Sean Bloch left for a 26-month assignment in Tanzania with the Peace Corps



Sean Bloch left for a 26-month assignment in Tanzania with the Peace Corps

Peace Corps volunteer going to Tanzania

By Steve Ramirez
Las Cruces Sun-News
Las Cruces, N.M.
May 30, 2005

Sean Bloch, a 26-year-old Las Cruces resident, is looking for something to do where he can use the skills he has learned.

To satisfy that, Bloch left today for a 26-month assignment in Tanzania with the Peace Corps.

"If I have the skills to help out, I don't see why I shouldn't do it," Bloch said Friday. "I hope to further my academic career one day, but for now, this experience will help me gain perspective and use the privileges and resources available to me for positive ends."

Bloch will work as an environment leader while with the Peace Corps. He has been to Haiti before, so foreign travel is not a new experience.
"I will be helping rural Tanzanians combat land degradation through sustainable agriculture and environmental education. That will be my main focus," Bloch said. "Also, I will have the opportunity to work on HIV and AIDS prevention and awareness."

Bloch earned his bachelor's degree in history from New Mexico State University in 2001 and a master's degree in history from Florida International University in 2003. Bloch describes himself as "adventurous," and that, coupled with his education, makes him especially appealing to the Peace Corps.

"Peace Corps is seeking more applications coming in not only from college graduates, but from mid-career professionals searching for adventure and retirees who feel too young to retire," said Megan Burkholder, spokeswoman for the Peace Corps.

Bloch will join more than 178,000 Americans who have served in more than 138 countries since former President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961. Today, the Peace Corps has 7,733 volunteers in 73 countries.

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



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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 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

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June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

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June 5, 2005: Special Events Vote in the NPCA Election for new board before June 15 "American Taboo" author Phil Weiss in Maryland on June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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May 28, 2005: This Week's Top Stories The Coyne Column: Love and War in Afghanistan 28 May Sam Farr supports Coffee Growers in Colombia 28 May Elaine Chao wins Woman of Valor award 27 May Nebraska has strong ties with Afghanistan 27 May Arthur Orr to seek Alabama State Senate seat 26 May Murder of John Auffrey remembered in Liberia 26 May Bill Moyers says journalists should be filters for readers 26 May Linda Seyler spent two years in Thailand digging latrines 25 May Chris Shays blasts Bush on stem cell research 25 May George Wolfe to head Loudoun Academy of Science 25 May David Rudenstine heads Cardozo School of Law 24 May Mark Schneider says declaration is "pretty thin gruel" 24 May Robert Blackwill supports seat for India on Security Council 24 May Chris Matthews weighs Thomas Jefferson nomination 24 May Jim Knopf is expert on xeriscape gardening 23 May Mae Jemison receives honorary degree at Wilson 23 May Kenneth Proudfoot says dreams come true 22 May

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