Peace Corps Week

March 1-7, 2020

Peace Corps Week commemorates President John F. Kennedy’s establishment of the agency on March 1, 1961, and celebrates all the ways that Peace Corps makes a difference at home and abroad.

Photo contest winners for Peace Corps Week 2020

Winners incorporating the theme, Peace Corps 2020+: Building the Future, were announced throughout Peace Corps Week in each of the following categories representing the Peace Corps’ three goals:

  1. Primary projects that support community needs.
  2. Promoting an understanding of Americans in your host country.
  3. Promoting an understanding of your host country’s culture for an American audience.
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Goal 1 and overall winner (636 votes): PCV Jennifer, Madagascar -- Jennifer leads a group of local high and middle schoolers on a team building exercise, promoting youth leadership and the importance of working together to build community needs.
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Goal 1 second place (300 votes): RPCV Alana, Ghana -- These were my chemistry students at the school where I taught, celebrating the completion of an HIV project. The girls made signs about the things that inspired them to stay HIV-free and we compiled photos of everyone with their signs to make a video. They were so excited to see it on YouTube and know it would inspire people all over the world!
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Goal 2 winner (343 votes): RPCV Erin, Guatemala -- We only have one Earth and one planet to call home, and everything within it is connected. When one part fails everything suffers. In an activity called The Network of Life, a young female student steps out of her place in the circle to attempt to repair a cut string. She maintains a hold on her string, while attempting to help her friend save the planet.
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Goal 2 second place (184 votes): PCV Adam, Zambia -- Rural Aquaculture Promotion Volunteer Lianne shares a world map with neighboring children.
Morocco copper worker
Goal 3 winner (443 votes): PCV Dylan, Morocco -- Meet Hamid, a copper worker in Seffarine Square. He has been working there for 50 years and was only 8 when he started assisting and learning from a master craftsman. A pressing question in Morocco, especially in the historic city of Fez, is the future of artisans.
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Goal 3 second place (343 votes): PCV Rachel, Ghana -- A family grows bigger! This new father is hugged by his family as he celebrates the birth of his daughter at a naming ceremony in northern Ghana. A newborn is considered a “stranger” in the household until he or she is given a name at a naming ceremony, usually taking place 7-10 days after birth.

Theme: Peace Corps 2020+: Building the Future

As we begin a new decade, we look to the future. The world is more connected today than it has ever been. Tomorrow will bring new opportunities and along with them, new challenges.

Since 1961, more than 240,000 Americans have served our country and the global community as Peace Corps Volunteers, living and working alongside local leaders to catalyze change.

This Peace Corps Week, we invite the world to celebrate the ways our host communities and Volunteers are innovating for the world of tomorrow.

More ways to join the celebration

Anyone
Vote Feb. 17-21, 2020
Review the Peace Corps Week Photo Challenge submissions on Facebook.
Anyone
Attend events
Check out Peace Corps Week events in your local area.
Volunteers • RPCVs
Share on social
Post your photos of faces and places from service and tag #PeaceCorpsWeek.
Volunteers • RPCVs
Write a blog post
Share your service on Facebook and tag #PeaceCorpsWeek.
RPCVs
Host a film screening
Use our playlist to showcase the Video Challenge finalists.
RPCVs
Host an international festival
Share your host cultures through displays, songs, dances, or games.
RPCVs
Host a story slam
Tell stories around the theme of home, family, and community during service.
Volunteers • Educators
Global Connections
Bring the global perspective of a Volunteer to any learning environment.
RPCVs • Educators
Speakers Match
RPCVs can visit classrooms to introduce young learners to customs, beliefs, and adventures.
Educators
Teach a lesson plan
Use our resources to bring the Peace Corps experience to life for your students.