SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 2003

Peace Corps provides positive impact on Honduras

BY LARRY SCHWARZ

When United States President John F. Kennedy officially established the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961, he was hoping that by sending volunteers to developing countries there would be improvements in those regions that would ultimately help foster world peace.

Since that day more than forty-two years ago, there have been approximately 170,000 volunteers "promoting peace and friendship" in 136 countries. Today the Peace Corps serves sixty-nine countries and operates with an annual budget of US$295 million. If Kennedy were here today, he would probably be elated with how tremendously successful the organization has become.

In order to qualify for the Peace Corps applicants must be citizens of the United States - a condition that is absolutely non-negotiable. Having a Bachelor's degree is certainly helpful, but exceptions are made for people with life experience in a useful field. It's not only a haven for college graduates either. The average volunteer is 28-years-old, and the oldest volunteer was 86-years-old when he completed his service.

Everyone who makes the decision to live and work in some of the world's poorest countries has a different reason for doing so. Some people simply want to make the world a better place; others see it as an opportunity to have an incredible learning experience and place an extraordinary accomplishment on their resume.

"It was something I thought about since high school," said Jeremy Padbury, 22, a Peace Corps volunteer who has been in Honduras since July 2002. "I had teachers that had done it, so it was in the back of my mind, and I was an International Affairs major, so it seemed like the best way to experience another place."

Applying requires a good deal of time and patience and involves many steps. The first step is to fill out an application, write two essays and provide three references. Then the applicant meets with a recruiter who decides if he or she has the personality for this sort of venture. All applicants are subject to medical and legal requirements and receive a background check conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

If all works out, the Peace Corps sends the applicant an invitation and allows ten days for a decision to be made. Upon acceptance, the volunteer is assigned a country and is sent to a large American city for a ten-day orientation.

Once volunteers arrive overseas, they receive twelve weeks of comprehensive training, which includes language instruction as well as lessons on cross-cultural adaptation. Here in Honduras, all volunteers meet with President Ricardo Maduro and are sworn in by United States Ambassador Larry L. Palmer. Only then does the 24-month life-changing journey begin.

Honduras is a very special country in the Peace Corps' eyes because it's the nation with the largest number of active volunteers. In addition, it is the longest running, uninterrupted program. Volunteers first arrived here in July 1962 and have been here continuously ever since. Currently, approximately 270 volunteers are in Honduras; more than 5,000 have served since the beginning.

"We have a great friendship with the Honduran people from all walks of life," said Ron F. "Cisco" Ruybal, the Country Director for the Peace Corps in Honduras.

Volunteers don't necessarily choose Honduras as the nation where they wish to participate. One of the main tricks to getting through the application process is to demonstrate flexibility in where you are willing to serve.

"I just wanted to be in a Spanish speaking country, and in a place that wasn't cold," said Maya Pilgrim, 26, a health volunteer from Austin, Texas.

Over the past four decades, the Peace Corps has had some remarkable achievements in Honduras. In that time, volunteers have supported efforts resulting in the reduction of the infant mortality rate from 13% to 3%, and they have helped to increase the population's access to potable water from 30% to more than 75%.

Since the Peace Corps arrived, they have established nationally protected areas, created programs to provide available credit for those in need, and increased employment in the export industry. These days, though, they focus more on Municipal Development, AIDS prevention, and information technology.

"We are working closely with the government to develop water and sanitation systems," said Mr. Ruybal, who in addition to being the Country Director was a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire from 1977 - 1979.

Volunteers are treated very well during their time abroad. The Peace Corps provides all immunizations, two vacation days for every month of service, and a monthly stipend (approximately $190 per month in Honduras) to cover food, housing expenses, and local transportation. A "settling-in" allowance of $235 is given upon arrival. Health insurance is provided for the entire duration, and basic medical care is available. A readjustment allowance of $225 per month is put aside, so when volunteers return home, they receive a check for $6,075.

"Most try to live within their means," said Mr. Ruybal, "and we encourage them to do so. Some kids pay their student loans with the readjustment allowance."

"It's like being retired," said Jeffrey Cohen, the Program and Training Officer for the Peace Corps in Honduras. "You have a fixed income with health insurance."

Twenty-seven months is a long time to be away from home, and considering what is involved, most people manage to stick it out until the end. In the entire Peace Corps program, only about 12 - 15% of volunteers wind up going home early; in Honduras, the rate is about 9 - 10 %. On the other side of the coin, 10% of volunteers choose to stay beyond the end of their term. Mr. Cohen said that he knew of a volunteer in Bolivia who had been with the Peace Corps for fourteen years. Staying for that duration, however, is not really encouraged.

"After four years," said Mr. Ruybal, "I need to give the national office an explanation."

If there is any doubt about the impact that the Peace Corps has had on the world, one only needs to talk to Peru's President Alejandro Toledo. When he was a child, he met two volunteers who later helped him come to the United States for an education. When President Bush visited Peru in March 2002, he announced alongside President Toledo that the Peace Corps would return there after a 27-year absence. They had been expelled in 1975 by the military government that was in power at the time.

United States Senator Chris Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic from 1966-68 and mentions it proudly on his biography.

"One good thing about the Peace Corps," said Mr. Cohen, "is that it's a stepping stone for all types of people who have had a large influence."

Sometimes volunteers return years later to the site where they had once worked. Not long ago, "Honduras 2," the second group to ever work in this country, came back to La Esperanza for a visit. While they were there, they came across a woman who had once been very poor, but was now college educated and had children who were college educated. She credited the Peace Corps for her accomplishments.

"You can't go too far without hearing one of these stories," said Mr. Cohen. "We know of a farmer who was once very poor but is now a model farmer with a training center. In every community, you'll find one of these stories."

One issue that the Peace Corps take very seriously is safety and security. In Honduras, both the main office and the training center are unidentified, nondescript buildings, and volunteers are reprimanded if they vanish without informing someone of their whereabouts.

"Someone always knows where you are," said Miss Pilgrim. "The Peace Corps is very picky about safety and security."

"Security has evolved throughout the forty-two years of the Peace Corps' existence," Mr. Ruybal said. "9/11 only accelerated it. We've designed more efficient strategies to educate volunteers about safety and security, and we've really accelerated training and enforcement of safety and security procedures."

Overall, most volunteers seem to be glad that they've taken the plunge. Mr. Cohen, the Program and Training Officer, believes that, 98% of volunteers are pleased with their experience in the Peace Corps.

"It's been great so far," said Miss Pilgrim, who will be in Honduras until April 2004. "You have the freedom to work in whatever project drives you, and there are different friendships and connections you make with people here."

"It's all highs and lows," said Mr. Padbury, who is helping citizens learn to use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets in order to improve financial organization. "Some days it's like 'That's it! I want to go home!' and other days it's such an amazing experience, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

"I'm glad I came," he continued, "I think all volunteers feel that you are never doing as much as you could be doing. There's a lot of frustration. So much is out of your hands, especially with education."

Despite the squeaky clean image of the Peace Corps, the rare controversy does occasionally surface. In December 2002, Russia claimed that volunteers had been spying and "attempting to gather information about Russian officials." Naturally, the Peace Corps denied the allegations, and virtually everyone agrees that the organization's ejection from the former Communist nation was purely a political maneuver. Russia, it appeared, felt that the Peace Corps' presence somehow branded them as a third-world nation not capable of dealing with its own problems.

Peacecorpsonline.org, an independent news forum serving returned volunteers, clearly states the rules regarding espionage on their website.

"By law, the Peace Corps cannot pass information to the intelligence gathering community," the site declared. "There are legal and administrative safeguards in place to prevent any member or former member of the intelligence gathering community from becoming a volunteer in the U.S. Peace Corps."

"I hope we've never had a volunteer that was an agent for the CIA," said Mr. Ruybal. "I hope it wouldn't happen. We have a gentlemen's agreement to stay out of each other's business."

With more and more Fuera Gringo graffiti appearing around Tegucigalpa, and tempers still sore in the aftermath of Gulf War II, one might get the impression that Peace Corps volunteers are frequently on the receiving end of anti-American tirades.

"There are cultural misconceptions," said Mr. Ruybal, "but not anti-American sentiment. The Peace Corps is an apolitical organization."

And the future is as bright as ever. On January 30, 2002, President Bush mentioned the Peace Corps in his State of the Union address. It was the first time that had ever happened.

"We will renew the promise of the Peace Corps, double its volunteers over the next five years and ask it to join a new effort to encourage development, and education and opportunity in the Islamic world," President Bush said in his address to the nation.

The familiar motto "The toughest job you'll ever love" is also being ditched for a more modern one: "Life is calling. How far will you go?"

"Some people say 'it's the easiest job you'll ever hate,'" said Mr. Padbury, who is hoping to go to law school or get into public service. "I would never say it's easy or smooth sailing, but it's good to look at your own culture from an outside perspective."

"You must be willing to do anything initially," said Mr. Ruybal, "no matter how tough the task is."

"The fact is, there are a lot of snafus," said Miss Pilgrim. "Things rarely turn out as planned. People don't always do what they say they'll do, and they're not very reliable, but I still love it. Overall it gets a positive recommendation, but it's not for everybody."

"You're automatically a rock star," said Mr. Cohen. "People will know everything you do. Peace Corps will change your life forever. Once a Peace Corps volunteer, always a Peace Corps volunteer. It changes your life profoundly."