The United States Peace Corps

The United States Peace Corps/Volunteer

Agency overview

Formed March 1, 1961; 53 years ago
Headquarters Washington, D.C
Website www.peacecorps.gov

The Peace Corps is a volunteer program run by the United States government. The stated mission of the Peace Corps includes providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand American culture, and helping Americans to understand the cultures of other countries. The work is generally related to social and economic development. Each program participant, a Peace Corps Volunteer, is an American citizen, typically with a college degree, who works abroad for a period of two years after three months of training.

Volunteers work with governments, schools, non-profit organizations, non-government organizations, and entrepreneurs in education, hunger, business, information technology, agriculture, and the environment. After 24 months of service, volunteers can request an extension of service.

The government agency of  volunteers was established by Executive Order 10924, issued by President John F. Kennedy on March 1, 1961, announced by televised broadcast March 2, 1961, and authorized by Congress on September 21, 1961, with passage of the Peace Corps Act. From 1971 to 1981 it was a sub-agency of an independent agency called ACTION. The first director of the Peace Corps was Kennedy’s brother-in-law R. Sargent Shriver.The act declares the program's purpose as follows:

The purpose of the Peace Corps is to assist other countries in their development efforts by providing skilled workers in the fields of education, agriculture, health, trade, technology, and community development. Peace Corps volunteers are assigned to specific projects on the basis of their skills, education, and experience. Once abroad, the volunteer is expected to function for two years as a good neighbor in the host country, to speak its language, and to live on a level.

To promote world peace and friendship through a Peace Corps, which shall make available to interested countries and areas men and women of the United States qualified for service abroad and willing to serve, under conditions of hardship if necessary, to help the peoples of such countries and areas in meeting their needs for trained manpower.

Between 1961 and 2013, over 215,000 Americans joined the Peace Corps and served in 139 countries.

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