Peace Corps, Crisis Corps

The Peace Corps took shape in 1960 when Senator John F. Kennedy summoned students to serve their country’s pursuit of peace by working in developing countries. In the next year then President Kennedy initiated the Peace Corps to enhance global friendship and peace.

Over the passing years more than 210,000 volunteers have lived in 139 countries far from home helping those who want to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities. Today volunteers promote essential’s such as IT, business development, Environmental preservation, and Health science like the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. For the fiscal year 2013 the budget is $377.295 million, a large number, but it is used very efficiently impacting our nation’s global initiative for peace. http://fpcv.org/fallen-pcvs/ honoring our volunteers who lost their lives while serving.

8,073 volunteers and trainees (females serving twice as often as males) are currently working in 76 countries. Most of the volunteers are single and on the average younger than 30, although 7% are over 50. The majority of work is education, but health, economic development, environmental protection, farming and agriculture are priorities as well as other miscellaneous efforts.

Length of service is 27 months, which includes an average of 10 weeks of in-country training and 24 months of Volunteer service. The application process averages nine–12 months. The minimum age for Peace Corps service is 18; there s no upper age limit and all Volunteers must be U.S. citizens.

Volunteers receive a living allowance that covers housing, food, and incidentals. The health, safety, and security of Volunteers is Peace Corps’ highest priority. The agency devotes significant resources to provide Volunteers with the training, support, and information they need to stay healthy and safe.

Impacting disasters globally, Crisis Corps: On December 4, 1995, Peace Corps sent volunteers to the island of Antigua to help rebuild where Hurricane Luis destroyed. This was the first effort of the Crisis Corps, a new program to respond to humanitarian crises and natural disasters. Typically, the volunteers are specialist from the ranks of Peace Corps. They share experience and knowledge on short-term, high-impact assignments that requires their expertise.

President Clinton announced the creation of the Crisis Corps program during a ceremony celebrating thirty-five years of the Peace Corps and the beginning of the new program, Crisis Corps. Later that year, the first official Crisis Corps volunteers were sent to the Czech Republic to work following severe floods.

On June 29, 2006 in Washington, D.C., the Crisis Corps celebrated its 10th anniversary by sending the 1000th Crisis Corps Volunteer to El Salvador. Since the organization's inception in 1996, Crisis Corps has served in 42 countries enabling volunteers to use their expertise and commitment to help rebuild countries after natural disasters. Crisis Corps volunteers have served throughout the world in a variety of capacities. They've served in Europe in both Bosnia (post conflict assistance) and Czechoslovakia (environmental assistance).

Crisis corps promote health initiatives, HIV/AIDS prevention, natural disaster relief, reconstruction, disaster preparedness, mitigation, post-conflict relief and reconstruction

In Africa, Crisis Corps have volunteered in Cameroon, Cte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania Togo and Zambia.

In Asia, volunteers have been involved in humanitarian assistance, natural disaster relief and reconstruction in Thailand and Sri Lanka following the 2004 tsunami.

In the Caribbean, Crisis Corps volunteers work in Antigua, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Montserrat.

Latin America has Crisis Corps volunteers serving in Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela.

In the Pacific Islands, volunteers work in the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and Papua New Guinea. The Peace Corps are a prime example of the United States Federal Government feeding the world’s starving http://www.peacecorps.gov/