WASHINGTON, D.C. - Peace Corps volunteers working in the field of information technology, and the communities they serve, will soon benefit from a generous software donation.

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) recently donated 2,000 copies of Sun Microsystems’ StarOffice 6.0 software that will be distributed in 62 countries. The software, which is valued at over $159,000, contains word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, graphics, and database programs. With this software, Peace Corps volunteers will have a new resource to train host country community members on basic computer skills, giving communities the computer skills they need to manage businesses and information.

"I would like to thank the Academy for Educational Development for the opportunity to take these tools into the field and make the world a better place,” said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. Director Vasquez also thanked AED on behalf of the citizens of the host countries who, he hopes, will “derive enormous benefit from this software.”

The donation was made possible through collaboration between the Peace Corps’ Office of Private Sector Initiatives (OPSI), the Peace Corps’ Center for Field Assistance and Applied Research, and AED’s Global Learning Portal.

AED’s Global Learning Portal works to connect teachers across the globe by giving them the training and resources they need to more effectively teach and do their jobs. AED, which boasts 70 returned Peace Corps volunteers on their staff, is a nonprofit social change organization that seeks new ways to improve the quality of education across the world, including in Peace Corps programs. In addition to education, AED works in all the major areas of development of interest to the Peace Corps, including health and HIV/AIDS prevention, information technology, and the environment.

OPSI’s mission is to build enduring financial alliances with the private sector and to connect donors with community-based projects where volunteers serve. One hundred percent of the donations to OPSI are directly allocated to Peace Corps projects selected by the donors.

If you are interested in learning more about the Peace Corps’ volunteer projects and how you may contribute, please contact Peace Corps' Office of Private Sector Initiatives toll-free at 1.800.424.8580, ext. 2170, or via e-mail at pcpp@peacecorps.gov. For more information on OPSI, please click here.

Since 1961, more than 171,000 volunteers have served in the Peace Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, 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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