Tell me about the Peace Corps

[daughtersrus]

My DD 21 has told us that she is thinking about joining. She is a junoir in college working on a BA in Special Education. She has a Teach Grant that will convert to a student loan if she doesnt meet the terms. Anyway, tell me your experiences!

 

[Singleminnie]

I personally do not have any experience, but I just recently saw an episode, I believe it was on 20/20 ABC about recent experiences females were having with the Peace Corps, even one girl being murdered I believe in Africa. I don't know if you can watch the episode somehow online or hulu. I personally have strong positive feelings about the Peace Corp, love the ideas behind it. I wish your daughter the best in her future, I have three DDs myself.

 

[daughtersrus]

Thank you.

I will look on line and see if I can find the video.

 

[Snoozan]

Yikes! I wish I hadn't read this post. I have a 24 yo DNiece serving in the Peace Corps in Zambia, Africa right now! She's in a small village helping teach middle school age students. She lives like the natives do - in a hut with a straw roof, no electricity, outside "facilities", have to drag water to the hut and has to kill her own animals if she wants meat. She does get into the city of Chomwe about once a month to pick up mail and stay in the Peace Corp house that has electricity and indoor plumbing. Believe it or not, she's really enjoying it! She does have a few stories that really scare me - when she's using public transportation to get to the city she has been harassed by men, usually drunk. She just igores them and alot of times others will speak up on her behalf, but it really bothers me. It takes a really special person to give up all that you're used to to go to these usually deprived areas to live for 2 years.

 

[ORMom2Four]

I can't remember the exact number that was reported on the number of deaths involved in the Peace Corps, but I remember being really surprised at how high it was.

The young woman who was killed was Kate Puzey.

Watch the news segment if you can.

 

[Singleminnie]

Hey, FYI they just talked about this issue with the peace corps on ABC World News tonight again! It sounds like Congress is going to be looking into these issues!

 

[dislaney]

There was just a story on ABC evening news about some women that were with the Peace Corps that had been sexually assaulted. They were claiming that the Peace Corps was not supportive and they are being investigated?. I think there is a story on the ABC website.

I've always admired the men and women that volunteer for the Peace Corps and hope they aren't being treated poorly by the very organization that they volunteer for.

 

[dislaney]

Hey, FYI they just talked about this issue with the peace corps on ABC World News tonight again! It sounds like Congress is going to be looking into these issues!

We must have seen the same show!

 

[daughtersrus]

Thank you so much for the information.


DD and I talked yesterday. At that point, we talked about her teaching here for 2 years to build up some savings and fulfill her obligation for the Teach Grant first. She has 1 1/2 years left before she gets her degree so it wouldn't likely happen until 2015.

I just finished watching all of the videos. It scares the you know what out of me. I sent the link to the videos/report to DD. I know that this is something that she's wanted to do for a long time and her decision but as parents, we can't help but worry.

 

[FINFAN]

another story just out on the rapes and assaults that over 1000 females have suffered while with the Peace Corps. Investigation is under way as to why there was/is such a cover up and no help/counseling anything for those that the PC does agree were assaulted. As her parent, jut keep helping her obtain as much info as she can have so she has the tools to make the best decision for her.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I know that people join to help the world but there have been some scary stories in the news lately, and the stories aren't new. My SIL was looking to go when she graduated a few years back and then changed her mind and found places in the US to help out. I'm not saying don't go, I am saying make the choice with eyes wide open.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/campuschat...espond-to-2020-peace-corps-investigation.html

 

[Buckeye Princess]

My good friend and neighbor growing up joined the Peace Corp. She was assaulted and violated by 9 men at the same time. I know this is not the experience of everyone, but I would personally not let my DD join.

 

[nathalee81]

I'm sorry, I don't what a Teach Grant is, but what about AmeriCorps? It is kind of like the Peace Corps-only you stay in the states. I also think the committment is only a year, instead of two years?

Don't know if this helps, but just thought I would throw it out there.

 

[IdesOmarch]

Not to be Darryl Downer But IMO going to many places in Africa is going to be extremely dangerous, and not just Africa, but Mexico, many South American countries. Africa and Mexico both have a lot of kidnappings, you have crooked police and local officials that will literally rob you. Africa is very very dangerous and should not be taken lightly IMO, in even visiting.

If you watch movies like At the Gates, Lord of War and Blood Diamond, you can get an idea about how dangerous these places can be. And I realize these are just movies, but most of these are based on true stories, and the things they depict that happened in Africa, did and do happen. Extremely dangerous IMO. Its definitely not like going to the Africa section in Animal Kingdom. One thing AK does not have is maruading bandits with machine guns that shoot people at the drop of a hat. The real Africa is full of this stuff. Not to mention the Black Mambas, Cobras, Lions, hyenas, and just the general danger of nature itself in Africa.

 

[NotUrsula]

maruading bandits with machine guns that shoot people at the drop of a hat. The real Africa is full of this stuff.

That's rather harsh, and not really true, either. It is a huge continent made up of 53 separate nations. Yes, SOME parts of Africa are lawless, but not all of Africa is. by any means. (That's like saying that US and Mexico have similar levels of violent crime nationwide -- because after all, we're on the same continent.)

My company has researchers working in Africa every day, and the areas we are working in are just as safe in these terms as the average isolated rural area in Wyoming or Alaska.

The OP and her family should be cautious, certainly, and insist on checking with the State Dept. for accurate information before accepting an assignment, but some posts here are exaggerating the probability of serious crime.

 

[kems28]

I just wanted to comment on something I've seen no one mention yet, and that is that the Peace Corps is difficult to get accepted to. They have way more applications than posts available, and as it's still seen as a prestigious position, despite its recent troubles, they get applications from the best of the best. It's not just something you can decide to do and go do it. There's a very real chance you won't get in. I'm not saying your daughter isn't qualified, but if this is something she seriously decides to pursue, she needs to have a back-up plan.

I'd also like to 2nd the recommendation of Americorps. I was in an Americorps summer program and it was fantastic. The majority of them are year long assignments, and they have them all over the country. It's much easier to get into than Peace Corps, and much safer too!

 

[IdesOmarch]

That's rather harsh, and not really true, either. It is a huge continent made up of 53 separate nations. Yes, SOME parts of Africa are lawless, but not all of Africa is. by any means. (That's like saying that US and Mexico have similar levels of violent crime nationwide -- because after all, we're on the same continent.)

My company has researchers working in Africa every day, and the areas we are working in are just as safe in these terms as the average isolated rural area in Wyoming or Alaska.

The OP and her family should be cautious, certainly, and insist on checking with the State Dept. for accurate information before accepting an assignment, but some posts here are exaggerating the probability of serious crime.

Sorry to disagree with you but it is absolutely 100% true. I did not mean to imply that EVERY country in Africa has these problems, but certainly many, maybe more than not.

I mean Somalia for one, is basically in a state of anarchy with war lords running things. (This was the country the famous Black Hawk Down movie was about) where our US Soldiers were killed by lawless machine gun wielding bandits. This is also one of the countries where you are constantly hearing news stories of modern day pirates attacking vessels off the African coast are based here.

Then there is Rwanda, which I believe is the country where they were at civil war with each other, and were hacking the limbs off of each other, at least the ones that did not have machine guns used machetes. And you would not want to get caught in the middle of this.

Then there are the countless troubles in Liberia, a country that was set up by the US no less, that has degenerated into lawlessness. I am no expert, and do not profess to know everything about the continent, but there is no doubt it is full of danger, and there really are marauding bandits with machine guns that will not think twice about killing you in many of the countries. And these are just a handful of examples that I know about as a casual observer. If you really studied up on it, it would probably be 10 times worse than how I make it sound.

 

[golfgal]

We have a few friends that have been in the Peace Corps but all left early because of unsafe conditions where they were stationed. The have all said the same thing they LOVED the experience and would do it again in a heartbeat if they were placed in safe areas, the problem is, the safe areas do not NEED Peace Corp workers.

 

[NotUrsula]

Then there is Rwanda, which I believe is the country where they were at civil war with each other, and were hacking the limbs off of each other, at least the ones that did not have machine guns used machetes. And you would not want to get caught in the middle of this.

... And you wouldn't get caught in the middle of it, unless you happened to have a time machine. The Rwandan genocides happened in mid-1990's, and justice has been done now. I'm not saying Rwanda is a wonderful paradise at this point, as they have had some issues lately with bombings in the cities, but people haven't been in imminent danger of being set on by roving machete gangs for quite some time. The country now has one of the most stable governments in Africa, and their economic prosperity has been rising over the past 10 years.

The problem with generalizations like these is that they take events that have happened in various places over the past 30 years and make it sound like they are all happening now, but that isn't true. It's misleading.

The Peace Corps has been having issues that they have not handled well in recent years, and my impression is that they have been a bit cavalier about safety in many situations in order to attract more volunteers. They probably are guilty of not adjusting the way they do business since their heyday 40 years ago, when the majority of volunteers were male. Volunteers are often assigned alone now, particularly the teachers, and that is just plain foolish. PCVs shouldn't be assigned alone, and they need to have good self-defense skills if they are going to be living among strangers in a place without reliable law enforcement and communications infrastructure; that is just common sense. If the Peace Corps doesn't teach you, you need to make it a point to learn it on your own before you go.

I think it would be reasonable to separate the issues that the Peace Corps itself is having in some of the areas that it chooses to serve, from the more general question of whether one takes one's life in one's hands by choosing to spend time in Africa. One is not necessarily the same as the other.

 

[IdesOmarch]

Just a small handful of real life news stories, if you think Africa is like Wyoming, you are not dealing in reality. Tell me you feel the same way after reading these please. Yes Africa is just as safe as Disneyworld


Central African Republic calls on US to help crush LRA
The Central African Republic has called on the United States for military support to help “neutralise” LRA rebels terrorising the country, state radio said Monday.

Rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army “have been on Central African territory since February 2008 when they were chased out of Uganda, and have been committing violations of all kinds and sowing terror among the population,” it quoted Foreign Minister Antoine Gambi as saying.

In May, US President Barack Obama promulgated a law to develop a comprehensive strategy to protect civilians from LRA attacks in the four countries in which they have been active, Uganda, DR Congo, south Sudan and the CAR.

Thursday July 1, 2010
Films • Lord's Resistance Army • RNB Quick Takes:
Gerard Butler to don the role of “Machine Gun Preacher”
Hollywood action superstar Gerard Butler will soon be playing the role of real-life AK-47-toting Pastor Sam Childers in 2012’s “Machine Gun Preacher,” according to the Internet Movie Database. A former bike gang member and drug dealer, Childers underwent a massive spiritual transformation in 1992, during a revival at an Assembly of God church . Six years later he visited the Sudan where the Ugandan sectarian militant group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army, led by Joseph Koney, had abducted and tortured an estimated 30,000 children and displaced 1.6 million people since the start of the rebellion in 1986. For the past 12 years, the so-called “unconventional American pastor” has lived and operated in Southern Sudan and Northern Uganda. His Angels of East Africa children’s village has become a safe haven for rescued children.

Monday March 29, 2010
Lord's Resistance Army • Uganda:
Lord’s Resistance Army killed 321 people in Democratic Republic of Congo
At least 321 people were killed and hundreds were abducted in one of the worst massacres by Africa’s most feared rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), in the Democratic Republic of Congo in December.

The attack — which was unreported until now — confirms that the LRA has restarted terrorising the region despite losing its bases in Sudan a few years ago, when Khartoum, its main backer, signed a peace deal with south Sudanese rebels.

Thursday November 12, 2009
Lord's Resistance Army:
Make peace — mom’s dying wish to rebel leader son Joseph Kony
Associated Press reports that the mother of one of Africa’s most notorious rebel leaders relayed one last wish for her son before her death Wednesday, according to a nurse at her deathbed: Make peace.

Norah Anek, 86, the mother of Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony, died after a long illness, said nurse Betty Akello, who was with her when she died. Her son heads the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army, which has waged one of Africa’s longest and most brutal rebellions, in northern Uganda.

Wednesday September 30, 2009
Lord's Resistance Army:
Christians are ‘crucified’ in guerrilla raids by Lord’s Resistance Army
Marauding bands of guerrillas have crucified seven Christians during a series of raids on villages in Sudan.

One of the men was tied to a tree and mutilated while six other victims were nailed to pieces of wood fastened to the ground and killed.

Villagers who found their bodies near the town of Nzara said it was like a “grotesque crucifixion scene”.

Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio has now appealed for international help to stop the attacks by members of the Lord’s Resistance Army.