FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, August 8, 2003

Crisis Corps Volunteers to Help Rebuild Island State of Chuuk

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 8, 2003—The Peace Corps is proud to announce that a group of 10 Crisis Corps volunteers have been assigned to the Island of Chuuk, located in the Federated States of Micronesia, this August. These volunteers will assist the people of Chuuk in rebuilding efforts following Tropical Storm Chat’an, which struck the island earlier this year.

While in Chuuk, the volunteers will focus their assignment on two specific initiatives. One group of volunteers will concentrate their efforts on reforestation and soil stabilization to help prevent landslides using barriers and simple bioengineering. Another group will be working with the communities on designing, building, and managing water sanitation facilities.

Crisis Corps is an innovative Peace Corps program that utilizes returned Peace Corps volunteers to provide short-term assistance in disaster relief and humanitarian response efforts. The program was established in 1996. To date, more than 500 Crisis Corps volunteers have served in 31 countries. Currently, Crisis Corps has volunteers working in six African countries in the areas of drought relief, HIV/AIDS education, and assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons.

In addition to the Crisis Corps volunteers, more than 3,978 Americans have volunteered with the Peace Corps in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau since 1966. Volunteers work to improve the quality of education and enhance opportunities for the community through library development, reading projects, and information technology training. Health volunteers assist in establishing a decentralized primary health care and health education program, while conservation volunteers work with government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), coastal communities, and school children to locally manage resource-based economic projects such as clam, soft coral, and sponge farming.

Since 1961, more than 170,000 volunteers have served in the Peace Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health and HIV/AIDS education and awareness, information technology, business development, the environment, and agriculture. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a two-year commitment.

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