Peace Corps Volunteer "Zach in Mauritania" writes: PC Mauritania is indefinitely suspended



Personally, I intend on coming home, but not that soon and then returning to somewhere to finish out my second year, probably West Africa because less than 1% of Americans speak French and they really need volunteers who do. I am in no way ready to be done with the Peace Corps and I am even less ready to say goodbye to my host family. How do you tell some one whose life was saved by a PCV when he was a child, said that Allah put love for the Peace Corps in his heart, and has since devoted his life to voluntarily and doggedly supporting any PCV he meets that not only are you abruptly leaving he might never see a PCV again? Needless to say, despite the fact that we all saw this coming, we are quite shaken up. You have to understand that this is not just our job that was canceled, but our lives as we know them."

Peace Corps Volunteer "Zach in Mauritania" writes: PC Mauritania is indefinitely suspended

Monday, August 10, 2009

Done

Caption: Children in Gorgol by Peace Corps Volunteer swimfast. Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

PC Mauritania is indefinitely suspended.

Fortunately the Mauritanian staff will keep their jobs until the program reopens, but no one is holding their breath for that to happen. The country has taken a serious dive in the direction it is heading and it will be a long recovery process when it turns around.

In the next four days we will be pumped through sessions on our options, medical evaluations, final reports, and lots of other procedures and then some of us will be returning home on Friday. Personally, I intend on coming home, but not that soon and then returning to somewhere to finish out my second year, probably West Africa because less than 1% of Americans speak French and they really need volunteers who do. I am in no way ready to be done with the Peace Corps and I am even less ready to say goodbye to my host family. How do you tell some one whose life was saved by a PCV when he was a child, said that Allah put love for the Peace Corps in his heart, and has since devoted his life to voluntarily and doggedly supporting any PCV he meets that not only are you abruptly leaving he might never see a PCV again? Needless to say, despite the fact that we all saw this coming, we are quite shaken up. You have to understand that this is not just our job that was canceled, but our lives as we know them.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: August, 2009; Peace Corps Mauritania; Directory of Mauritania RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Mauritania RPCVs; Blogs - Mauritania; Safety and Security of Volunteers; RPCV Jody Olsen (Tunisia)

When this story was posted in August 2009, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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Join Us Mr. President! "We will double the size of the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary in 2011. And we'll reach out to other nations to engage their young people in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity," said Barack Obama during his campaign. Returned Volunteers rally and and march to the White House to support a bold new Peace Corps for a new age. Latest: Senator Dodd introduces Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2009 .

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Meet Aaron Williams - Our Next Director Senator Dodd's Senate Subcommittee held confirmation hearings for Aaron Williams to become the 18th Peace Corps Director. "It's exciting to have a nominee who served in the Peace Corps and also has experience in international development and management," said Dodd as he put Williams on the fast track to be confirmed by the full Senate before the August recess. Read our exclusive coverage of the hearings and our biography of Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams.

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July 11, 2009: House says Yes, Senate No Senate Funding for Peace Corps Falls Short of Goal 10 Jul House supports $450M Peace Corps Budget 17 Jun Senator Kit Bond says PC is Smart Power 29 Jun Parents Keep Dream Alive for Fallen Zambia PCV 3 Jul PCVs Safe in Honduras after Coup 28 Jun Jahanshah Javid recalls Peace Corps Volunteers in Iran 22 Jun Peace Corps to return to Sierra Leone in 2010 18 Jun Ryan Van Duzer rode bike from Honduras to Boulder 17 Jun Monica Mills Named a Top Grassroots Lobbyist 12 Jun Tiffany Nelson teaches - and learns in China 12 Jun Dr. Roger Brooks spent 35 years with Concord Schools 9 Jun Dr. Catherine Taylor Foster administered Polio vaccine in Nepal 8 Jun Bill Lorah Runs Pre-Collegiate Program in Colorado 7 Jun Brian Carroll writes: An African village adapts 7 Jun Rebekah Martin finds love is not enough 6 Jun Peter Bartholomew helps preserve Korean traditional culture 5 Jun Obama speaks to Islamic World at Cairo University 4 Jun Matt Hepp combines humanitarian and climbing objectives 4 Jun Juana Bordas named 2009 Unique Woman of Colorado 2 Jun Phil Hardberger left his mark on San Antonio 31 May Philip Nix retires as headmaster of Day School 31 May New: More Stories from June and July 2009

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May 30, 2009: Peace Corps' Roadmap Peace Corps' Roadmap for the Future 26 May Who are the Candidates for Peace Corps Director? 24 May Have French Atomic Tests put PCVs at Risk? 1 May Obama asks Congress for 10% increase in PC Budget 7 May Guy Consolmagno debunks "Angels & Demons" 22 May Obama praises Dodd at credit card signing 22 May John Garamendi front runner in California primary 22 May Al Kamen writes: New management structure at PC HQ? 22 May Damian Wampler's play Twin Towers opens in NYC 21 May Michael Volpe learns that DC is networking capital 21 May Dr. Mike Metke returns to Costa Rica 10 May Jesse Fleisher Lives well on less 14 May Al Kamen writes: PCVs peak at 11,000 under Obama Budget 11 May James W. Kostenblatt is making a difference in Mozambique 10 May Karen and Warren Master host Kyrgyzstan teen 9 May Alberto Ibargüen writes: The Future of Newspapers 9 May PC Monitor 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus in Mexico 1 May Paul Theroux writes: Obama and the Peace Corps 1 May Johnnie Carson to head State Department African Affairs 29 Apr Michael O'Hanlon writes: Grading Obama's First 100 Days 29 Apr Amy Potthast writes: The Peace Corps Lottery 23 Apr Read more stories from April and May 2009.

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Director Ron Tschetter: The PCOL Interview Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss the evacuation from Bolivia, political appointees at Peace Corps headquarters, the five year rule, the Peace Corps Foundation, the internet and the Peace Corps, how the transition is going, and what the prospects are for doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011. Read the interview and you are sure to learn something new about the Peace Corps. PCOL previously did an interview with Director Gaddi Vasquez.

Read the stories and leave your comments.