I get tons of questions about Peace Corps in general, so here's a quick break down. The links are to different pages that I found interesting and helpful during my research of and preparation for Peace Corps service. There are also a number of books that were quite helpful. If you want book recommendations, or if you can't find what you're looking for here, let me know!
Peace Corps Mission:
Length of Service: Pre-service training, which last between 2 and 3 months, after which you are sworn in as an official Peace Corps volunteer and you begin your 24 months of service.
Where do volunteers serve?: To date, PC volunteers have served in over 138 countries around the world. There are currently just over 7700 volunteers serving in 72 countries in seven different regions: Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, North Africa & the Middle East, Eastern Europe & Central Asia, Asia, and Pacific Islands
What do volunteers do?: Work in the areas of Education, Youth Outreach, and Community Development; Business Development; Environment; Agriculture; Health and HIV/AIDS; and Information Technology
Acronyms: Peace Corps is famous for its use of different abbreviations, creating what seems to be a language entirely its own. I will probably use them in different blog postings, so I thought I would include a glossary. Below are a few of the most common:
Peace Corps Mission:
- To help the peoples of interested countries and areas in meeting their needs for trained men and women.
- To help promote a better understanding of the American people on the part of the peoples served.
- To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the American people.
Length of Service: Pre-service training, which last between 2 and 3 months, after which you are sworn in as an official Peace Corps volunteer and you begin your 24 months of service.
Where do volunteers serve?: To date, PC volunteers have served in over 138 countries around the world. There are currently just over 7700 volunteers serving in 72 countries in seven different regions: Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, North Africa & the Middle East, Eastern Europe & Central Asia, Asia, and Pacific Islands
What do volunteers do?: Work in the areas of Education, Youth Outreach, and Community Development; Business Development; Environment; Agriculture; Health and HIV/AIDS; and Information Technology
Acronyms: Peace Corps is famous for its use of different abbreviations, creating what seems to be a language entirely its own. I will probably use them in different blog postings, so I thought I would include a glossary. Below are a few of the most common:
- APCD: Associate Peace Corps Director- the director, often a HCN, in charge of your program
- CD: Country Director- senior Peace Corps official in the country of assignment
- COS: Close of service- completion of Peace Corps service
- DOS: Description of service
- EAP: Emergency action plan- strategy developed by each country to respond to crisis
- ET: Early termination- separation from service other than COS
- HCN: Host country national
- IOS: Interruption of service- occurs when an entire program is closed in a country during a volunteer's service period
- IST: In-service training
- Medevac: Medically evacuation
- Med Sep: Medical separation- occurs when a PCT or PCV is sent home for medical reasons)
- OMS: Office of medical services
- PCMO: PC medical officer
- PCT: Peace Corps trainee- prospective PCV currently training in-country
- PCV: Peace Corps volunteer- PCT who has been sworn-in
- PST: Pre-Service Training- period of approx. 8-12 weeks of in-country training
- RPCV: Returned Peace Corps Volunteer- a PC volunteer who has successfully completed service
posted by Caitlin at 2:43 PM
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