Peace Corps alum: 'Fix the failings'

Posted By Blake Hounshell Sunday, June 22, 2008 - 12:10 PM Share

Here's a reaction from Blair Reeves, a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon from 2005 to 2007:

Robert is right about some things - the Peace Corps, like any other government agency, is overly politicized, obtusely bureaucratic and suffers from some occasionally awful administration. As an employee for a USAID contractor now, however, I brush off these criticisms as being somehow specific to Peace Corps. As many others have pointed out, the PC can be a potent diplomatic tool - the very example of the "public diplomacy" our country so badly needs today. And no matter what Robert thinks, genuine, sustainable, long-term development is accomplished by individual volunteers on a local basis - just ask the village of Okong, where I helped arrange to fund and build two sources of potable water where there were none before. So fix the failings and let Peace Corps evolve - but see the PC's flaws in perspective with its successes.

EXPLORE:PEACE CORPS

(0)

HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE

Passport, FP’s flagship blog, brings you news and hidden angles on the biggest stories of the day, as well as insights and under-the-radar gems from around the world.