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Mark Udall’s district is home to over 500 returned volunteers, including his mother who served in Nepal.
Mark Udall’s district is home to over 500 returned volunteers, including his mother who served in Nepal.
UDALL PEACE CORPS MEASURE APPROVED AS PART OF FOREIGN RELATIONS SPENDING BILL
July 15, 2003
Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives today approved a measure sponsored by Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO) that would expand and strengthen the U.S. Peace Corps. The House included the measure in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 2004, a bill which authorizes $24.2 billion for State Department operations, U.S. contributions to various international organizations and foreign aid programs.
"After more than 40 years, the Peace Corps remains one of the most admired and successful initiatives ever put in place. We need an expanded and refocused Peace Corps that can take on the challenges that September 11th has presented us, and a Peace Corps that can be a strong symbol of our nation's commitment to peace," said Udall. “We need to better understand other cultures, and we need to do a better job promoting an understanding of American values abroad.”
Colorado has one of the highest levels of recruitment of Peace Corps volunteers nationwide. Udall’s district is home to over 500 returned volunteers, including his mother who served in Nepal.
The Peace Corps Charter for the 21st Century Act would amend the Peace Corps Act to increase the number of Peace Corps volunteers to 15,000; encourage the Peace Corps to increase its presence in countries whose governments are seeking to foster a greater understanding by and about their citizens (particularly those with a substantial Muslim population); train all Peace Corps volunteers in the education, prevention, and treatment of infections diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria; and create a fund to provide seed money to returned volunteers for community projects.
Since its establishment by President Kennedy in 1961, the Peace Corps has operated in 135 countries with 165,000 volunteers. The Peace Corps seeks to fulfill its mission of promoting world peace and friendship through the service of American volunteers abroad by helping people in developing countries to meet basic needs, to promote understanding of America's values and ideals abroad, and to promote an understanding of other peoples by Americans.