Introduction
Allisa Kispersky — one of about 8,000 Peace Corps volunteers in 76 countries — helps a village women's organization in Suriname with its bookkeeping. The 24-year-old from San Jose, Calif., signed up for a two-year stint in the Peace Corps because she believes true happiness “can only be gained from helping others.” (Reuters/Ranu Abhelakh)
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The Peace Corps has long stood as one of America's most idealistic efforts — a program founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to send young Americans to some of the world's poorest countries with a mission to spread good will and offer assistance. The agency still sends volunteers on two-year assignments and is active today in 76 countries. But the idealism in the Peace Corps’ charter has come up against some troubling accusations. Volunteers who say they were sexually assaulted while overseas complain that the Peace Corps ignored or downplayed their allegations. Other volunteers say they received inadequate training, and still others question the agency's accomplishments. Yet supporters say there has never been a greater need for the kind of person-to-person, international understanding promoted by the Peace Corps and that the agency is addressing many of the recent concerns.
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| Peace Corps, National Service, and Volunteerism |
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Jan. 11, 2013 |
Peace Corps Challenges |
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Jun. 30, 2006 |
National Service |
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Dec. 13, 1996 |
The New Volunteerism |
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Jun. 25, 1993 |
National Service |
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Jan. 25, 1991 |
Peace Corps' Challenges in the 1990s |
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Oct. 31, 1986 |
Blueprints for National Service |
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Jan. 25, 1985 |
International Relief Agencies |
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Dec. 12, 1980 |
Volunteerism in the Eighties |
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Jun. 15, 1979 |
Future of the Peace Corps |
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Apr. 03, 1963 |
Domestic Peace Corps |
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Nov. 28, 1962 |
Peace Corps Expansion |
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Jan. 04, 1961 |
Government Youth Corps |
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