Latest: RPCVs and Peace Corps provide aid Peace Corps made an appeal last week to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps and more than 30 RPCVs have responded so far. RPCVs: Read what an RPCV-led NGO is doing about the crisis an how one RPCV is headed for Sri Lanka to help a nation he grew to love. Question: Is Crisis Corps going to send RPCVs to India, Indonesia and nine other countries that need help?

• January 10, 2005: Bush pledges $350 Million in Tsunami Aid, Lawmakers say amount may triple  Thursday, January 13, 2005 - 12:55 am [1]

Over 200 RPCVs respond to Crisis Corps Call, Peace Corps to Send 30 Returned Volunteers to Thailand for Tsunami Aid



Over 200 RPCVs respond to Crisis Corps Call, Peace Corps to Send 30 Returned Volunteers to Thailand for Tsunami Aid

Peace Corps to Send Volunteers to Tsunami Ravaged Thailand

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 12, 2005 – To assist those people whose lives were shattered by the tsunamis in Asia, Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez announced today that 30 former volunteers will be returning overseas as part of the Peace Corps’ Crisis Corps program in Thailand.

The volunteers will arrive shortly after Director Vasquez returns from Thailand, as part of an evaluation trip scheduled to begin on January 23. Currently, the Peace Corps has an assessment team on the ground in Thailand that Director Vasquez will meet with when he arrives.

“When the tsunamis devastated areas of Asia last month, not only were hundreds of thousands of lives tragically lost, but so were the homes and livelihoods of countless more victims,” stated Director Vasquez. “As the largest volunteer organization in the world, it is incumbent on the Peace Corps to mobilize a team of former volunteers to assist the victims and work to restore the areas hardest hit in the region.”

Following the tsunami disaster, the Peace Corps received an outpouring of support from former volunteers willing to return to the devastated area. Over 200 volunteers completed the Crisis Corps application and many more inquired about how they could help. In addition, the Peace Corps has seen a substantial increase in overall interest in Peace Corps service in the wake of the disaster.

The volunteers being sent to Thailand are uniquely qualified as the majority will be former volunteers who previously served in Thailand and speak the Thai language and know the customs and culture. The volunteers will be assisting various aid organizations in rebuilding areas devastated by the disaster.

In an effort to assist the Crisis Corps volunteers as they work to rebuild lives throughout the region, the Peace Corps has also established the Southeast Asia Tsunami Fund. Contributions to this fund will support volunteer-led projects, as volunteers address the social and economic impact of the disaster and focus on reconstruction. As with all donations to the Peace Corps Partnership Program, 100 percent of every donation will be used in the affected communities. To learn how you can support the volunteers click here.

More than 550 returned Peace Corps volunteers have served in Crisis Corps since its inception in 1996 using their invaluable skills and experience to address ongoing community needs in more than 39 different countries. Crisis Corps has responded to more than 300 natural disasters. Volunteers work on short term projects, utilizing the skills they learned as Peace Corps volunteers and in post service careers.

When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Coleman: Peace Corps mission and expansion Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee that oversees the Peace Corps, says in an op-ed, A chance to show the world America at its best: "Even as that worthy agency mobilizes a "Crisis Corps" of former Peace Corps volunteers to assist with tsunami relief, I believe an opportunity exists to rededicate ourselves to the mission of the Peace Corps and its expansion to touch more and more lives."

RPCVs active in new session of Congress In the new session of Congress that begins this week, RPCV Congressman Tom Petri has a proposal to bolster Social Security, Sam Farr supported the objection to the Electoral College count, James Walsh has asked for a waiver to continue heading a powerful Appropriations subcommittee, Chris Shays will no longer be vice chairman of the Budget Committee, and Mike Honda spoke on the floor honoring late Congressman Robert Matsui.

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January 8, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Zambia RPCV Karla Berg interviews 1,374 people on Peace 7 Jan Breaking Taboo, Mandela Says Son Died of AIDS 6 Jan Dreadlocked PCV raises eyebrows in Africa 6 Jan RPCV Jose Ravano directs CARE's efforts in Sri Lanka 6 Jan Persuading Retiring Baby Boomers to Volunteer 6 Jan Inventor of "Drown Proofing" retires 6 Jan NPCA Membership approves Board Changes 5 Jan Timothy Shriver announces "Rebuild Hope Fund" 5 Jan More Water Bottles, Fewer Bullets 4 Jan Poland RPCV Rebecca Parker runs Solterra Books 2 Jan Peace Corps Fund plans event for September 30 Dec RPCV Carmen Bailey recounts bout with cerebral malaria 28 Dec more top stories...

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Latest: RPCVs and Peace Corps provide aid Peace Corps made an appeal last week to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps and more than 30 RPCVs have responded so far. RPCVs: Read what an RPCV-led NGO is doing about the crisis an how one RPCV is headed for Sri Lanka to help a nation he grew to love. Question: Is Crisis Corps going to send RPCVs to India, Indonesia and nine other countries that need help?

The World's Broken Promise to our Children Former Director Carol Bellamy, now head of Unicef, says that the appalling conditions endured today by half the world's children speak to a broken promise. Too many governments are doing worse than neglecting children -- they are making deliberate, informed choices that hurt children. Read her op-ed and Unicef's report on the State of the World's Children 2005.

Changing of the Guard With Lloyd Pierson's departure, Marie Wheat has been named acting Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations responsible for the day-to-day management of the Peace Corps. Although Wheat is not an RPCV and has limited overseas experience, in her two years at the agency she has come to be respected as someone with good political skills who listens and delegates authority and we wish her the best in her new position.

Our debt to Bill Moyers Former Peace Corps Deputy Director Bill Moyers leaves PBS next week to begin writing his memoir of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read what Moyers says about journalism under fire, the value of a free press, and the yearning for democracy. "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia."

RPCV safe after Terrorist Attack RPCV Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the U.S. consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia survived Monday's attack on the consulate without injury. Five consular employees and four others were killed. Abercrombie-Winstanley, the first woman to hold the position, has been an outspoken advocate of rights for Arab women and has met with Saudi reformers despite efforts by Saudi leaders to block the discussions.

Is Gaddi Leaving? Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors.

The Birth of the Peace Corps UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn.

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