[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 35 (Thursday, March 1, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE 46TH ANNIVERSARY OF PEACE CORPS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 1, 2007

  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, as a former Peace Corps Volunteer, I am 
honored to formally recognize the agency on the 46th Anniversary of its 
inception and to help kick-off National Peace Corps Week. This week 
begins a week long celebration of Peace Corps' 46th Anniversary with 
celebratory and educational events taking place across the country.
  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.
  I fondly remember my time as a volunteer in El Salvador in the 1960's 
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.
  I am encouraged by the growth in the number of Peace Corps Volunteers 
and posts over the years. 7,749 Volunteers are currently in 67 posts 
serving 73 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, 
Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific 
Islands. 2007 also marks the first year of a new Peace Corps program to 
the Kingdom of Cambodia.
  I am excited by the recent announcement of the Peace Corps intention 
to return to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Following my 
visit to Ethiopia in 2005, as Chair of the Congressional Ethiopia and 
Ethiopian American Caucus, I wrote the Peace Corps Director directly to 
request a reinstatement of a Peace Corps post.
  In addition to these programs, the Peace Corps recently sent its 
1000th Crisis Corps Volunteer into service. Crisis Corps is compiled of 
former Peace Corps Volunteers that return to service for shorter 3 to 6 
month tours in areas in need of more immediate services. Crisis Corps 
Volunteers have served both at home, following Hurricane Katrina, and 
abroad, following the tsunami in Southeast Asia, providing valuable 
expertise following major disasters.
  As a newly appointed member of the House Appropriations Committee, I 
will support the Administration's FY08 request for Peace Corps at 
$333.5 million. Though this is a modest increase from the FY07 enacted 
level of $318.8 million, it will 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 Administration's request.
  Today, 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.

                          ____________________