Peace Corps Needs More Support

David and Bernadette Miron

Forty-seven years ago, as a result of a transformational presidential campaign, President Kennedy signed into law the act that created the Peace Corps. During a late campaign stop, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, at 2 a.m. on an October morning, he was met by thousands of students chanting his name. He asked: “How many of you are willing to spend several years of your life in Africa or Latin America or Asia working for the United States and for freedom?” Within days, 800 signed up, ready to serve, and the legislation followed within five months.

We answered Kennedy’s challenge in 1963, and went to Colombia, where we served for two years. We worked, together with Colombian educators, to build an educational television network designed to improve math, science and language education for the first five years of primary school.

In February of this year, at a conference for ex-Peace Corps Volunteers in Colombia, President Alvaro Uribe personally addressed us, thanked us and requested that the Peace Corps return to Colombia. Security concerns have been greatly diminished in Colombia since 1981, when Peace Corps closed its operations there.

The problem is there is no money to send the Peace Corps back to Colombia, nor to 19 other countries that have requested volunteers. Over 100,000 people inquire yearly about Peace Corps service. Currently, there are a modest 8,000 volunteers working abroad. These selfless citizens represent us in more than 70 countries overseas, including many nations with predominantly Muslim populations.

The Peace Corps, while the “gold standard” of volunteerism and service, is one of the important “civilian instruments of national security,” as Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last November at Kansas State University. Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have pledged to substantially increase funding for the Peace Corps. McCain is on record as being disappointed with the lack of follow-through by the Bush administration to live up to its pledge, made after Sept. 11, 2001, to double the size of the Peace Corps.

The current budget of $330 million is so small, in comparison to other foreign aid programs, that statistical comparisons are meaningless. Locally, our elected officials in Congress are being asked by returned Peace Corps volunteers serving in Congress to promote a budget increase.

Our hope is that others will be given the same chance to serve our country as we have been so privileged to do.