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About the Philippines
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Peace Corps Philippines is the agency’s second-oldest country program. In October 1961, the first group of Peace Corps Volunteers arrived in Manila to work throughout the country as English language, mathematics, and science teachers.
Beginning in the 1970s, Peace Corps Philippines expanded its reach beyond education and focused on social and economic development in rural areas. Volunteers worked on projects in health and nutrition, appropriate technology, agricultural extension, marketing cooperatives, fisheries, income generation, agroforestry, upland community development, vocational education, deaf education, local development planning, and small business development.
From the mid-1980s through the ’90s, Volunteers once again worked in schools, this time as teacher trainers at the high school level, while other Volunteers were assigned to projects in health, agriculture, fisheries, agroforestry, income generation, and local development planning.
In June 1990, the Peace Corps suspended the Philippines program due to security concerns. The program resumed in 1992 with Volunteers working in water/sanitation, coastal resources management, agriculture, agroforestry, health/sanitation, and integrated protected areas management.
In the past two decades, the Peace Corps has sustained a strong programmatic commitment to environmental protection while also focusing on academic education and assistance to particularly vulnerable Filipinos.
By the year 2000, Volunteers were assigned to schools as teacher trainers, teaching English as a foreign language and information communication technology (ICT), while others were assigned to business and youth development.
In mid-2000, there was a shift in focus for all three sectors; Education Volunteers went back to teaching English in the classroom, Youth Volunteers were assigned to social welfare agencies, and Environment Volunteers focused on coastal resource management.
In March 2020, Peace Corps Volunteers were evacuated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For two years, Peace Corps staff supported partners from each of the three sectors in the absence of Volunteers. The Peace Corps continued to strengthen relationships with local and national partners through technical skills training, program support activities, and COVID vaccination efforts.
Volunteers returned to the Philippines in 2023 and continued to work alongside Filipino counterparts to teach English to students in the classroom; strengthen organizations working with children, youth, and families at risk; and assist communities in the management and conservation of coastal resources.
Since its establishment in 1961 by U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Peace Corps Philippines proudly counts nearly 10,000 Volunteers who have served in the Philippines.
Volunteer satisfaction, health, and safety
- Annual Volunteer Survey satisfaction results [PDF]
- Health and medical care summary [PDF]
- Crime, harassment, and early termination of service [PDF]
Partners
The Peace Corps continually seeks to build and strengthen relationships with government partners, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and civil society. Our approach to partnership is grounded in mutual respect and collaboration and is a catalyst for lasting community-driven, community-centric development.
Partnerships enable the Peace Corps to better support host communities in meeting their local development priorities, to provide the right training for our Volunteers, and to leverage each other’s resources and expertise. Moreover, partnerships enable the Peace Corps to better achieve its mission of world friendship and peace by increasing mutual understanding and appreciation. The Peace Corps warmly thanks and salutes all its many partners for their support and commits to strengthening current partnerships while exploring new opportunities.
Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)
Peace Corps Philippines operates under the coordination of the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA). PNVSCA is subordinate to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and is mandated to coordinate all domestic and foreign volunteer organizations in the Philippines. Peace Corps works alongside PNVSCA to determine the best sites for Volunteer placements in the country.
Republic of the Philippines Department of Education (DepEd)
The Department of Education (DepEd) supervises all elementary and secondary schools, including the alternative learning system, where Education Volunteers are assigned. In 2018, Peace Corps renewed its partnership with DepEd and the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) through a new memorandum of understanding for a period of five years. The agreement sets forth expectations, roles, and responsibilities of Peace Corps, PNVSCA, and DepEd in the design, promotion, implementation, evaluation and continuous support of projects and activities related to the Peace Corps Philippines Education Sector, covering all levels of governance of DepEd. This ensures the continued placement of Peace Corps Education Volunteers in public elementary and secondary schools in priority provinces. Volunteer placement in private and state universities and colleges (SUCs) is covered by a separate memorandum of agreement (MOA) with each institution’s president and is valid for the two-year duration of the Volunteer’s service.
Republic of the Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
DSWD supports the welfare agencies where CYF Volunteers are assigned.
The CYF Project works closely with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with Volunteers being assigned to local social welfare and development offices (provincial, city, or municipal), local youth development offices (LYDOs), other DSWD-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) serving vulnerable children and youth, and DSWD centers and institutions, youth crisis centers, and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) implementation.
DSWD engages, collaborates, coordinates and works with the Peace Corps to develop, design and review projects and activities in the CYF sector and to connect the Peace Corps with relevant field offices, DSWD-licensed NGOs and local government units and their local staff, and vice-versa, to implement such projects and activities, and identify potential communities or sites in order for the Peace Corps to review and vet these sites for Volunteer assignments, among others.
Peace Corps Alumni for Philippine Development (PCAFPD)
PCAFPD is the official Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) group for the Philippines and is an affiliate of the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA). In 1983, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and staff created the foundation as a way for former Volunteers and staff to stay connected to the Philippines and to each other in a worthy cause. PCAFPD chose human development as the focus of the organization because of a conviction that motivated, knowledgeable, and skilled individuals are the key to community change and national development. Through a scholarship program, the foundation provides educational opportunities for young Filipinos who want to contribute to the development of their country but lack the financial resources to pursue a university degree.
PCAFPD is incorporated as a non-profit organization according to the laws of the District of Columbia and under Sec. 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Rare
Rare is a non-governmental organization based in the U.S. that accelerates social change for people and nature through behavior change communication. They provide technical assistance to Peace Corps Philippines during the pre-service training of Volunteers. Rare staff conduct lectures and workshops about coastal resource management, fisheries management, and behavior change communication.
