2007.07.27: July 27, 2007: Headlines: Congress: Legislation: Speaking Out: PCOL Exclusive: 01. Testimony of Chuck Ludlam and Paula Hirschoff on S. 732: The Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act: Introduction
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2007.07.27: July 27, 2007: Headlines: Congress: Legislation: Speaking Out: PCOL Exclusive: 01. Testimony of Chuck Ludlam and Paula Hirschoff on S. 732: The Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act: Introduction
01. Testimony of Chuck Ludlam and Paula Hirschoff on S. 732: The Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act: Introduction
We're testifying because we love the Peace Corps and feel deep gratitude for the opportunity it has given us to serve. We want this institution to thrive so that many more generations of Americans will have the opportunity to serve. We met through the Peace Corps, one of the greatest benefits of our service.7 We still believe that the Peace Corps is our country's best means of outreach to the world. We believe in the idea of Peace Corps and the idealism of Volunteers.
01. Testimony of Chuck Ludlam and Paula Hirschoff on S. 732: The Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act: Introduction
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: Asalaa maalekum. Naka nga def? (Traditional greetings in Senegal)
It is a high honor to appear today, as Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Senegal, to testify in support of S. 732, the Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act (Dodd-Kennedy, March 1, 2007).
Over the 40-year period in which Chuck served as House and Senate Committee Counsel, White House Counsel and Vice President for Government Relations at the Biotechnology Industry Organization, he often had the honor of testifying before the Congress and sitting where Janice O'Connell2 now sits staffing this hearing. Paula has also worked on Capitol Hill and staffed subcommittee hearings. We've never been prouder, however, to participate in a hearing than today, testifying together as Peace Corps Volunteers.
We are proud because service in the Peace Corps—for Chuck first in Nepal from 1968-70, for Paula first in Kenya over the same period, and since 2005 together in Senegal—brackets our careers and lives and defines them.3 In short, we have been deeply committed to Peace Corps for more than 40 years. Our service in Senegal has been a challenging, deeply rewarding experience. Rejoining the Peace Corps has proven to be a brilliant decision.
Senator Dodd—RPCV Dodd—you have always been the champion of Peace Corps Volunteers, the 170,000 of us who have served. That you listen to us is clear from the legislation. You understand our idealism, the complexity of our work, and the resources we need to be effective Volunteers. Your distinguished service in the Senate reflects the resourcefulness and entrepreneurship we see in Volunteers.
Let us also say that the best Members tend to have the best staff. Janice O'Connell reinforces the point. We wish to thank her for her professionalism, insights and patience in working with us on this legislation and giving us enough notice so we could fly from Senegal to testify here.4 Her work is a credit to Senator Dodd and the U.S. Senate.
Ranking Member Corker and members of the Committee, we look forward to working with you on this important legislation. Senator Coleman, during your service as Chairman of the Peace Corps Subcommittee, you showed your strong commitment to the Peace Corps.
Let us state our appreciation for Senator Ted Kennedy, the lead cosponsor of S. 732.5 His cosponsorship sends a powerful signal to the Peace Corps and its Volunteers. There are few Senators in the history of the country who have been as productive as he has been in his long and distinguished career. Someday when the Senate establishes a committee to select distinguished Senators for portraits in the Senate Reception Hall, like the one his brother Jack chaired in the 1950s, Senator Kennedy will surely be selected to join Senators John Calhoun, Henry Clay, Robert La Follette, Robert Taft, and Daniel Webster in the pantheon of Senate greats.6
It is a special privilege to testify on the same panel with our friends Mark Schneider. We would have loved to serve while Mark was Director. In addition, Kevin Quigley has given superb service to the Peace Corps and returned Volunteers, representing all returned Volunteers as director of the National Peace Corps Association.
We also give special thanks to Chuck's father, Jim Ludlam, who is here today, for his strong support during Chuck's service in Nepal and our service in Senegal. Jim, who is 92, flew here from California to demonstrate his support. We are also blessed with the support of the rest of our family and many friends, without whom our service would be difficult, if not impossible.
It is entirely appropriate that you've invited current Peace Corps Volunteers to testify about the importance of a bill that empowers Volunteers. It's not surprising that Chairman Dodd, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV), is the leader in crafting and introducing this timely and substantive legislation. Chairman Dodd, you have not lost touch with the Volunteers; you continue to listen to us, respect us, and champion our work and values. Appropriately, the themes of this legislation are listening to, respecting and supporting Volunteers. Today the Peace Corps does not always do so; therefore, enactment of the legislation is urgently needed.
We're testifying because we love the Peace Corps and feel deep gratitude for the opportunity it has given us to serve. We want this institution to thrive so that many more generations of Americans will have the opportunity to serve. We met through the Peace Corps, one of the greatest benefits of our service.7 We still believe that the Peace Corps is our country's best means of outreach to the world. We believe in the idea of Peace Corps and the idealism of Volunteers.
We wish we could report that all is well with the Peace Corps but, sadly, that's not our view. We are among the few RPCVs to serve a second time after a long gap, so we are among those who can testify first hand about how the Peace Corps has changed. Except for the medical and security support, we have found the changes do not seem to be for the better. That's why we're here today, making a plea for reform and supporting the pending legislation.
We've thought long and hard about whether it is helpful for us to go public with this view. We know that there are many Peace Corps managers who do listen to, respect, and empower Volunteers. Many of them previously served as Volunteers. For them, the reforms in the legislation will simply reinforce what they are already doing. But in too many cases, Peace Corps managers—in Washington and the field—are not meeting these high standards. We believe the best way to ensure that the reforms become institutionalized in the Peace Corps—and not depend on the values and priorities of individual managers—is to enact them into law.
How an institution responds to its critics, especially its internal critics, tells a great deal about the organization. If the organization welcomes and encourages well intentioned critics, it demonstrates a commitment and openness to renewal and reform. No institution likes to be criticized, but when the criticism is constructive, the mature response is to respect the critic and remain open to what he or she has to say.8
This is one section from the testimony read into the record on the Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act by Chuck Ludlam and Paula Hirschoff, two RPCVs who are now serving their second tour in Senegal. The rest of the sections can be found by following this link. Their entire report in MS Word format can be downloaded by following this link.
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When this story was posted in July 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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