training. Applicants who have experience in agriculture, medicine, and certain other fields receive special consideration.
All applicants for service with the Peace Corps fill out a detailed application form. They list their educational and work background, skills, special interests, and hobbies. Applications may be obtained by writing to the Peace Corps, Washington, DC 20526. In choosing volunteers, the corps uses the information on the application form, together with references from the applicant’s employers, friends, and teachers.
Volunteers receive from 8 to 14 weeks of training. Most of them train in the host country, but some attend a Peace Corps training center in the United States. Trainees study the culture, history, and language of the country in which they will serve. They also receive technical training for their specific assignments.
Members of the Peace Corps receive an allowance for living costs and are provided with housing, medical care, and transportation. After returning to the United States, they receive money to help them readjust to life back home.
History.
The idea of an “army” to work for peace was first suggested by the American philosopher William James in 1904. James made the proposal in a speech in Boston and, in 1910, developed the idea more fully in a pamphlet. He suggested forming a youth peace army to handle important but dangerous civilian projects.
After World War II ended in 1945, many private groups set up international work camps. Others sent young Americans to share their skills with students and workers in other countries. These groups followed the example of the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization, which started its first international projects in 1917.
In January 1960, Senator Richard L. Neuberger of Oregon and Congressman Henry S. Reuss of Wisconsin asked Congress to study the possibilities of a youth corps program. Later that year, Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota proposed that Congress create a peace corps. Then, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts used the proposal for a peace corps in his 1960 presidential election campaign. Kennedy declared: “There is not enough money in all America to relieve the misery of the underdeveloped world in a giant and endless soup kitchen. But there is enough know-how and knowledgeable people to help those nations help themselves.”
Kennedy was elected President in November 1960, and he established the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961. The first volunteers started training at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that same year. Sargent Shriver was the first director of the Peace Corps.
Many thousands of Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in dozens of countries. The United States also supported the efforts of other nations to set up similar organizations.
Service programs in other countries.
Agencies similar to the Peace Corps have been set up by a number of other countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. These organizations vary in several ways, including name, size, and length of service. But all of them, like the Peace Corps, enlist volunteers from among their citizens to serve in other countries. Several nations also have national volunteer corps that work within their own countries. In some cases, members of these organizations work with Peace Corps personnel.
