opinion

Opinion: Funding for the Peace Corps must remain strong

March 1 is the 57 anniversary of the founding of the United State Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps was formed by Congress during John F. Kennedy’s presidency with three goals: to help promote modern technology within underdeveloped countries, to help people outside of the United States understand American culture and to help Americans understand the culture of other countries.

To achieve these goals, Peace Corps volunteers typically signs up for three months of training in which the volunteer learns the host country’s language and customs and then two years of service.

To date there have been about 230,000 volunteers serving in 141 countries. For the past 10 years, though, the number of volunteers and staff servicing has held fairly steady at about 7,000 – about 60 percent female and a little less than half servicing in Africa.

Vermont presently has 42 volunteers serving and has had 1,576 volunteers serve since 1961. In 2017 Vermont had the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers per capita of any state at 6.7.

In 1973, I volunteered and served in Swaziland, located in the south east corner of Africa, teaching math, science, thermodynamics and manufacturing processes. During this time we were paid about $400 per month, enough to buy food. We lived in a nice apartment that the government provided without charge and we received stipends of about $3,000 at the completion of service. It was enough to provide a comfortable living.

As an ex-English colony, Swaziland was taught in the English education system. The school operates all year long and has three trimesters of four months each with a two to three week break between each trimester. So they go to school roughly 220 days per year while Americans students only go about 180 days.

Also, as an ex-colony and member of the British Commonwealth, student’s final examination was developed in England, but administered in the colonies. I am proud to say that all of my 50 or so students passed their examinations and obtained jobs after they graduated.

The Peace Corps as a non-political organization has enjoyed bipartisan support in congress. The Peace Corps budget has held steady for 2016 and 2017 fiscal years along with the number of volunteers and staff. However, host countries continue to ask for additional volunteer help and request new Peace Corps programs.

In addition, thousands of qualified applicants have been turned away in past years due largely to lack of funding. The number of applicant in 2015, for example, exceeded 20,000.

The Peace Corps is America’s premier person-to-person international volunteer assistance program working to establish and maintain friendly relationships with countries around the world. Over its almost 60 years of existence, it has provided help to millions of individuals who still remember the help that Peace Corps volunteers from the United States of America provided them.

Please provide your support for the Peace Corps by sending a message to Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch.

Terry A. Amrhein lives in Bridport.