About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (January 14, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/govesbe0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing the egishtive debate s~nco 1914 0 January 14, 2025 The Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency that sends American volunteers to serve at the grassroots level in developing countries in order to advance three goals: * promote world peace and friendship by improving the lives of the communities where volunteers serve, * help others understand American culture, and * share volunteers' experiences with Americans at home. President John F. Kennedy proposed the Peace Corps as part of his broader initiative to promote national service-a proposal Congress endorsed in enacting the Peace Corps Act of 1961 (P.L. 87-293, as amended). More than 240,000 volunteers have served in 144 countries since the agency's founding. (Unless noted, data are as of September 2024. For further information, including underlying sources, see CRS Report RS21168, The Peace Corps: Overview and Issues.) ays to Serve Most volunteers (96%) serve in the traditional 27-month program, which comprises three months of language and technical training followed by two years of service embedded in a host community. Volunteers work in a partner institution, such as a nonprofit organization, a municipal program, or a school, with a designated counterpart-a community member who is the volunteer's conduit to the local community. Host communities are typically remote; 82% of volunteers serve in a rural town, village, or outer island, generally placing Peace Corps volunteers at the farthest reach of U.S. foreign assistance. The Peace Corps has two other volunteering models. A small share (4%) serve in Peace Corps Response, a more flexible, short-term program for professionals with specialized skills and some work experience. Since 2020, the Peace Corps has also provided remote volunteers through an ongoing Virtual Service Pilot, which has facilitated 831 engagements across 48 countries through February 2024, including in countries where the Peace Corps historically had large programs but no longer can due to safety issues (e.g., Ukraine and Ethiopia). Geography and Sectors The Peace Corps operates in 61 countries (Figure 1) and plans to expand to 65 countries in FY2025. The largest region by number of volunteers is the Inter-America and Pacific region, which comprises the Americas and the Pacific Islands. This is a change from years before the COVID-19 pandemic, when sub-Saharan Africa hosted the most volunteers. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have the most country programs (35) and the largest budget. Volunteers serve across six sectors: agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health, and youth in development. Education is and has been the largest sector (39%) for decades. Figure I. Peace Corps Volunteer Distribution, 2024 3,500 J,0p Agriculture, 270 Youth, 504 inter-America and 2,500 Envionment, 308 the Pacific, 1,307 2,ooo Health, 5 1,5oo Economic Development, 36s Africa, 1.044 1,0( 500 Education 1,314 Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia, 936 Sector Geography Source: Peace Corps, Agency Financial Report, FY2024. Notes: Includes two-year and Peace Corps Response volunteers. Who the Volunteers Are Volunteers come from every state, motivated (according to annual volunteer surveys) by travel, cultural exposure, personal growth, and a wish to help others. In 2023, around 80% of volunteers were under age 30 (Figure 2), and 98% held a college degree. Ethnic and racial minority identification has grown steadily, from 15% of the volunteer force in 2001 to 34% in 2023. The share of female volunteers, 56% in 2023, is below the 63% average in the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic. About three- quarters of volunteers would recommend the Peace Corps to others. Figure 2. Volunteer Force: Select Demographics, 2023 Source: Peace Corps, FY2025 Congressional Budget justification. Notes: AAPI: Asian American and Pacific Islander; NA: no race chosen. The Peace Corps tracks Hispanic identity (15% of volunteers) separately from race. 100% 90%N Amer 80% Female, 70% se% 60% 50% 40% 30% Male, 20% 44%6 10% 0% .e 1, 1% Race Age

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most