[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 25 (Thursday, March 2, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E270]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ON THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF PEACE CORPS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 2, 2006

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, as a former Peace Corps Volunteer, I am 
honored to formally recognize the agency on the 45th Anniversary of its 
inception and to help kick-off National Peace Corps Week. This week 
begins a year long celebration of Peace Corps' 45th Anniversary with 
events taking place across the country and throughout the world.
  During National Peace Corps Week, we salute the men and women of this 
nation who selflessly have served abroad as Peace Corps Volunteers, as 
well as those current Volunteers who continue to carry out the Peace 
Corps mission: empowering people in developing countries through their 
grassroots development efforts.
  Seventeen constituents of the 15th Congressional District of 
California are currently serving in the Peace Corps. These honorable 
constituents serve in almost every continent. The countries being 
served include Peru, Armenia, Georgia, Namibia, Benin, Bolivia, 
Ukraine, Moldova, Mali, Namibia, Ghana, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Thailand, 
and Guinea.
  I am encouraged by the growth in the number of Peace Corps Volunteers 
and posts over the years. 7,810 Volunteers are currently in 69 posts 
serving 75 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, 
Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific 
Islands. As Chair of the Congressional Ethiopia and Ethiopian American 
Caucus, I am particularly interested in the efforts of the Peace Corps 
to re-instate its post in Ethiopia. I am in total support of the 
expansion of this worthy organization.
  I fondly remember my time as a volunteer in El Salvador where I built 
schools and health clinics. The experience meant much to me personally 
and professionally, sparking a lifelong desire to serve in the public 
sector. I returned with a passion for teaching, and quickly put my 
skills, including fluency in Spanish, to use in Santa Clara County 
schools. Most importantly, I returned to the United States with a 
deeper understanding of humanity and a personal commitment to speak on 
behalf of the marginalized and powerless.
  With that said, allow me to call your attention to the President's 
FY07 request for Peace Corps at $337 million. Though this is a modest 
increase from the FY 06 enacted level of $318.8 million, it will allow 
the Peace Corps to expand into two more countries. In addition, it will 
also optimize the number of Volunteers and staff in existing countries, 
strengthen and expand recruiting efforts, and maximize safety and 
security training and compliance efforts. I encourage my colleagues in 
the Foreign Operations Subcommittee to fulfill the President's request.
  This week, I honor the Peace Corps and its brave Volunteers for their 
service to our nation and to the international community. Volunteers 
are providing expertise and development assistance to countries around 
the world, finding common ways to address global challenges, and 
forming bonds with people throughout the world. They make service a 
cultural necessity. They set a universal standard for how we are to 
embrace the realities of an ever-shrinking world.
  The Peace Corps mission is more vital than ever, and I hope that each 
one of you will join me in thanking the Volunteers and the Peace Corps 
for their hard work in pursuit of an altruistic mission.

                          ____________________