What is the Peace Corps
This information is provided by the Peace Corps website at www.peacecorps.gov and "The Peace Corps Welcomes You to Armenia" handbook.
History
The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to 1960, when then-Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. From that inspiration grew an agency of the federal government devoted to world peace and friendship.
Since that time, more than 170,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have been invited by 136 host countries to work on issues ranging from AIDS education, information technology, and environmental preservation.
Today's Peace Corps is more vital than ever, stepping into new countries like East Timor, working in emerging and essential areas such as information technology and business development, and committing more than 1,000 new Volunteers as a part of President Bush's HIV/AIDS Act of 2003. Peace Corps Volunteers continue to help countless individuals who want to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities.
Goals
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship. Three simple goals comprise the Peace Corps mission:
- Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
- Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
- Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of all Americans.
Fast Facts(2003 data)
- Current number of Volunteers and Trainees: 7,533
- Gender: 59% female, 41% male
- Marital Status: 90% single, 10% married
- People of Color: 15% of Peace Corps Volunteers
- Age: 28 years old (average), 25 years old (median)
- Volunteers over age 50: 6% (oldest Volunteer is 81)
- Education: 83% have undergraduate degrees, 14% have graduate studies/degrees
- Current number of countries served: 71
What is Peace Corps Armenia?
The Peace Corps program in Armenia began in 1992. Since then, over 380 Volunteers have served in Armenia. During the first years, conditions were very difficult, with no electricity or heat. The country was reeling from the aftermath of the devastating 1988 earthquake, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and a war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave.
Today, conditions have improved significantly. There is electricity throughout the country. Yerevan, the capital, has become an increasingly modern city with a European atmosphere. More restaurants, cafes, jazz clubs, and Internet cafes have opened in and around the city, and new hotels and restaurants are being built near Lake Sevan, Gyumri, and other regional cities. Still, rural poverty is pervasive, and the loss of hope among some Armenians is leading many to emigrate to other countries.
After years of Soviet rule, Peace Corps Volunteers were the first Americans many Armenians had ever met. Living with the people in their communities, Volunteers have brought hope of a better future, and many have formed lifelong friendships with Armenian counterparts, friends, and neighbors.
There are now more than 87 Volunteers serving in towns and villages throughout the country. The Peace Corps program is well established in Armenia and has a strong reputation for effective grass-roots development work.
Peace Corps Armenia has four projects: teaching English as a foreign language, business education and community development, environmental education, and community health education. The objective is not to teach Armenians "American" values but to help them help themselves within their own cultural framework.