Ashlee's Peace Corps adventure... | ... the journey of a PCV in Botswana

Here is some basic background information about the Peace Corps you may find of interest...

This information is from the Peace Corps website

Peace Corps Mission

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship.

The Peace Corps' mission has three simple goals:

Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Background of the Peace Corps

The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to 1960, when then Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. From that inspiration grew an agency of the federal government devoted to world peace and friendship.

Since that time, more than 187,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have been invited by 139 host countries to work on issues ranging from AIDS education to information technology and environmental preservation.

Today's Peace Corps is more vital than ever, working in emerging and essential areas such as information technology and business development, and committing more than 1,000 new Volunteers as a part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Peace Corps Volunteers continue to help countless individuals who want to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities

Random facts

~History:
Peace Corps officially established: March 1, 1961

Total number of Volunteers and trainees to date: 187,000

Total number of countries served: 139

~Volunteers
Current number of Volunteers and Trainees: 7,749

Gender: 59% female, 41% male

Marital Status: 93% single, 7% married

People of Color: 16% of Peace Corps Volunteers

Age: 28 years old (average), 25 years old (median)

Volunteers over age 50: 6% (oldest Volunteer is 79)

Education:
93% have at least an undergraduate degree, 13% have graduate studies or degrees

~Countries
Current number of countries served:
67 posts serving 73 countries

~Volunteer Work Areas

Education: 35%
Health & HIV/AIDS: 21%
Business: 16%
Environment: 14%
Youth: 6%
Agriculture: 5%
Other: 4%

~Budget
Fiscal year 2006 budget: $318.8 million