1980: Nancy Tongue served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chile in El Carmen (town East of Chilla) beginning in 1980



Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Nancy Tongue can be contacted at fourdirectaaoldcom

Country of Service: Chile

Training Group: rural development

Cities you served in: El Carmen (town East of Chilla)

Arrival Year: 1980

Departure Year: 1982

Work Description:

Health Ed, rural schools, rural clinics, etc.

Any thoughts you have now looking back on peace corps days?:

My in-coutry experience was very special.

Anyone you are looking for or would like to hear from?:

Looking for others from 1980-82 who served in Chile and any others re: issue below.

Any message for returned volunteers?:

I am a returned Peace Corps volunteer who became chronically sick from my overseas service. There are many others out there in my situation who have had no one to advise them when they returned home with illnesses or injuries and have fallen through the cracks. Many of us have struggled for years to obtain benefits to which we are entitled. Some have merely given up in defeat. Most are left uninsurable in America. A few have ended up homeless. This is wrong. In January 2011, women who were sexually assaulted while in the Peace Corps bravely came forward, and thanks to the 20/20 episode that brought their issues to light, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee gave unanimous approval to the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act on July 26, 2011, which creates legislation to strengthen training and support of Peace Corps Volunteers who are subjected to violent crime – including and especially sexual assault. Many of us are not victims of violent or sexual crimes. Rather we contracted illnesses or other injuries as a result of our service and have been ignored by the Peace Corps upon our return. Many cannot navigate the complexities of the Department of Labor, and the Peace Corps has shown no interest in intervening on our behalf. We were not just at risk “while in the field” but here in our own country upon our return. The Puzey Protection Act is extremely significant, but it does not help those in our position. I am wondering if anyone out there is still struggling with these same issues and would be willing to "go public" with me, if can reach the appropriate media outlet? I feel that the time is right to bring our experiences to the surface and am working to assimilate our collective stories and take my final overview to the networks and Congress. I have positive feelings about my service overseas and feel that the Peace Corps has had positive global impacts, but if it is to expand and truly succeed, volunteers must be properly cared for when we return home sick and disabled. For me, the struggle continues and the treatment we have all received both by the Peace Corps and the USDOL/OWCP has not been sufficient. You may email me confidentially at: fourdirect@aol.com. Nancy



Originally posted: 9/3/2011

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