Volunteers Give the Peace Corps a Chance

As the Peace Corps celebrates its 40th birthday this year, the stereotypical left-leaning, 20-something idealist who defined the corps for many years is giving way to a new type of volunteer: middle-age, mid-career individuals who want a break from life in the fast lane, and retired professionals like Mary Jo Reimer. Three months ago, Reimer abandoned her comfortable life as a hospice nurse in Los Angeles to spend two years as a Peace Corp volunteer at a South Africa home for street children and HIV-positive orphans. Her mission is to turn Peace Haven, founded 10 years ago, into a financially viable nongovernmental organization (NGO).

These older volunteers, a few of whom are in their 80s, bring new skill sets and attitudes to the corps, and they are changing the kind of work it does. Their involvement is making possible new programs, like Reimer's, that help build local institutions. Reimer has a background both in AIDS and accounting and was considered a perfect fit for her new job. She is part of a pilot program that is working to help make small AIDS NGOs -- many of which were founded by people with little or no experience running such organizations -- into sustainable projects.

The new corps program is important because it is helping the government provide better, more cost-effective health services through community-based organizations, said Edith Harrington, deputy director of health in Mpumalanga Province, where an AIDS project is operating. "The AIDS epidemic is starting to really strain our capacity," she said. "We cannot cope with the patient load in the hospitals, and, as long as people can be taken care of in the community, that's what we would like to see happen. The Peace Corps is helping to make sustainable the kinds of organizations that can provide these services."

Yvonne Hubbard, country director for the Peace Corps in South Africa, said programs like the Mpumalanga AIDS project are made possible largely because of older volunteers with years of professional experience -- like Reimer -- who bring with them vital skills. Community members, she added, are often more receptive to elders, who are accorded respect in South African society. About 10 percent of volunteers are now over age 50, and another 15 percent are in their 30s or 40s.

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