“For more than four decades, the volunteers of the Peace Corps
have carried the good will of America into many parts of the world.
Interest in this program is greater than ever before.”

– President George W. Bush on May 21, 2003

Since 1961, more than 190,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have been invited by 139 host countries to share with the world America's most precious resource—its people. Peace Corps Volunteers currently serve in more than 70 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, and the Middle East.

The Peace Corps invites men and women 18 years and older to serve for two year assignments to help communities in countries around the world solve important development challenges. In the Peace Corps of today, Volunteers work with governments, schools, and entrepreneurs to address changing and complex needs in education, health and HIV/AIDS, business development, agriculture, and the environment.

Peace Corps Volunteers come from all walks of life and represent the rich diversity of the American people. Volunteers also range in age from college students to older Americans—they include recent graduates who are looking for extraordinary ways to launch their careers, mid-career professionals who crave broader horizons, and retirees who simply can’t bring themselves to slow down

President Bush and the First Lady visit Peace Corps Volunteers in Panama.

Every Peace Corps Volunteer's experience is different. From teaching English to elementary school children in Zambia to launching a computer learning center in Moldova to promoting HIV/AIDS awareness in South Africa to working on soil conservation in Panama, Volunteers bring their skills and life experiences to where they are needed most.

Today's Peace Corps is more vital than ever, stepping into new countries like Cambodia, working in emerging and essential areas such as youth, information communication technology and business development, and supporting 3,000 Volunteers who are involved in HIV/AIDS activities including Volunteers in twenty-two countries who are helping to implement the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Peace Corps Volunteers continue to help countless individuals who want to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities.

For more information about the Peace Corps, visit http://www.peacecorps.gov.