Peace Corps - Helping countries in need
The Peace Corps is a federal agency of the United States that was established to promote a mutual understanding between Americans and the outside world. The Peace Corps was established by an executive order by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and approved by Congress as a permanent agency within the United States State Department.
Since the end of the World War II, various members of the United States Congress had proposed bills to establish organizations comprised of volunteers to work in the Third World. President Kennedy first announced his own idea for an organization such as this during his 1960 presidential campaign, and promised to establish the organization in his inaugural address. He gave his proposed organization the name “Peace Corps.”
On March 4, 1961, President Kennedy appointed Sargent Shriver to be the program’s first director. Shriver had the daunting job of developing the organization, including determine how many and how to recruit volunteers and developing the major goals of the organization. The Peace Corps began recruiting volunteers in July of that year. Until 1967, volunteer applicants had to pass a placement test that determined the knowledge of various skills needed for various assignments and language aptitude. After an address from President Kennedy, on August 28, 1961, the first group of volunteers left for Ghana and Tanzania. The program was formally authorized by Congress on September 22, 1961. Within two years, over 7,300 volunteers were serving in forty-four countries. This number would rise to 15,000 in June 1966, the largest number in the organization’s history. More than 180,000 Americans have served in the Peace Corps since its inception.
The Peace Corps became an independent federal agency in 1981. At this time, the organization began branching out past its their base concerns of education and agricultural projects. Funding cuts during the early 1980s dropped the number of volunteers to 5,380, its lowest level since early years of the Peace Corps. Funding began to increase in 1985, and Congress passed an initiative to raise the number of volunteers to 10,000 by 1992.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush pledged to double the size of the organization within five years as a part of the War on Terror and to help reduce anti-American sentiments in the Middle East. Now, the Peace Corps are trying to double the number of volunteers it sends overseas by 2007.
The three main goals of the Peace Corps are:
- To help the people of interested countries and areas in meeting their needs for trained workers
- To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served
- To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans
The Peace Corps shows the best that America has to offer, especially in its generosity. If you would like to help others in need in all areas for the world and you feel led to take part in this organization, do some research online to get more information.