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Contact:
John Emmanuel
Thursday, March 18, 2004 – Long-serving, Peace Corps Country Director for
the Eastern Caribbean, Earl Phillips has been commenting on the level of
commitment on the part of the United Sates administration to the over
forty-year-old movement in the region. Mr. Phillips says that commitment remains
as strong as ever with one hundred and sixty volunteers currently serving in the
region.
He exclaims that as oppose to downsizing, plans are underway to increase the
level of involvement of the movement within the fabric of the society. His
comments came against the backdrop of changing US foreign policy and growing
anti-US sentiment the world over.
Mr. Phillips contends that the Peace Corps Movement has served as a bridge
between the US and many of the countries where volunteers can be found. “Because
our volunteers are so well integrated into the communities, people talk to them
and that has given rise to opportunities to speak to an American and say
anything, knowing that this American would understand and may empathise with the
feeling that they have”, the Peace Corps chief said, adding that such empathy
came about due to focused training which took into account, “the fact that we
are part of a superpower, although our being here is not about power, but rather
about being a vital and integral part of a community working in a positive level
and always pushing a direction of peace.”
He says instead of being frightened of the increasing trends of anti-US
sentiment, the latest figures point to an upsurge in volunteerism among
Americans, as large numbers who were not interested in Peace Corps in the past
are coming forward to give of their time and energy. He attributed that largely
to the focused level of recruiting currently being conduct by the programme.
The Peace Corps movement in the Eastern Caribbean, which began in 1961,
represents the second longest operation for the movement in the world, eclipse
only by Guyana. The focus of the Peace Corps operations continue to change in
keeping with the demanding times.
The latest shift places heavy emphasis on youth development, with many of the
programmes, namely information technology, Health, HIV/AIDS education, community
development and small business development focusing primarily on young persons.
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