November 5, 2003 - Dayton Daily News: Letter to the Editor: Positive news buried in article by Pamela Arthur

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Special Reports: October 26, 2003: Dayton Daily News reports on Peace Corps Safety and Security: Speaking Out: Letters to the Editor and Guest Commentary: November 5, 2003 - Dayton Daily News: Letter to the Editor: Positive news buried in article by Pamela Arthur

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-25-92.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.25.92) on Thursday, November 06, 2003 - 9:32 am: Edit Post

Positive news buried in article by Pamela Arthur



Positive news buried in article by Pamela Arthur

Positive news buried in article

Letter to the Editor

As the mother of returned Peace Corps volunteer Tiffany Arthur, who was mentioned in the article "Mission of Sacrifice," Oct. 26, I am truly saddened and upset by the tone and content of the article written by Russell Carollo and Mei-Ling Hopgood. The reader is led to believe that only bad things happen to Peace Corps volunteers.

Buried deep in the article are two positive paragraphs that say more about the Peace Corps experience than any of the rest of the article. One sentence says, "Most of the more than 350 volunteers interviewed . . . even assault victims, looked favorably on their service. Many felt it was the most significant experience in their lives. . . ."

Since the article, I have asked my daughter about security. Tiffany spent two years (1997-1999) in Togo, West Africa. She said the Peace Corps was very supportive of any concerns she had.

She told me how her advisers helped her with a problem they considered quite serious: shortly after she arrived at her post, a man approached her and asked to be a security guard for her house. Even though she refused the offer, he kept bothering Tiffany. Finally, he tried to scare her by making noises outside her house. At that point, Tiffany contacted her advisers and was told she must make a report about the incident.

They also advised her to tell her neighbors. The day she did that, the harassment stopped because the neighbors knew who the man was and told him to stay away.

The article also claims the Peace Corps does not keep in contact with the volunteers. Tiffany was visited at her post about every three to six months by her advisers and was in contact with them at least once a month.

As the article stated, my daughter taught business skills to African women. Today she is an analyst in international agricultural trade and works for the federal government.

Tiffany's experience in the Peace Corps was very positive. She came away a strong young woman with goals to help hungry people in the world. I credit the Peace Corps with many of her qualities today.

Pamela Arthur

Clayton

[From the Dayton Daily News: 11.04.2003]




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Story Source: Dayton Daily News: Letter to the Editor

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Safety and Security of Volunteers; Investigative Journalism

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