August 5, 2002 - State Department Press Release: Director Vasquez says Peace Corps to Send More Volunteers to Muslim World

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Headlines: Peace Corps Headlines - 2002: 08 August 2002 Peace Corps Headlines: August 5, 2002 - State Department Press Release: Director Vasquez says Peace Corps to Send More Volunteers to Muslim World

By Admin1 (admin) on Sunday, September 29, 2002 - 3:36 pm: Edit Post

Director Vasquez says Peace Corps to Send More Volunteers to Muslim World





Read and comment on this Press Release from the State Department on June 24 that more Peace Corps volunteers will soon be heading to Islamic countries in a move Director Gaddi Vasquez says is logical considering their efforts have been welcome in the Muslim world .

Vasquez made his comments following a June 3-11 visit he made to Morocco, Senegal and Mauritania, all with majority Muslim populations. He said President Bush, who is a personal friend, expressed an interest in sending more volunteers to Muslim nations, which the agency is in the process of doing. Read the story at:


Peace Corps To Send More Volunteers to Muslim World*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.



Peace Corps To Send More Volunteers to Muslim World

By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- More Peace Corps volunteers will soon be heading to Islamic countries in a move Director Gaddi Vasquez says is logical considering their efforts have been welcome in the Muslim world almost since the day the agency was established by President John F. Kennedy more than 40 years ago.

In a July 24 interview with the Washington File, Vasquez spoke of his "deep passion" for the agency's mission of "giving something to people overseas" to further their economic development as well as contribute to peace and understanding worldwide.

He made his comments following a June 3-11 visit he made to Morocco, Senegal and Mauritania, all with majority Muslim populations. He said President Bush, who is a personal friend, expressed an interest in sending more volunteers to Muslim nations, which the agency is in the process of doing.

Commenting on his first visit to Africa, Vasquez said, "It was a great journey and remarkable opportunity to meet with some outstanding volunteers who are doing some incredible work and who serve in countries where we've had a pretty significant relationship."

He added, "right now, we have some Crisis Corps volunteers who are working along the Senegal River, between Senegal and Mauritania, to help reconstruct an area that was devastated by floods last January. I've seen in reports that our volunteers have helped build 500 homes" as part of that effort. (Former Director Mark Gearan, who served in the Clinton Administration, established the Crisis Corps, which harnesses the talents and experience of former volunteers to help in international crises for short periods of time.)

Since the Peace Corps began in 1961, more than 160,000 Americans have taken two years out of their lives to teach English, math and science to students in developing countries. They also work as well diggers in Africa, small-enterprise advisers in Eastern Europe and on health programs worldwide. Vasquez said he wanted to establish "a more definitive role" for returned volunteers. "I believe that the returned Peace Corps volunteer community is the most under-utilized asset that we have."

Declaring, "This is an exciting time for the Peace Corps," Vasquez said "We are in about 70 countries right now with about 7,000 volunteers and the President has proposed the doubling of the Peace Corps over the next five years. Part of that incremental growth would be expansion into Muslim countries."

The official added, "We have [already] received a number of invitations from potential host countries in the Muslim world. Among the [total] countries we are evaluating for either reentry or establishment of a new Peace Corps program, which number in excess of 30 now, about half of those are Muslim countries."

Vasquez said he sees nothing unusual about the outpouring of requests from the Muslim world. After all, "Presently more than 20 percent of all our volunteers serve in Muslim countries and some of our longest standing programs in the Peace Corps include countries like Morocco, where we've had volunteers for 39 years. So, we've had a long-standing relationship in a number of Muslim countries and have had a significant presence in them."

According to a Peace Corps document, volunteers will be returning to mainly Muslim Bangladesh in August of this year. And in 2003, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chad and Macedonia -- all predominantly Muslim countries -- will also receive volunteers.

As the first Hispanic American to be named to head up the Peace Corps, Vasquez said "I consider myself fortunate to be here at a time when America is a more diverse place. We come from all backgrounds. We are of color. We are of all faiths. We come from different places, different origins, and different countries. And that is what makes America such a great country.

"As Americans we celebrate our diversity and that needs to be understood by people around the world." Therefore, "The Peace Corps now has a unique opportunity to put a face on America," he asserted.

Vasquez said his overall vision of what the organization could do worldwide featured goals that "have been in place for decades and are still very much relevant today."

They are, he explained: "Training men and women in host countries to advance better mutual understanding of people overseas and Americans. Then, to be able to come back home and to share those experiences with people in the United States making people better appreciate the diversity of our globe."

While criticism of American foreign policy has been a factor overseas, Vasquez said the Peace Corps remains popular worldwide because it has proven "a winner over the years." And foreign leaders realize that. "The Peace Corps has proven its value over and over again because its philosophy is that we integrate the volunteers directly into the community."

During their two-year tours of service, Vasquez explained, volunteers become part of the community. "When you have a rich history that spans 41 years -- the relationships that are built; the programs that are put in place -- all contribute to positive results for the host country as well as the volunteer and the Peace Corps in general. So, we are fortunate to enjoy a positive perception of being an organization that is in the people-to-people business."

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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