Peace Corps service can be a rewarding, enriching experience for married couples. Married couples make up about nine percent of Peace Corps Volunteers. In fact, some Peace Corps countries have couples-only programs. In all cases, both spouses must serve as Volunteers and live and work in the same community.

Just think of the stories you'll be able to tell your grandchildren someday.

One couple that served together recently is Heidi and Jim Wilton. They joined Peace Corps after five years of marriage, serving in Armenia. As Volunteers, the Wiltons have spent time together while undertaking a variety of different community projects, including an environmental awareness hike, coaching girls' soccer, and establishing a resource center for the community.

"We have spent more time with each other in the last many months than we ever had before that time," says Jim Wilton. Heidi explains that being married and serving in Peace Corps together provides a built-in support system. "When I have a bad day I can talk to him and he knows exactly what I went through because maybe the day before he went through it as well," she states.

Peace Corps accepts married couples, but the placement process can take longer. Both people must qualify and there must be a matching job for each person in the same location. Couples must be legally married as defined by federal law and have been married for at least 12 months before their scheduled departure date.