About Peace Corps By Encarta

Peace Corps, United States agency created to promote world peace and friendship by training American volunteers to perform social and humanitarian service overseas. Originally an agency of the United States Department of State, it was created by executive order in 1961, and made an independent agency of the United States government in 1981. The volunteers help communities in developing countries improve their social and economic conditions. Each volunteer serves for a 2-year term. The organization has its national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Requirements for a Peace Corps volunteer are that he or she be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18 years of age, and have not more than two dependents under the age of 18. Volunteers work or teach in rural and urban communities. They are involved in projects ranging from health to education to agriculture. About 300 different job skills are utilized in the corps. In the 1990s volunteers were working in more than 100 countries throughout Africa, Latin America, the Mediterranean, Asia, Eastern and Central Europe, and the Pacific.

The Peace Corps recognizes that the work of the volunteers should help satisfy the most pressing needs of developing countries. For example, in most developing countries, where 85 percent of the people work on the land, Peace Corps programming has shifted from education to agriculture and related rural programs.

In 1995 the Peace Corps branched out from its previous focus on long-term development projects and joined the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in working with refugees and displaced persons. The Peace Corps concentrated on giving refugees useful, life-long skills such as farming techniques and information about preserving the environment. The two agencies have worked in refugee camps in Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.

The Peace Corps also operates domestic programs. The Peace Corps Fellows/USA program helps returned volunteers arrange for scholarships for master's degree programs while they work or teach in public health or community development. In the Peace Corps' World Wise Schools, volunteers speak in schools, sharing their experiences with American students.

Attribution: "Peace Corps," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 99. © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.