November 25, 2002 - Peace Corps: Crisis Corps Sends Volunteers to Malawi
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November 25, 2002 - Peace Corps: Crisis Corps Sends Volunteers to Malawi
Crisis Corps Sends Volunteers to Malawi
Read and comment on this Press Release from the Peace Corps on the Crisis Corps sending its first group of volunteers to Malawi for a cholera prevention initiative. A total of ten Crisis Corps volunteers will be working on five- to six-month assignments with this project. Read the story at:
Crisis Corps Sends Volunteers to Malawi*
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
Crisis Corps Sends Volunteers to Malawi
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 25, 2002 -- The Crisis Corps will send its first group of volunteers to Malawi, southern Africa, today for a cholera prevention initiative. A total of ten Crisis Corps volunteers will be working on five- to six-month assignments with this project.
UNICEF and the Government of Malawi have requested Crisis Corps volunteers to aid them in their efforts to address cholera outbreaks. Though a cholera outbreak in Malawi often occurs on an annual basis, it is typically small-scale and limited to the rainy season from October to December. The cholera outbreak of 2001-2002 was Malawi’s worst recorded cholera epidemic in over 25 years. The Ministry of Health reported over 33,000 cases of cholera and 926 deaths throughout the country. This year’s outbreak is expected to be much worse due to the country’s food crisis coupled with the poor health of Malawians due to chronic malnutrition, poverty, and HIV/AIDS.
The volunteers will be working closely with the Ministry of Health and UNICEF to undertake a range of activities aimed at preventing, detecting, and responding quickly to the expected cholera epidemic. The volunteers will work with their Ministry of Health counterparts in ten districts to visit health clinics and provide information, training, and support in the areas of cholera prevention and outbreaks.
The Crisis Corps is an innovative Peace Corps program that utilizes returned Peace Corps volunteers to provide short-term assistance in disaster relief and humanitarian response efforts. The program was established in 1996. To date, more than 485 Crisis Corps volunteers have served in 31 countries. Currently, Crisis Corps has Volunteers working in six African countries in the areas of drought relief, HIV/AIDS education, and assistance to refugees, and internally displaced persons.
Since 1961, more than 165,000 volunteers have served in the Peace Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health and HIV/AIDS education, information technology, business development, the environment, and agriculture. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a two-year commitment.
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Peace Corps - Overseas Programs; COS - Malawi
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How may one register for the Crisis corps?
Learn More about the Crisis Corps
To learn more about the Crisis Corps, follow the link to the Peace Corps web site at:
Follow this link to learn more about the Crisis Corps*
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
Follow this link to learn more about the Crisis Corps
Your Peace Corps service has ended, but the Peace Corps still needs you! Former Volunteers have the language, technical, and cross-cultural skills to make an effective contribution in the most challenging environments. The Crisis Corps is a Peace Corps program that mobilizes former Peace Corps Volunteers to help countries address critical needs on a short-term basis.
Through the Crisis Corps, Volunteers re-enroll in the Peace Corps for short-term assignments ranging from three to six months. The Crisis Corps maintains a database of COSing Volunteers and returned Peace Corps Volunteers interested in Crisis Corps work. When requests come in for Crisis Corps Volunteers, we search the database for candidates with the appropriate skills. We conduct telephone interviews with the candidates and check references from Peace Corps staff. If a candidate has been out of the Peace Corps for more than one year or has other relevant work experience, we also check professional references.
It is particularly important that a candidate be able to work independently, with minimal support from Peace Corps staff. As with any Peace Corps assignment, candidates must be medically and legally cleared. We make every effort to have a Crisis Corps Volunteer at post within eight weeks of receiving a finalized position description. The positions are competitive and placement of candidates depends on required technical skills, availability, and references. If you see a position advertised and have not been contacted, please contact the Crisis Corps office.
Crisis Corps Volunteers generally receive the same allowances and benefits as Peace Corps Volunteers, including round-trip transportation, living and readjustment allowances, and medical care. To become a Crisis Corps Volunteer, you must have completed at least one year of Peace Corps service, excluding training, and be medically and legally cleared for service.
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Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Crisis Corps
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