New Peace Corps Director Visits His Volunteer Site in El Salvador
New Peace Corps Director Visits His Volunteer Site
New Peace Corps Director Mark L. Schneider, who served as a volunteer in El Salvador from 1966-68, visited his old volunteer job site in San Salvador in early February.
As part of a weeklong trip to Central America, which also included stops in Guatemala and Honduras, Schneider visited a small footbridge he built over a ravine in San Salvador, which had divided his community. The bridge still stands and has been named after Schneider. Schneider’s wife, Susan, who served with him as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador, accompanied him on the trip. This was Schneider's first trip overseas since he was sworn in as Director of Peace Corps on Jan. 7.
The trip included visits with current Peace Corps volunteers in all three countries. In Guatemala and El Salvador, Schneider met with public and private sector officials involved in the post-conflict governance process. In Honduras, Schneider also met with current Crisis Corps volunteers (veteran volunteers who have returned to the region for short-term assignments) who are working in disaster management and mitigation in the wake of Hurricane Mitch.
Schneider recently made news by announcing a new initiative to increase Peace Corps volunteer involvement in helping developing countries access new technologies.
He unveiled this new initiative during a Peace Corps Day ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Library on March 7, saying “This technology will, in my view, simply give volunteers the green light to innovate, in bridging the digital divide, while remaining true to the core mission that President Kennedy set out for the Peace Corps – to help the people of the developing world help themselves." Schneider said.
