#peace corps

[todaysdocument]

Letter from President John F. Kennedy to the President of the Senate Regarding the Peace Corps Bill

Record Group 46: Records of the U.S. SenateSeries: Committee Papers of the Committee on Foreign Relations  

The White House

Washington

The President of the Senate

Sir:

I have the honor to transmit herewith for the consideration of the Congress a legislative proposal to authorize the establishment of a Peace Corps in fiscal year 1962, as I recommend on March 1, 1961. Enactment of this legislation will provide authority for the recruitment, training, and service overseas of American men and women whose skills and knowledge can contribute in a most valuable and practical way to the achievement of social and economic development goals of developing countries.

Simultaneously with my Special Message to the Congress of March 1, I directed the undertaking of a Peace Corps pilot program to serve as a source of information and experience in formulating plans for a more permanent organization. The Peace Corps has already announced projects to be undertaken in Tanganyika, Columbia, and the Philippines, and others will be announced soon. Progress and planning to date has confirmed that there is a genuine and immediate need in many parts of the world for skilled manpower which the Peace Corps will be able to furnish. Moreover, the governments and peoples of many developing countries have enthusiastically received the idea of a Peace Corps.

American as well are responding to this opportunity to serve their country. More than 8,500 Peace Corps Volunteer Questionnaires have been returned, and additional questionnaires are being received at a rate of more than 100 every day.

This legislative proposal requests that Congress authorize $40 million for this program for the fiscal year 1962. This should enable the Peace Corps to have 500-1,000 volunteers abroad by the end of this calendar year, to have approximately 2,700 abroad or in training by June 1962 and to provide for the training during the summer of 1962 of volunteers expected to be enrolled in June and July 1962.

Under the proposed legislation volunteers will receive a living allowance and subsistence adequate to maintain a modest standard of living overseas. In addition, their health is carefully provided for. In return for service, each volunteer will receive a modest monthly payment which, in most cases, will be accumulated to be paid upon the termination of his duty.  

I have further requested the Secretary of State to establish arrangements to assure that Peace Corps activities are consistent and compatible with country development assistance plans. These arrangements will assure that the Peace Corps and the Agency for International Development programs are brought into close relationship, while at the same time preserving the separate identify and unique role of the Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps offers a special and timely opportunity to put dedicated Americans to work for the cause of world peace and human understanding. Therefore, I urge the early consideration and enactment by the Congress of the proposal.

Respectfully yours,

[handwritten signature] 

[ssfoc]

If you ever doubt how magical this world is, one day you will decide to go to a World Cup watch party in Oakland that you found online to root for a country where you spent two years trying to coax English out of the mouths of Cape Verdean teenagers.

And at the watch party you will ask the organizer if he’s from Cape Verde. He will say yes, from Praia. And you’ll say oh! I lived there for two years. I was a teacher. And he will ask, “What’s your name?” You will tell him and he will say, “You were my teacher.”

And across 30+ years and 6,000 miles you will hug a now man who tried to find you and remembered the songs you taught him and his classmates and he will apologize for how badly behaved they all were. And you will laugh and try not to cry and gape in wonder at at this crazy world.

You will remember how much you love the World Cup. And what the Peace Corps meant to you. What those students, 40 to a class with no glass on the windows, meant to you.

Ivan, the grown man with a touch of grey in his beard, will tell you later he has struggled to describe what it meant to him to meet again - that he shared our photo with classmates. And when he returns from watching the Cabo Verde game, we will try to find the words together.

And then you read that the US House of Representatives will vote a day before that game on an amendment to eliminate the Peace Corps, which costs 1/6 the price of the Tomahawk missiles the US used in the war on Iran.

And you wonder: How much is a magical world worth?

[magiccarpetman]

If you wanna do something to put a little good back into the world right now, a dear friend of mine is raising money to help build two new classrooms for the school where she works in Togo.

Once they raise the money, it’ll go right into the hands of local laborers and benefit the entire community.

They just need $7,000 more to hit their goal, so it’s super achievable. Even $5 would help get them there. Click here to learn more about the project or donate, and pass the word on!

[definitelybeholderrpgideas]

Help me build a hospital

Hi everyone, it's been a very long time since I've posted. A lot had happened in my life (like my favorite DnD Character getting to kill Xanathar), to skip to the important part, I'm now a Peace Corps volunteer serving in Africa.

I'm reaching out now because I need your help. Currently, in my village, there is no safe place for pregnant women to give birth or be observed in the days leading up to delivery. They have to make a long journey to the city, which places a serious burden on a lot of the families.

We are trying to build a small maternity ward for the local clinic to resolve this issue, but the community doesn't have the funds to do it on their own. Additionally, due to recent policy changes, we won't be receiving much funding from the US government. The only option left, is donations.

I'm not asking for much, just whatever you can spare. If everyone following this blog just gave a few dollars each, we'll have enough funding to get things moving. Anyone interested can donate here:

Maternity Ward Completion

[babylon-crashing]

CGI memories:

1996. Lost on a road high up on Mount Aragats in a nighttime blizzard. Raging snow storm blowing everywhere. Out of the swirling snow I kept seeing ghastly shadowy figures, deformed nightmares, move in and out of my vision. I was beyond exhaustion into hallucinations.

[misforgotten2]

Look - November 17th 1964

[amassofhumanity]

Ear piercings

I got my left ear double pierced when I was about 19. After the initial two studs, I often wore what looked like chandelier tassels as earrings. I also had some small hoops.

I got them pierced at a Claire’s in the mall. I heard Claire’s is closing or filing for bankruptcy. When my knee gets better and I can walk inside a mall I’m going to Claire’s and get them pierced again.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of me with my earrings. Someone from college days probably has one.

I had to take the earrings out once I got to the Corps.

The Peace Corps that is. 😀

I also had to cut my long hair for the Peace Corps. I didn’t think that would be a problem in Peace Corps. However, it was a Muslim, Arab country and some things just weren’t done. Even though that country (Tunisia) is one of the most liberal Muslim, Arab countries in the world. They even had their own national beer. Which did not taste good.

[pretty-little-fools]