March 18, 2005: Headlines: COS - Bangladesh: Safety and Security of Volunteers: The Independent: Bangladesh is a safe place for the operation of Peace Corps as it poses no threat to the security of young volunteers from the United States
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March 18, 2005: Headlines: COS - Bangladesh: Safety and Security of Volunteers: The Independent: Bangladesh is a safe place for the operation of Peace Corps as it poses no threat to the security of young volunteers from the United States
Bangladesh is a safe place for the operation of Peace Corps as it poses no threat to the security of young volunteers from the United States
Bangladesh is a safe place for the operation of Peace Corps as it poses no threat to the security of young volunteers from the United States
Bangladesh is safe for Peace Corps operation
The Independent
Dhaka, Bangladesh
March 18, 2005
Bangladesh is a safe place for the operation of Peace Corps as it poses no threat to the security of young volunteers from the United States.
"They feel safe...The local administration is providing support for ensuring security of the Peace Corps volunteers," the new Country Director of the Peace Corps Bangladesh Silas Kenala said.
Usually, Peace Corps, the official agency of the United States for the promotion of world peace avoids strife-torn zones or countries facing military conflict, Mr Kenala said in an interview.
Citing the case of Nepal crisis, Mr Kenala said that the Peace Corps pulled out its volunteers from the Himalayan Kingdom on the heels of the simmering political situation.
The chief of the Peace Corps Bangladesh categorically said that his organisation never "analysed the political situation of the country" as its mandate was different from that of other international voluntary bodies.
Disclosing the agency's expansion plans, the head of Peace Corps Bangladesh, said that they would launch a "crisis corps volunteer progarmme" for the first time in Bangladesh to help the deltaic nation mitigate and manage its natural disasters.
As the Bush administration continues to pour more funds into the Peace Corps Bangladesh which began its operation here in 1998, plans to expand its operation to cover new areas--from disaster management to community-based development to vocational training programme, while also increasing the number of volunteers.
"I discussed the issue with the officials of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management recently. Now, we are waiting for formal request from the relevant ministry through the Economic Relations Division in this regard,"
Mr Kenala who took over charges in November last year, said another future intervention of the Peace Corps would be the community-based development, which will be carried out in collaboration with the non-government organisations (NGOs).
"I think, this is the area Bangladesh needs intervention most," he said in an interview with The Independent at his Gulshan office.
The new country head dwelt at length on the activities of the organisation, narrated experiences of some of the volunteers and its next plans.
Mr Kenala said that the organisation would be involved in diverse areas such as water and sanitation, vocational training, seamen's training and counselling on HIV/AIDS.
Currently, around 91 volunteers are operating in Bangladesh's 54 districts, mostly working in secondary schools teaching English as foreign language. Since its inception, the organisation has deputed more than 100 members, with a brief suspension of operation in 2001 following the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks on the US. Conceived by President John F Kennedy, the idea of establishing the Peace Corps came into reality in the early 60s--so far 178, 000 volunteers working in 72 countries in the world.
He hoped that the number of volunteers would reach to 150 within a couple of years.
The expansion plans reflect the Bush administration's intention to contribute to the socio-economic development of Bangladesh, thus bolstering bilateral relations between Dhaka and Washington.
The contribution of young volunteers of the United States, whose age range is 25, to Bangladesh far outweighs their numbers.
"The volunteers are truly benefitting the country. They do not work independently, rather they function under the supervision of the heads of host institutions," he said.
As majority of volunteers is young, they encounter difficulty in adjusting to the local environment and culture.
"Lots of volunteers at first didn't know how to use the local toilet. Surprisingly, those who used to drive cars are now scrambling to catch buses, rickshaws or launches. It's a unique adjustment," Mr Kenala said.
The presence of US citizens helps promote inter-cultural exchange.
"We provide a three-month-long cross-cultural and lingual training for new members of the Peace Corps so they cannot disrupt Bangladeshi culture," Mr Kenala, who has more than 20 years of experience in international development, said.
Currently, at least five former Peace Corps volunteers are working in the USAID, Save the Children and other international development agencies while a few have got married here, he said.
This is exemplified by the fact that the Peace Corps volunteers loved Bangladesh and its culture captivated them, he added.
When this story was posted in March 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:
| The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in over 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related reference material in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can use the Main Index to find hundreds of stories about RPCVs who have your same interests, who served in your Country of Service, or who serve in your state. |
| RPCVs in Congress ask colleagues to support PC RPCVs Sam Farr, Chris Shays, Thomas Petri, James Walsh, and Mike Honda have asked their colleagues in Congress to add their names to a letter they have written to the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, asking for full funding of $345 M for the Peace Corps in 2006. As a follow-on to Peace Corps week, please read the letter and call your Representative in Congress and ask him or her to add their name to the letter. |
| Add your info now to the RPCV Directory Call Harris Publishing at 800-414-4608 right away to add your name or make changes to your listing in the newest edition of the NPCA's Directory of Peace Corps Volunteers and Former Staff. Then read our story on how you can get access to the book after it is published. The deadline for inclusion is May 16 so call now. |
| March 1: National Day of Action Tuesday, March 1, is the NPCA's National Day of Action. Please call your Senators and ask them to support the President's proposed $27 Million budget increase for the Peace Corps for FY2006 and ask them to oppose the elimination of Perkins loans that benefit Peace Corps volunteers from low-income backgrounds. Follow this link for step-by-step information on how to make your calls. Then take our poll and leave feedback on how the calls went. |
| Make a call for the Peace Corps PCOL is a strong supporter of the NPCA's National Day of Action and encourages every RPCV to spend ten minutes on Tuesday, March 1 making a call to your Representatives and ask them to support President Bush's budget proposal of $345 Million to expand the Peace Corps. Take our Poll: Click here to take our poll. We'll send out a reminder and have more details early next week. |
| Peace Corps Calendar: Tempest in a Teapot? Bulgarian writer Ognyan Georgiev has written a story which has made the front page of the newspaper "Telegraf" criticizing the photo selection for his country in the 2005 "Peace Corps Calendar" published by RPCVs of Madison, Wisconsin. RPCV Betsy Sergeant Snow, who submitted the photograph for the calendar, has published her reply. Read the stories and leave your comments. |
| WWII participants became RPCVs Read about two RPCVs who participated in World War II in very different ways long before there was a Peace Corps. Retired Rear Adm. Francis J. Thomas (RPCV Fiji), a decorated hero of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 at 100. Mary Smeltzer (RPCV Botswana), 89, followed her Japanese students into WWII internment camps. We honor both RPCVs for their service. |
| Bush's FY06 Budget for the Peace Corps The White House is proposing $345 Million for the Peace Corps for FY06 - a $27.7 Million (8.7%) increase that would allow at least two new posts and maintain the existing number of volunteers at approximately 7,700. Bush's 2002 proposal to double the Peace Corps to 14,000 volunteers appears to have been forgotten. The proposed budget still needs to be approved by Congress. |
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Story Source: The Independent
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Bangladesh; Safety and Security of Volunteers
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