Peace Corps Panama Friends

June

2007

Greetings!

Did you know that. . . in July 1963 the first Peace Corps volunteers arrived in Panama?

Did you know that. . . from May 1971 to November 1990 the Peace Corps did not operate in Panama?

Did you know that. . . therefore, Peace Corps will celebrate its 25th Anniversary serving Panama in 2008!

Print El Bochinche and enjoy!

What's in this El Bochinche

Reunion in Panama in 2008

PCPF on the West Coast.

La Vaina, the Volunteers' Newsletter

Transitions - Career, Education & Retirement

Webmaster Needed

AIDS Training in Panama

Worldwise Schools

Diablos Rojos

Crisis Corps in Panama

Volunteer Empowerment Act

PCPF Treasurer Report

PCPF Projects & Donations

National Peace Corps Association

NPCA Hospitality Network

NPCA Receives PCPF Donation

Panama on the Web

PCPF 2008 Reunion in Panama

Peace Corps Panama Friends is excited to announce that in conjunction with Peace Corps Office in Panama and the Panamanian Embassy, we will be hosting the Peace Corps Panama 25th Reunion IN PANAMA!

Tentative dates are set for mid-summer. Activities are scheduled to include:

    * Visits to volunteer sites
    * Coordination of a visit to YOUR OLD SITE!
    * Tour of the city and canal
    * Afternoon at Barro Colorado (an ecological site of the Smithsonian)
    * A GALA event co-hosted by the Panamanian government

As plans develop, we will be sure to keep you posted through El Bochinche. We look forward to seeing the entire Peace Corps Panama Friends family back la patria in 2008! ¡Viva Panamá!
Specific Dates Will Soon Follow.

PCPF on the West Coast

Peace Corps Panama Friends on the West Coast!

Do you live in Northern California? Would you like to get together with fellow Returned Peace Corps Panama Volunteers?

A small group of Panama RPCVs in the Bay Area is planning an informal gathering in June or July. We want you to be there!

We are planning an informal happy hour event where we can drink, swap stories, and get to know other volunteers in the area.

If you want to help organize or simply want information please contact justin.mortensen[AT]gmail.com.

It will be the toughest happy hour you'll ever love.

La Vaina

Chicken plucking, poetry and more in La Vaina: April-June 2007

Vale la Pena
By: Brianna Miller

Tuesday I woke up sick
My water came out dirty
My class had only ten though
it started out with thirty.
I'm losing all my hair
The ants ate up my plants
I walked all the way to the baile
But no one asked me to dance.
My project was a failure
The bats ate all my fruit
I wish I would've known
there was a scorpion in my boot.
I can't speak any Spanish
I think I have malaria
Instead of taking my final exam
The kids went to the fería.

But today there was a rainbow
A niña held my hand
I even saw a farmer reforesting his land.
I saw an iguana climb a tree
My community crowned me reina.
So although there's always Tuesdays,
Todo vale la pena.

Transitions - Career, Education, Retirement

Career, Education & Transition
- Office of Returned Volunteer Services
  Peace Corps office provides career, educational, and transitional assistance to RPCVs.
- Hotline
  An online bulletin of employment and educational opportunities for returned Peace Corps Volunteers.
  
  Includes free online passwords to six job bulletin:
  · International Career Employment Weekly · Environmental Career Opportunities · Public Health Jobs Worldwide · Alliance for Conflict Transformation · Ethical Jobs · InterAction
- RPCVNetwork
  Listserv for RPCVs interested in discussing and posting career related information. In addition to job ads, members may post questions concerning specific organizations and contact information and discuss job hunt strategies, interview techniques and networking information.
Retirement credit for US Government employees:

In 1993, Congress passed a law changing the way Peace Corps service can be used as credit towards retirement under the Civil Service Retirement System or the newer Federal Employees Retirement System.

If you are or were in a federal civilian position, you should read Tammy Flanagan's article in this Government Executive newsletter: Crediting Volunteer Service

Webmaster Needed

PCPF is looking for a new Webmaster -- someone to maintain a lively and current www.panamapcv.net.

The PCPF Webmaster uses Dreamweaver, MS FrontPage or other software to design and edit our website.

Contact Steve Spangler at 703-536-5457 or webmaster@panamapcv.net

Leading the Way to a World Without AIDS

By Tricia Wood

Peace Corps Volunteers educated over 10,000 Panamanians on HIV/AIDS in 2006.

These projects included youth health seminars, health promoter trainings, health fairs, and dominos and volleyball contests to encourage community participation.

See Tricia Wood report on Peace Corps Panama AIDS Work

Panama PCVs Need Match with Teachers

Worldwise Schools is looking to match PCVs in Panama with teachers in the U.S.

Correspondence Match is a U.S Peace Corps program offered by Coverdell World Wise Schools that links U.S. teachers with Peace Corps Volunteers working overseas.

Participating Peace Corps Volunteers share stories, artifacts, photos, and much more with students, all the while promoting the third goal of the Peace Corps: bringing other cultures back to the people of the United States.

Enrolled teachers have access to an array of educational resources:

Match Handbook, which provides practical guidance and ideas for the correspondence;
Monthly topical e-newsletters;
Publications with stories by Peace Corps Volunteers, along with suggestions for classroom use; and
A variety of multimedia resources.

Participants will also have the opportunity to apply for overseas phone calls with their PCV during the annual Peace Corps Week celebration in March.

There are 66 Peace Corps Volunteers in Panama participating in the program. Eight PCVs are still waiting for educators can find a match.

If you are interested in connecting with a currently serving PCV through our Correspondence Match program, please contact Coverdell World Wise Schools at wwsinfo@peacecorps.gov or call 800.424.8580, ext. 1450.

Diablos Rojos

Nina Muller-Schwartz, PC volunteer in Panama from 1999 to 2001, is now a cultural anthropologist with a specialty in Panama.

Nina has produced a documentary film about Panama buses. Diablos Rojos: Los Buses de Panama discusses transportation, globalization, and the expression of Panamanian cultural identity.

See film synopsis at www.customflix.com.

Crisis Corps in Panama

The Crisis Corps allows Volunteers to return to the field in short-term, high-impact assignments that typically range from three to six months.

Panamá will soon be getting 10 Crisis Corps Volunteers.

Tess Sparks reports that some will provide Disaster Relief and Reconstruction, others will aid in Disaster Preparedness & Mitigation in these same provinces, and others will work on HIV/AIDS education.

Currently the Crisis Corps is seeking a Crisis Corps Volunteer to work in Panama as a HIV/AIDS Specialist for a 6 month assignment, starting June 2007.

Read Tess Sparks Report

Volunteer Empowerment Act

On March 1, 2007, the 46th anniversary of President Kennedy's founding of the Peace Corps, Senators Christopher Dodd and Edward Kennedy, introduced the Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act (S. 732). Dodd, the only former PC volunteer in the Senate, chairs the subcommittee that oversees the Peace Corps.

Major provisions are:

Makes up to $1,000 in seed money available to each Volunteer to fund demonstration projects at site;
Authorizes active PC Volunteers to solicit private donations to support their development projects;
Establishes mechanisms for more Volunteer input into PC operations, including staffing decisions, site selection, language training, and country programs;
Requires websites and email links for use by Volunteers in-country;
Removes certain medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older individuals from becoming Volunteers;
Creates more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process; and
Protects certain rights of Volunteers with respect to termination of service and whistleblower protection.

See article in Peace Corps Online Magazine

Treasurer Report

By Justin Mortensen, PCPF Treasurer

Balances:
January 1st, 2007: $13,768.15
March 31st, 2007: $15,455.84

PCPF continues to maintain a strong financial base of between $10-15K.

In the three month period between January and March 2007 PCPF added $1,687 to our accounts. This income is a mixture of donations from the year end annual request and payments received for calendar orders. There were a few hundred dollars of expenses related to the costs of printing, mailing, and feeding volunteers who stuff the letters for the annual request.

The Volunteer Action Committee in Panama notified PCPF that they received the $2,400 check for calendars that we sent them. They were able to cash the check (which will be deducted from our account in April) and have already begun using these funds to award Super Small Project grants. Look for an update about what types of projects you helped fund through your calendar purchases in the next El Bochinche.

See Justin's Budget Report

Projects and Donations

We have a goal of $5000 for the year. Right now we are currently at $1968 of donations. Please continue to support PCPF.

Through your donations PCPF proudly sponsors all Peace Corps Partnership. Peace Corps Partnership is a worldwide program run through Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, with high standards of supporting sustainable community level projects. PCPF is dedicated to donating 30% (up to $500) of funds needed by volunteers and their communities. Already this year PCPF has funded four Partnerships projects totaling $2,000.

Current projects that we donated include an Education Center in Madre Vieja, Veraguas and Pit Latrines in Cerro Brisa, Chiriqui.

If you would like to find out more about Peace Corps Partnership or donate directly to the projects listed above, go to www.peacecorps.gov

Thank you for your continuous contributions!

Celebrate your Peace Corps Connection!

Learn more about the National Peace Corps Association, become a member:

NPCA

Buy apparel and merchandise, support the NPCA:

NPCA Online Store

NPCA Hospitality Network

The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is the umbrella group for former Peace Corps volunteers, staff and many affiliate groups -- including Peace Corps Panama Friends.

Hospitality Network is an NPCA service provided for returned Peace Corps volunteers. It is celebrating its 10th year.

The new edition of the Hospitality Network Directory will be published this month. It lists over 400 RPCVs, mainly in the U.S. who say "Hey, stop over for a few days while traveling, throw in a few bucks for laundry and Cheerios, and share your Peace Corps experiences.