To date, more than 650 Peace Corps Response Volunteers have served in over 40 countries in Latin America, Africa, the Pacific, Asia, and Eastern Europe. 272 have been deployed domestically. Below are snapshots of Peace Corps Response projects around the world.

HIV/AIDS Initiative

Cameroon Peace Corps Response Volunteer and architect Monica Hoersting worked with these single adolescent mothers at a vocational training center she helped to build.

Peace Corps Response has been an integral part of Peace Corps' HIV/AIDS Initiative since it was launched in 2000. More than 140 PCRVs have worked in 15 countries on HIV/AIDS assignments. In addition to peer education and health-focused positions, assignments have focused on projects that range from information technology to television production to Home Based Care to Orphans and Vulnerable Children to NGO development and sustainable agriculture. PCRVs provide consultant-level, targeted experience to organizations that need help with a particular program or lack of expertise that PCVs cannot provide. With the advent of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, Peace Corps Response has seen increased numbers of HIV/AIDS assignments. Peace Corps Response expects the number of these assignments to continue to grow through additional PEPFAR programming.

Ecuador

In Quito, PCRVs worked with INNFA to develop HIV/AIDS prevention programs at the national level, oriented to the vulnerable groups such as children, teens, and youth between the ages of 12-17. They developed programs, materials, age-appropriate communication instrument strategies, and outreach campaigns targeting underprivileged children, teens, and youth in marginalized sectors. The PCRVs designed the methods and tools to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the proposal and coached INNFA staff and collaborators in training methodology.

Ghana

While in Ghana, a team of PCRVs worked as HIV/AIDS Education Consultants with World Education through the teacher training colleges to implement a national HIV/AIDS curriculum. The Window of Hope program focuses on long term training and behavior change through peer education for teachers and students. The PCRVs provided ongoing coaching, mentoring, and support to the tutors administering the curriculum. The Volunteers were also able to bring ideas on how best to adapt to certain difficult situations and provide training on how to identify local resources.

Jamaica

A recent CCV worked with Jamaica AIDS Support (JAS), a local NGO in Kingston, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, as a Human Resource Development Specialist volunteer. JAS works primarily in the areas of education, care, support, and advocacy targeting groups considered to be at high risk. The CCV worked with the NGO on organizational restructuring, the development of a business plan, and the deployment of additional human resources.

Malawi

One CCV worked as a trainer for improved food and nutrition with the National Association for People Living with HIV in Malawi. Because households that are directly affected by HIV suffer from marked reduction in agricultural production and income generation and, ultimately, a decline in food and nutrition security, NAPHAM requested a CCV to help members to produce enough of the right quality of foods and to know how to utilize those foods for optimal health. The CCV worked to integrate food and nutrition information throughout all NAPHAM programs.

Namibia

A team of six PCRVs headed to Namibia in 2005 to work with the National Health Training Center as Video Conferencing Trainers working with HIV/AIDS prevention committees. The PCRVs focused on supporting in-service training efforts on HIV/AIDS by training and providing support to staff who operate digital video conferencing equipment. Additionally, PCRVs worked with NHTC staff to formulate a national plan for use of digital video conferencing to communicate with health institutions throughout the country, developed training guidelines and simplified manuals on the use and maintenance of equipment, and developed and maintained a system to monitor and evaluate the use of the technology.

Successful partner organizations with Peace Corps Response in HIV/AIDS work include:

Africare, the Government of Suriname, World Education, Malawi Children's Village, International Community for the Relief of Starvation and Suffering, INNFA, CARE International, World Vision, East African Development Communication Foundation, Marie Stoppes, Togelese Red Cross.

Natural Disaster Relief and Reconstruction

Peace Corps Response began as a means for the Peace Corps to provide targeted assistance in the aftermath of natural disasters. Since its inception, Natural Disaster Relief and Reconstruction has grown to be the largest Peace Corps Response program area, encompassing 380 assignments internationally and 272 domestically. Peace Corps Response Volunteers fill a unique role in the relief and reconstruction process, by participating in medium and long term rebuilding efforts, often remaining in assignments after first-responders have completed their work and media attention has waned. Volunteers in disaster relief and reconstruction have worked in a variety of assignment areas and geographic locations.

Tsunami Relief

Peace Corps Response Volunteer Kevin Schartz assists in boat construction as part of the tsunami relief effort in Thailand.

Thailand

27 Peace Corps Response Volunteers worked with partners in the areas of Resource Development, Shelter Construction, Water and Sanitation, Carpentry, Information Technology, NGO Development, Small Business Development, and Post Trauma Mental Health. Among the many contributions these PCRVs made are the construction of a water treatment plant that will produce safe, reliable drinking water for approximately 1,800 people, residing in three villages and a new playground that will help children affected by the tsunami have a healthy and safe place to play.

Sri Lanka

Peace Corps Response established an independent program in Sri Lanka in the absence of a Peace Corps program in the country in response to the tsunami. 25 Peace Corps Response volunteers were deployed to work with local and international partners in the hard hit southern coastal and eastern regions of the country. CCV assignments focused on Shelter and Water System Design and Construction, NGO Advising, Community Health, and Livelihood Restoration. Through their various assignments, volunteers improved coordination among international non-governmental organizations and supported local governments in managing coordination at the municipal level. Their assignments varied, from working in internally displaced persons camps to providing educational and recreational activities to camp residents. Additionally, Peace Corps Response volunteers with engineering backgrounds applied their skills to make significant improvements in infrastructure — from building and road reconstruction to transitional housing design.

United States

Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August 2005, 272 Peace Corps Response volunteers served domestically on relief efforts in the Gulf States through an agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The deployment of volunteers within the United States is a historic first for the Peace Corps.

Belize

Responding to the serious damage that Hurricane Iris inflicted upon the southern regions of Belize in the fall of 2001, five Peace Corps Response Volunteers worked with the Toledo District Education Management Team on post-hurricane reconstruction efforts to rebuild and hurricane-proof schools and houses in rural Mayan communities.

El Salvador

25 Peace Corps Response Volunteers worked with international and local NGOS in the areas of water sanitation, health education training, housing construction, training in post-traumatic stress management, and disease control in response to two earthquakes that struck the country in the beginning of 2001.

Successful partner organizations with Peace Corps Response in Relief and Reconstruction work include:

Asian Institute for Technology, Habitat for Humanity, International Organizations for Migration (IOM), Kuk Kak Administrative District ( Thailand ), World Vision, and Tsunami Volunteers.

Humanitarian Assistance

Since Peace Corps Response's inception, nearly 100 volunteers have focused on Humanitarian Assistance. Humanitarian Assistance is Peace Corps Response's broadest program area; however, projects must meet a critical and discrete need identified in the host country. Past assignments have included providing technical expertise to food security and food for work programs, health promotion and training, strategic planning and public policy, and program development and assessment.

Guinea

Volunteers are working in partnership with the World Food Program with internally displaced individuals (IDP) and with vulnerable populations. Previous Peace Corps Response Volunteers have worked in partnership with the American Refugee Committee, the International Rescue Committee, and the World Food Program on projects with refugees from Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Lesotho

Peace Corps Response has teamed up with the World Food Program to assist with the collection and analysis of field data from the program. The data was collected and analyzed and a reporting system was developed in order to maintain accurate records and provide a basis for future monitoring.

Jamaica

PCRVs in Jamaica have completed a wide range of tasks. A few examples include bringing potable water systems to rural areas, providing technical expertise to the Jamaican Association for the Deaf in translation training and curriculum development, and providing program and operations development to host country NGOs.   

Thailand

A Humanitarian Assistance CCV responsible for the coordination of community health programs at the American Refugee Committee worked with the Burmese refugee population.

Successful partner organizations with Peace Corps Response in Humanitarian Response include:

American Refugee Committee, Children and Communities fro Change, the International Rescue Committee, Jamaican Association for the Deaf, and the World Food Program.

 Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation (DPM)

Peace Corps Response recognizes that many natural disasters are cyclical and therefore may be anticipated. By assisting countries in preparing for natural disasters, Peace Corps Response can help reduce the level of destruction caused by a weather related events or prevent further damage after an event has occurred.

Jamaica

As the rural population of Jamaica increases and low income levels force ad-hoc housing that cannot stand extreme weather conditions, hurricane damage in Jamaica has risen dramatically with the increased frequency of storms.  Peace Corps Response Volunteers have advised government institutions and local NGOs on ways to improve their ability to withstand future hurricanes and tropical storms.

Federated States of Micronesia

Peace Corps Response Volunteers entered Micronesia in response to a devastating cyclone which caused several landslides resulting in loss of gardens for many families. Volunteers initiated studies to measure further land slippage and planted deep rooted trees on contour lines of the areas of slippage and worked with farmers to cultivate and distribute seedlings for both a food source as well as means of stabilizing the land.

Malawi

Peace Corps Response volunteers teamed up with UNICEF and the Malawi Ministry of Health to reduce the severity of the cholera season in Malawi over previous years. Volunteers assisted in the distribution of supplies, performed assessments and reached out to cholera affected communities an aggressive educational program.

Nicaragua

Working with the Partners of the Americas , a CCV retrofitted public buildings and provided trainings for new building techniques that would better withstand extreme weather.

Successful partner organizations with Peace Corps Response in Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation include:

Jamaican Ministry of Water and Housing, UNICEF and Partners of the Americas.

Post-Conflict Relief and Reconstruction

Peace Corps Response has operated post-conflict relief programs in countries where the need is acute and Peace Corps Response can operate effectively. As with all Peace Corps Response assignments, the safety and security of volunteers must be considered a significant factor in project consideration.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Peace Corps Response placed 20 Volunteers in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2001. Volunteers worked in both Bosnia and the Republic of Serbia and assisted all three ethnic groups.

Assignments were varied and included working with municipal government projects to develop the court system's information technology infrastructure and to create agricultural brochures and handbooks for local cooperatives; developing law seminars with a set of proposed legal provisions as the product, privatization impact statements for the utility department and assistance to returned refugees; NGO development projects including economic and accounting advisors, business development advisors and a publication specialist. One Volunteer helped a women's group design and market Bosnian handicrafts.