Crisis Corps Opportunities

Crisis Corps is currently recruiting former Peace Corps Volunteers for HIV/AIDS related assignments in Africa. Peace Corps is planning for such assignments over the next several months in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi. Placement is available in Kenya starting as soon as possible. These assignments require status as an RPCV, previous Africa work experience, HIV/AIDS experience or awareness, and a three to six month commitment. These assignments seem ideal for many of our members with experience or work-histories in HIV/AIDS health care, prevention, and education. A quick look through our membership information, which includes current job status for many members, along with personal contacts and anecdotal information indicates we are a rich source of experience and skill for these kinds of Crisis Corps assignments.

What is Crisis Corps?
The Crisis Corps is a Peace Corps program that mobilizes Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to help countries address critical needs on a short-term basis. Crisis Corps Volunteers re-enroll in Peace Corps for short-term assignments that typically range from three to six months. Because of their prior Peace Corps experience, Crisis Corps Volunteers can bring language, cross-cultural, and technical skills to the most challenging of environments. These volunteers generally receive the same allowances and benefits of regular Peace Corps Volunteers. This includes round-trip transportation, living and readjustment allowances, and medical care. Crisis Corps, like regular volunteers, must be medically and legally cleared for service.

What’s Crisis Corps done so far?
Former Peace Corps Director, Mark Gearan, created the Crisis Corps in 1996. It has remained a rather small, but manageable program since. To date 480 Crisis Corps Volunteers have served in 31 countries, working in the areas of natural disaster reconstruction, humanitarian assistance, disaster preparedness and mitigation, and post-conflict recovery. Assignments have been all over the world: Bosnia, El Salvador, Lesotho, Guinea, and Mauritania. Recently a number of Crisis Corps HIV/AIDS related projects have become available in Africa.

What’s the Appeal?
Many former volunteers have the itch to get back into the Peace Corp, either as volunteers or staff. Often though the commitment of a regular 27-month Peace Corps assignment is hard to manage at a time in life when RPCVs are handling relationships, families and careers. Crisis Corps offers an alternate opportunity. Many businesses offer employee leaves of absence for volunteer activities. Many school districts and educational institutions offer sabbaticals. And there’s all that knowledge gained from first-hand experience with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Here’s an opportunity for LGB RPCVs to share with people in Africa what we’ve learned working with AIDS and all its associated experiences. Education, prevention and health programs are at the core of tackling the overwhelming AIDS situation in most of East, Central and Southern Africa.

Crisis Corps Volunteers are Peace Corps Volunteers.
The key difference between regular volunteers and Crisis Corps Volunteers is the short-term assignment. Since Crisis Corps is only open to RPCVs, there is no training program, because only RPCVs with relevant skills are chosen. There is a short orientation of a few days given by Peace Corps in-country. The partnering organization sponsoring the Crisis Corps project also provides appropriate orientation. The rules and regulations that apply to Peace Corps Volunteers also generally apply to Crisis Corps Volunteers.

How are Crisis Corps applicants chosen?
The Crisis Corps has a databank of more than 4000 returned volunteers who are interested in Crisis Corps work. When requests come in for Crisis Corps projects, the Crisis Corps recruiting and placement staff in Washington D.C. searches the databank for candidates and makes the appropriate contacts and inquiries. Crisis Corps aims at quick placement once medical, legal and other clearances are accomplished. Peace Corps’ goal is to place Crisis Corps volunteers within six weeks from the time an invitation is extended, pending clearances.

More information and application:
Application is simple. Complete a Crisis Corps application from the Crisis Corps brochure, available from the regional Peace Corps offices, or download one from the Peace Corps web site http://www.peacecorps.gov/rpcv/crisiscorps. Applications can be mailed, faxed, or sent electronically. The Crisis Corps phone number is 800-424-8589 x2250. Their email address is crisiscorps@peacecorps.gov. Current and planned assignments and descriptions of previous assignments are also on the Crisis Corps pages of the Peace Corps’ web site.