blank

Voice of America ®

A Trusted Source of News & Information since 1942

Inside VOA | Contact VOA News

  • March 18, 2011
  • Latest News:

Special Reports: Politics

Peace Corps Anniversary banner


On March 1, 2011, the Peace Corps celebrated its 50th anniversary.  The volunteer agency, created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, aims to promote peace and friendship throughout the world.  More than 8,000 volunteers live and work in 77 countries.  They work on issues ranging from clean drinking water to HIV/AIDS education to information technology. Despite proposed budget reductions, the Peace Corps says new people continue to volunteer.  (Click on the link to see the 2011 Presidential Proclamation)

Peace Corps Timeline

Peace Corps 50th Anniversary 1961 - 2011 on Dipity.


In this series of reports, VOA takes a look at the Peace Corps and how participation impacts volunteers' lives and the people they serve.

 

VOA Reports -

Peace Corps volunteer David Rheins during teacher training in Central African Republic

Photo Essay: Peace Corps Volunteers Share 50 Years of Memories

Former Peace Corps volunteers tell the stories behind some of their most interesting photos from the field

President John Kennedy gives a personal farewell message to Peace Corps volunteers in the White House Rose Garden August 28, 1961, before their departure the following day for assignments in Africa

At 50, US Peace Corps Still Draws Volunteers

Over 200,000 volunteers have worked with impoverished communities worldwide; despite current hardships, they keep volunteering

Amanda Pease, a science teacher, is one of the first volunteers to work in Sierra Leone in over a decade

Peace Corps Making a Difference Again in Sierra Leone

Fifteen years after pulling out because of country’s civil war, Peace Corps volunteers back in West African nation

Nisha Skariah, a recent college graduate from Texas, has come to Indonesia both to teach and to learn

In Asia, Peace Corps Volunteers Find Welcoming Communities

Volunteer says return on investment for US is increased understanding of world outside its borders

Peace Corps logo

Peace Corps Mission Unchanged 50 Years Later

In Africa, agency works to stem the spread of malaria, HIV-AIDS and other illnesses