What do Peace Corps Volunteers do?
Peace Corps Volunteers work in a variety of different areas, what we call sectors. These sectors include: education, business, health and nutrition, agriculture, community development, and the environment.
Education Volunteers do many of the same things that teachers in American schools do. Many of them teach English to schoolchildren or to young businesspeople in the countries they serve. Others act as "teacher trainers" by working with local teachers to help them improve their own skills and techniques.
Business Development Volunteers help local businesspeople with all aspects of starting and running a business. From learning how to apply for credit to finding new ways to market goods, business Volunteers help the people they work with develop successful enterprises.
Health and Nutrition Volunteers work with local hospitals and organizations to promote healthy lifestyles. They work on nutrition projects, immunizations, first aid, and HIV/AIDS education and prevention projects.
Agriculture Volunteers work with their host communities to use better techniques when producing food for their families and others. These Volunteers help local farmers learn to practice what is called "sustainable agriculture", which means using farming techniques that replenish the soil and keep it from eroding during heavy rains.
Community Development Volunteers work on a variety of tasks to improve the health of the community as a whole. Some Volunteers help build roads, bridges, schools and health clinics. Others may work with at-risk youth. The Volunteers may help village councils and civic organizations improve planning, development, and management capacities.
Environment Volunteers work in a variety of tasks, from helping park rangers care for a group of rare Buffalo in Poland to working with communities in Central America on alternatives to "slash and burn" style agriculture that harms important topsoil.
Who are Peace Corps Volunteers?
