Fund Peace Corps

...The consequences of the budget crisis have been felt by PCVs in Honduras. Our living allowances have remained unchanged over the past two years, despite price increases of 20-50% for food and transportation. Of course, we can manage without getting the extra living allowance. However, Peace Corps is cutting the number of volunteers, closing posts and closing recruiting offices... read more

... Yes, we can personally see a change in the office's outlook on what they can do and not do based on funding...In 3.65 days the Global War will spend as much supplemental/emergency funding as the whole Peace Corps budget... read more

(ed: search for "8)")...Over the past thirty years, although the budget has been increased at times, in real terms, that is adjusted for inflation, the Peace Corps worldwide budget has been stagnant. The same budget for thirty yearsssssss in real terms.) This means less volunteers are being taken, programs are slimming down, and a third year in another country is no longer an option... read more

...Not only is our stipend very out of date (using lasts year prices when many basic goods like rice and beans have more than doubled in price, although PC Nicaragua is currently fixing our stipend issue) but lots of other things like our subscription to Newsweek (free stacks of the magazine in the office every week) and a yearly conference for all the volunteers in country are being cancelled... read more

...Peace Corps Headquarters has required a 15% budget cut agency wide. Peace Corps Niger is having to make cuts in many areas to meet this percentage; below are some of the most important decisions they've had to make.... read more

...Although many think of community and national service as primarily a one- or two-year experience for young adults, that perception is becoming outdated. Our country holds a valuable resource in the form of the most highly skilled, well-educated, healthiest, and longest-living generation in our nation's history. And we need to take advantage of it... read more

...Despite the cutbacks, Parker said, each foreign post still must meet Peace Corps competency requirements in such areas as safety, language skills, and cultural and technical training.
"Our priority would be to make sure we get as many volunteers out there as we can, but to support them," he said. "We believe that quality, safety and security is much more important than quantity."... read more

...At a time when our country's image overseas could use the kind of polishing that Peace Corps volunteers do best, it's alarming that the agency is facing an $18 million budget deficit, closing offices and training fewer volunteers.... read more

...The program, which has a budget of $330.8 million, is facing an anticipated shortfall of about $18 million this fiscal year and next, officials say. Much of the gap can be attributed to the declining value of the dollar overseas... read more

...Peace Corps Director Ronald A. Tschetter told Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., the program must pay more to maintain and support its volunteers, The Washington Post (NYSE:WPO) reported Friday. Tschetter said he expects an $18 million shortfall in the budget for this fiscal year and fiscal 2009.... read more

...Congress has so far not approved Mr. Bush's 2009 budget request of $343 million for the Peace Corps. Lawmakers instead authorized a "continuing resolution," which extended the current budget of $330 million a year through March... read more

...It caught my attention because it came on the heels of the "ServiceNation Summit" at Columbia University, where Senators McCain and Obama - appearing separately - presented their views on public service and civic engagement in post-9/11 America... read more

...Rising powers like Brazil and China and India are now the engines of growth in the global economy. They don't need Peace Corps volunteers to teach them how to irrigate their crops or sell their handicrafts in foreign markets. We have as much to learn from these countries as they have to learn from us... read more

...Foreign policy experts have expressed dismay at the programme's current dilemma. Among them is Patricia Kushlis, a retired veteran of more than 20 years with the U.S. Foreign Service... read more

...President George W. Bush once called for the doubling of the Peace Corps. Barack Obama did too. Economic reality, however, may have the last word, as the declining dollar and rising energy and commodity costs have left the organization facing a budget shortfall... read more

...Scaling up the Peace Corps to ten times its present size could be one of the smartest initiatives advanced by the next president if it is premised on a new vision, a different funding model, and an enhanced organizational form... read more

...much more could be accomplished if this effort is boosted through Congressional support and engagement. Therefore, we ask the new Congress to pursue an expansion of the Peace Corps and to empower new international volunteers through Congressionally-nominated Global Service Fellowships, increased technical assistance, and multilateral exchanges in concert with UN Volunteers... read more

...Congress and the White House should work together to double the Peace Corps, authorize and provide support to Volunteers for Prosperity, and increase support of other efforts inside and outside government to enable global service and assess its impact. These efforts will empower a growing coalition of international volunteering organizations to help reach the goal of 100,000 Americans serving in developing countries each year... read more

...International volunteer programs contribute directly and indirectly to our nation's security and well-being. They represent one of the best avenues Americans can pursue to improve relations with the rest of the world. The scale of these programs, however, is far below the levels suggested by their benefits. The federal budget for FY 2006 supports 75,000 AmeriCorps volunteers working domestically but only 7,800 Peace Corps volunteers working in foreign countries... read more

...The basic choice is between preserving the Peace Corps as a boutique agency with a popular mission or redefining the mission in a way that will attract more interest among host countries and appeal to a broader spectrum of talented Americans... read more