a word on the corps

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship.

The Peace Corps has three goals:
Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Fast Facts
Peace Corps officially established:March 1, 1961

Total number of Volunteers and trainees to date:190,000
Total number of countries served:139

Current number of Volunteers and Trainees:8,079
Gender:59% female, 41% male
Marital Status:93% single, 7% married
People of Color:17% of Peace Corps Volunteers
Age:27 years old (average), 25 years old (median)
Volunteers over age 50:5% (oldest Volunteer is 80)
Education:95% have at least an undergraduate degree, 11% have graduate studies or degrees

Current number of countries served: serving 74 countries
Education: 36% Health & HIV/AIDS: 21% Business: 15% Environment: 14% Youth: 6%Agriculture: 5%Other: 4%
Fiscal year 2008 budget:$330.8 million

for more information, visit the official peace corps website.