Fund Peace Corps

Pick me! For nearly five decades the genius of the Peace Corps' has laid not in providing resources or direct money to poor countries, but in dispatching talented and dedicated Americans with the fundamental technical and cultural skills necessary to integrate and contribute within their host communities. Depriving current volunteers of this basic training undercuts their ability to be of full value to their communities and threatens to undermine Peace Corps' legacy as a unique, people-centered approach to promoting responsible international development and friendship with the American people.

Pick me! Peace Corps not only serves impoverished developing countries but the work of volunteers is of great value to the American people. Volunteers have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a foreign culture and share their insights and experiences with their communities back home in the United States. These volunteers are cultural ambassadors who enrich America by helping to cultivate a climate of trust and respect and sowing the seeds of global friendship and peace. To maximize their impact, volunteers need basic training and support to create meaningful and sustainable cross-cultural connections. Congress should help close the current funding gap and ensure Peace Corps posts have the basic resources they need to empower volunteers in the field.

Pick me! Volunteers bring unique skills and abilities to their host communities. However, in order to effectively tap these talents, they need language and cultural training to help bridge the gap between their cultural background and the culture of their host country. Shortening and eliminating trainings and reducing staff support to volunteers in the field undercut volunteers’ immediate effectiveness. Ensuring full funding for the agency will ensure volunteers can best serve both their host country and the American people.