Peace Corps seeks review of budget cuts



The Peace Corps, with its modest $105 million budget cut this year to $83.6 million, has appealed to the Administration for reconsideration. Loret Miller Ruppe, the organization's director, said yesterday in her office just before setting out on a month-long tour of volunteer outposts in North and West Africa, that she had met with Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. about the budgetary problem and had found him ''very supportive.'' ''He said what we were doing was right in line with the Administration's foreign policy,'' she said. ''But we haven't heard anything yet about our appeal.'' Loret Miller Ruppe was Director of the Peace Corps from 1981 to 1989.

Peace Corps seeks review of budget cuts

PEACE CORPS SEEKS A REVIEW OF CUTS

By BARBARA CROSSETTE, SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: November 1, 1981

The Peace Corps, with its modest $105 million budget cut this year to $83.6 million, has appealed to the Administration for reconsideration.

Loret Miller Ruppe, the organization's director, said yesterday in her office just before setting out on a month-long tour of volunteer outposts in North and West Africa, that she had met with Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. about the budgetary problem and had found him ''very supportive.''

''He said what we were doing was right in line with the Administration's foreign policy,'' she said. ''But we haven't heard anything yet about our appeal.''

The Peace Corps, now 20 years old, is very different from what it was in the 1960's. The average age of volunteers is higher - about 27. There are fewer of them - about 5,000 in 60 countries compared with 11,115 in 57 nations in 1967. Fisheries an Important Program

Most important to the Peace Corps now is the development of programs in agriculture and alternative sources of energy. Jody Olsen, the regional director for North Africa, the Near East, Asia and the Pacific, said that among these programs, training in fisheries was one of the most important.

''This is bringing protein into areas where it is almost impossible to get meat,'' Miss Olsen said. She also described projects in teaching simple market gardening in primary and secondary schools and the raising of rabbits for food supply. Agriculture specialists are in great demand by the Corps.

In its training program, volunteers are taught not to expect to see changes in their two-year period of service. ''With rabbits, for example,'' Miss Olsen said, ''it may be easier to raise rabbits than build fisheries, but you have to introduce the concept of eating rabbits, and of cooking rabbits. In some places that could take six to eight years.''

The leadership of the Corps, struggling to live within the new financial restraints, is made up of loyal Republicans. Mrs. Ruppe, a Midwesterner, worked on Vice President Bush's campaign for the Presidency and went on to become cochairman of the Reagan-Bush committee in Michigan. Virtues of Self-Help Extolled

She extols the virtues of self-help in public speeches, saying the work of the Corps is ''right up Mr. Reagan's alley'' in teaching self-sufficiency.

Lon Randall, a graduate of Fort Wayne Bible College and the president of Malone College in Canton, Ohio, who is now associate director for programs, prefaces remarks about the response of the Peace Corps to budget cuts with his support for ''the President's move toward restoring sound fiscal policy.''

In line with Administration moves in other agencies - notably the Agency for International Development, with which the Peace Corps works closely overseas - the Corps has created an office for liaison with the private sector. Its director is John Calvin Williams Jr., a former Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco and Niger who is on leave from Chase Manhattan Bank, where he directed activities in Frenchspeaking Africa.

The Peace Corps offices are shared with several other volunteer agencies, including Volunteers in Service to America and the Foster Grandparent Program, all of which were combined by President Nixon in 1971 into a coordinating agency called Action. Moves to Restore Independence

There have been moves in Congress to restore the independence of the Peace Corps, which many feel has lost its identity under the Action umbrella.

The movement was given new impetus in March, when President Reagan appointed Thomas W. Pauken director of Action. Mr. Pauken had served as a military intelligence officer in Vietnam, and the Peace Corps has a strict prohibition against former intelligence agents within its agency. Rumors of Central Intelligence Agency links to the Peace Corps, never proved, cost the Corps its India program, which was terminated by New Delhi in 1976.

Senator Alan Cranston of California led a successful Democratic drive to write Peace Corps autonomy into legislation this year. This month the full Senate upheld that legislation. Mrs. Ruppe says that the legislation was not necessary because she had been assured she would continue to report directly to the executive branch. Evaluation Is Under Way

According to Mr. Randall, the associate director, the Peace Corps is in the process of ''global evaluation'' of its programs. Mr. Randall, who worked with the Agency for International Development in Thailand, said that, especially in a period of tight budget restraint, ''the aim of the Peace Corps is to leave a country.''

He said that as soon as a country's per capita income and quality of life had reached an acceptable level, the Peace Corps would disengage itself, as it has done recently in Chile, leaving the work in the hands of local officials and allowing the Corps to concentrate its resources on the ''poorest of the poor.''

The degree to which a country contributes to a Peace Corps presence has become important to whether the agency will agree to set up or expand programs. There are still many more requests for Peace Corps volunteers from foreign countries than the agency can hope to meet.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Peace Corps Annual Report: 1981; Loret Ruppe Miller; Figures; Directors; Appropriations; Budget

When this story was posted in August 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

---

Senator Dodd's Peace Corps Hearings Read PCOL's executive summary of Senator Chris Dodd's hearings on July 25 on the Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act and why Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter does not believe the bill would contribute to an improved Peace Corps while four other RPCV witnesses do. Highlights of the hearings included Dodd's questioning of Tschetter on political meetings at Peace Corps Headquarters and the Inspector General's testimony on the re-opening of the Walter Poirier III investigation.

---

---

Paul Theroux: Peace Corps Writer Paul Theroux began by writing about the life he knew in Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His first first three novels are set in Africa and two of his later novels recast his Peace Corps tour as fiction. Read about how Theroux involved himself with rebel politicians, was expelled from Malawi, and how the Peace Corps tried to ruin him financially in John Coyne's analysis and appreciation of one of the greatest American writers of his generation (who also happens to be an RPCV).

---

August 4, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Peace Corps reopens Guinea Program 19 Jul China beating US in public diplomacy 4 Aug Shalala continues fight for wounded soldiers 4 Aug Sue Hilderbrand's goal is stopping funding for Iraq war 3 Aug Matthew Barison went from Uzbekistan to Romania 2 Aug Peter Chilson writes "Disturbance-Loving Species" 31 Jul An RPCV remembers Texas Tower Tragedy 29 Jul Daniel Balluff films documentaries on Niger 28 Jul Renewing the Bond of Trust with PCVs 27 Jul Carol Bellamy to chair Fair Labor Foundation 25 Jul Delay in Julia Campbell trial 24 Jul PCV Brian writes: Secondary Projects - First Priority 23 Jul Dodd says no easy election for Democrats in 2008 22 Jul John Smart writes: Bush's palace in Iraq 20 Jul Bill Moyers eulogizes Lady Bird Johnson 15 Jul Social Justice ranks high on Dan Weinberg’s agenda 15 Jul PCV Tait writes: Good-bye to my village 14 Jul Amy Smith organizes Development Design Summit 13 Jul Cameron Quinn to head PC Third Goal Office 11 Jul Josh Yardley brought Red Sox to Burkina Faso 11 Jul James Rupert writes: Islamabad's Red Mosque 11 Jul Sarah Chayes writes: NATO didn't lose Afghanistan 10 Jul

---

Dodd issues call for National Service Standing on the steps of the Nashua City Hall where JFK kicked off his campaign in 1960, Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd issued a call for National Service. "Like thousands of others, I heard President Kennedy's words and a short time later joined the Peace Corps." Dodd said his goal is to see 40 million people volunteering in some form or another by 2020. "We have an appetite for service. We like to be asked to roll up our sleeves and make a contribution," he said. "We haven't been asked in a long time."

---

July 9, 2007: This Month's Top Stories O'Hanlon says "soft partition" occurring in Iraq 9 Jul Eric R. Green writes on coming oil crisis 8 Jul Why Dodd joined the Peace Corps 5 Jul Jim Doyle positioned for third term 5 Jul Michael Adlerstein to direct UN Master Plan 3 Jul Shalala says Veterans report will be solution driven 1 Jul Blackwill says: No process will make up for stupidity 30 Jun Allan Reed creates a Diaspora Skills Transfer Program 29 Jun State Dept apology ends hold on Green nomination 28 Jun Call for stories to celebrate PC 50th Anniversary 25 Jun Michael Shereikis is singer and guitarist for Chopteeth 25 Jun Christopher R. Hill Visits North Korea 22 Jun Tschetter at JFK Bust Unveiling Ceremony 21 Jun Kiribati too risky for PCVs 17 Jun James Rupert writes: US calls for free Pakistani elections 17 Jun Colin Cowherd says PCVs are losers 7 Jun Tony Hall Warns of Food Shortages in North Korea 7 Jun Youth Theatre performs Spencer Smith's "Voices from Chernobyl" 7 Jun Ifugao names forest park after Julia Campbell 6 Jun Anissa Paulsen assembles "The Many Colors of Islam" 5 Jun Obituary for Nepal RPCV Loret Miller Ruppe 2 Jun Forty PCVS to arrive in Ethiopia 2 Jun

---

Public diplomacy rests on sound public policy When President Kennedy spoke of "a long twilight struggle," and challenged the country to "ask not," he signaled that the Cold War was the challenge and framework defining US foreign policy. The current challenge is not a struggle against a totalitarian foe. It is not a battle against an enemy called "Islamofascism." From these false assumptions flow false choices, including the false choice between law enforcement and war. Instead, law enforcement and military force both must be essential instruments, along with diplomacy, including public diplomacy. But public diplomacy rests on policy, and to begin with, the policy must be sound. Read more.

---

Ambassador revokes clearance for PC Director A post made on PCOL from volunteers in Tanzania alleges that Ambassador Retzer has acted improperly in revoking the country clearance of Country Director Christine Djondo. A statement from Peace Corps' Press Office says that the Peace Corps strongly disagrees with the ambassador’s decision. On June 8 the White House announced that Retzer is being replaced as Ambassador. Latest: Senator Dodd has placed a hold on Mark Green's nomination to be Ambassador to Tanzania.

---

June 1, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Returned Volunteers and Staff honor Warren Wiggins 15 May Tom Seligman curates "Art of Being Tuareg" 26 May PCV Marilyn Foss dies in China 25 May Poet Susan Rich writes: The Women of Kismayo 22 May Christopher Hill considers visit to North Korea 18 May Peter Hessler talks about time in Fuling as PCV 18 May Murder charges filed in death of PCV Julia Campbell 17 May David Pitts claims JFK offered PC to Lem Billings 16 May Niki Tsongas announces candidacy for Congress 16 May James Rupert writes: Pakistanis talk of Musharraf's departure 16 May Chris Matthews writes: Jerry Falwell's Political Legacy 15 May Ron Tschetter visits volunteers in Botswana 14 May Which assignment to take? Africa, Europe, or Central Asia 14 May Willy Volk writes: New way to keep mosquitoes at bay 14 May Jim Walsh takes special interest in Nepal 13 May NPCA offers podcasts of social entrepreneurs 10 May Gaddi Vasquez showcases food aid work in Central America 10 May Donna Tabor dreamed up Cafe Chavalos 8 May Tom Bissell writing book about Jesus' 13 Apostles 8 May Jody Olsen praises PCV blogging 7 May PC responds to missing volunteers in 2001 and 2007 2 May

---

Peace Corps Funnies A PCV writing home? Our editor hard at work? Take a look at our Peace Corps Funnies and Peace Corps Cartoons and see why Peace Corps Volunteers say that sometimes a touch of levity can be one of the best ways of dealing with frustrations in the field. Read what RPCVs say about the lighter side of life in the Peace Corps and see why irreverent observations can often contain more than a grain of truth. We'll supply the photos. You supply the captions.

---

PCOL serves half million PCOL's readership for April exceeded 525,000 visitors - a 50% increase over last year. This year also saw the advent of a new web site: Peace Corps News that together with the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps serve 17,000 RPCVs, Staff, and Friends of the Peace Corps every day. Thanks for making PCOL your source of news for the Peace Corps community. Read more.

---

Suspect confesses in murder of PCV Search parties in the Philippines discovered the body of Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell near Barangay Batad, Banaue town on April 17. Director Tschetter expressed his sorrow at learning the news. “Julia was a proud member of the Peace Corps family, and she contributed greatly to the lives of Filipino citizens in Donsol, Sorsogon, where she served,” he said. Latest: Suspect Juan Duntugan admits to killing Campbell. Leave your thoughts and condolences .

---

Warren Wiggins: Architect of the Peace Corps Warren Wiggins, who died at 84 on April 13, became one of the architects of the Peace Corps in 1961 when his paper, "A Towering Task," landed in the lap of Sargent Shriver, just as Shriver was trying to figure out how to turn the Peace Corps into a working federal department. Shriver was electrified by the treatise, which urged the agency to act boldly. Read Mr. Wiggins' obituary and biography, take an opportunity to read the original document that shaped the Peace Corps' mission, and read John Coyne's special issue commemorating "A Towering Task."

---

The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

---

He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

Read the stories and leave your comments.

By Dr Lon D Randall (67.188.33.7) on Monday, July 09, 2012 - 6:41 pm: Edit Post

The Peace Corps is the most cost effective program the U.S. has overseas. It does not give money or equipment Rather it transfers skills to the residents of Host Countries. As the late President Regan so eloquently said: "Give a man a fish and he will be hungry again. Teach a man to fish and he will never be hungry again". Dr Lon D Randall, former Associiate Director for International Operations.