On March 1, 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order establishing what we know today as the Peace Corps. 

R. Sargent Shriver was the first director. Volunteers started serving in five different countries, and the world was a better place. The End … Just Kidding, the Peace Corps is still going strong today, changing the world and making less fortunate countries better, one small US-American invasion at a time. 

The Peace Corps’ Purpose

You may ask yourself, what is the Peace Corps since advertisement and recruitment aren’t what they used to be? The Peace Corps is a government agency that sends volunteers to developing countries to promote peace. The volunteers actually do a lot more than that, but that is the general idea, hence the name. 

When on assignment, the volunteers receive training and a stipend covering various costs, such as food, household supplies, communication, clothing, local transportation, and minor discretionary spending. They also provide housing, and the volunteers can request up to 75% of their monthly readjustment allowance to make payments on bills during service. Pretty cool.

Who can serve in the Peace Corps, you ask? Well, any U.S. Citizen 18 years of age or older. Typically, the highest concentration of volunteers tends to come from recent college graduates and retirees because once you finish the 3 months of training, you have to be able to commit to 2 years of service overseas. Any applicant is encouraged to apply at least six to eight months before your available time to leave because when you leave, you aren’t returning for a while. 

But if you think this is maybe the easy-peasy, kinder, gentler version of joining the military—ya know, traveling the world, all expenses paid, but no guns and no violence—you’re wrong. The stories of what can go wrong with being a foreigner in a new country are some of the best, anecdotal, but still very entertaining. Also, there’s an acceptance rate in the Peace Corps. 

Acceptance

The application process and statistics state that they only accept around 23% into volunteer positions. It’s actually pretty competitive. Many of their roles require a good deal of education, work experience, and high-level qualifications. For example, the ability to learn and speak a foreign language or expertise in a project sector, i.e., Public Sector Management, Private Sector Development, Health, Education, and Transport. 

Some reasons why you might be denied the opportunity to volunteer with the Peace Corps and have to admit that one to your friends and family are as follows: Intelligence work of any kind, such as the CIA or friends and family of anyone in an intelligence agency. Any misrepresentation of yourself or your background. They do a thorough background check, and any little white lies will instantly disqualify you.

I mean, come on, they’re sending you to an underdeveloped country at random with guerilla warfare. Haiti is a country where we send the Peace Corps quite a bit, and Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, has been the site of a gang war since 2020. Gangs are said to have controlled up to 90% of the city by 2023. The government and security forces have struggled to maintain control. Sounds like fun, sign me up! 

If you need a decent GPA to join the Peace Corps, the answer is pretty good. With the average age of a Peace Corps volunteer being 28, they ask that you maintain a GPA of 2.7 cumulative since most volunteers have just finished college. This isn’t far off from other entities. To list a few: 

Army 2.5

United States Navy 3.75

Air Force 3.8

Police Force 2.0

Controversy and Scandal

Considering all of this, let’s now discuss the controversy within the Peace Corps itself, mentioning a few issues that some volunteers have talked openly about. 

First, there’s the ever-so-popular Sexual assault; this seems to be a big one. Volunteers have reported being placed in dangerous situations and have reported inadequate training on sexual assault. It has also been reported that the Peace Corps’ response to sexual assault fails to meet their needs, and in 2018, CBS aired a report that the Peace Corps was failing to protect volunteers from sexual assault, but the Peace Corps disputed the report. 

Living conditions: it was reported in 1961 that a volunteer described living in “squalor and absolutely primitive living conditions” in Nigeria. They have also reported petty thefts and burglaries. Volunteers report that they are made to feel as if they are wealthy visitors (they are) who are there to do little and leave back to their comfy lives once their time is done (they do). I can’t imagine a person wealthier than me coming into my backyard, helping for as long as required, and then being like, “Well, it sucks here; my time is served … BYE!” I’m sure their hearts are in the right place as long as they don’t have to stay 

Integrity

Accusations of spying: In 1961, Nigerian students accused the Peace Corps volunteers of being “America’s international spies.” This one is probably not wrong. 

Ethics and integrity: Some have questioned whether the Peace Corps is effectively addressing the real needs of developing countries if we’re forcing what we think is “best” for them and whether the Peace Corps should redefine its mission to attract more volunteers. People say the organization should redefine its mission to attract a wider pool of volunteers with perhaps more specialized skills to better align with challenges and concerns about its recruitment practices, particularly regarding diversity and the potential for a “white savior complex.”

Peace Corps Relevance?

Critics would argue that the Peace Corps model, established in the Cold War era, might not be a fit for today’s climate. It potentially lacks the necessary technical expertise to tackle modern issues, like the chemtrails it is spraying on everyone or the man-made viruses it releases to help with population control.

There is an outcry for the Peace Corps to prioritize recruiting volunteers with specific skills in areas like healthcare, education, agriculture, and environmental sustainability to better address the needs of developing countries. Not just teaching them about the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—oh sorry, wrong group—and helping build huts. That’s what they need—more huts. 

Skillset-based placements are based on specific skills and expertise relevant to the country’s needs. They emphasize projects that promote long-term development solutions and local building. They incorporate local knowledge and community engagement to tailor projects to the specific needs of the people, not what we think they need. 

In Closing

Some question the effectiveness of the Peace Corps due to difficulties measuring the long-term impact of volunteer projects, particularly in areas with limited data collection capabilities. If we can’t look back and make sure we’ve made a real long-term difference, then what’s the point? “Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime.”

Aesop’s Fable “The Old Man and His Sons” is a prime example of how people do not understand what is truly best for them, often needing to learn through experience and the dangers of interfering too much in others’ lives by thinking you know better. 

So, what could the world use more than the Peace Corps in our day and age? Do something more useful with your time, like join the Marine Corps and help with their humanitarian aid or the Navy. Their operations include disaster relief (hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.), rescues at sea, refugee assistance, emergency medical deployments, and nation-building. The Peace Corps, although its heart was in the right place, just doesn’t seem to be getting it right anymore. We need to keep growing and evolving.