Whenever I learn that Peace Corps has had to withdraw from
yet another country, I have a moment of despair. I am sad for the volunteers, of course, who
must leave not only the communities they have grown into but their work
unfinished. But mostly I’m sad to think
of all the people who will not be helped because of something they are
powerless to prevent. Some act of
aggression or greed, some political manipulation or decision made by a leader
so far removed from their everyday lives sends ripples outward to affect even
the unaware. When conditions become dangerous, I understand the need to remove
volunteers to safety. But when volunteers
are targeted for aggression, because they are outsiders or just Americans, it
is baffling to me. It has happened all
over the world to many groups, but that makes it no less incomprehensible that
help is refused.
Perhaps it’s the name - Peace Corps. Maybe “corps” implies an armed force bringing
American ideas to some smaller nation. Perhaps they are considered a threat,
with their high-and-mighty ideas of a better life. It’s hard to imagine how
they could think that a single individual dropped into a small community could
wrest control of their country from them, but then, I’m not in their shoes. I think
of Peace Corps less as a group working FOR peace than as individuals coming IN
peace. They come, not to judge,
discriminate, or take sides. They come to help.
They come to make a contribution, in the hope that it will, in some
small way, help a person, a family, a community.
This is how I see Peace Corps volunteers. They’re not there
to convert, though they may be religious.
They’re not there to spread democracy through the world, though they may
believe in it. They’re not there as
Americans, though they may be very patriotic. They are just there as people
wanting to contribute to the world’s people, to help in some way. Even if they are there to bide their time
while figuring out what to do with the rest of their lives, they are there. Even if they are there because the economy is
bad and there are no jobs for them, they are there. They’re not waiting it out in a chalet in the
Swiss Alps or a resort on the beach. They have not retired to a warm climate to
play golf. They are not sitting around waiting for something to change, they
are making a change. They have volunteered to be dropped into challenging
places with cultures they’ve never experienced and languages they may never
have heard. And it may take months, and
sometimes seem hopeless, but they find ways to help. Small ways, big ways, simple ways,
complicated ways.
They may help bring clean water, teach a class, build a
business, give simple medical care, gather together children for activities.
They offer skills and energy, a helping hand, a listening ear, comfort,
companionship, understanding, caring.
They join communities, become part of new families, both gain and offer
a new perspective on daily life, empower others and become empowered. And they all teach. Not just the ones in classrooms. Their very presence teaches individuality,
determination, resilience, self-respect.
Yes. This is what I can become with an education. Yes.
Girls can do this, too. Yes. It
feels good to help others. Yes. Even a
small thing can make a difference.
Yes. One person can change lives.
In turn, I think Peace Corps builds better citizens. They cannot spend 27 months in another
country, witness poverty and onerous conditions, and exit the same people they
were. They may gain confidence,
humility, competence, ability. But
certainly, they gain a new view of the world, a different context in which to
place countries other than their own. And
whatever new perspective the volunteers gain, it has to make them better
citizens. World citizens.
I don’t think I’m being romantic or naive in my admiration for
Peace Corps. I’ve read many volunteer
blogs since my daughter applied and served.
I’ve come to know the remarkable young people represented by this parent group.
Whenever I start to feel sad about the
tragedies in the world or become cynical about the future, I have only to check
back with them. They inspire me and give me hope.
