This is not verified or official, but from a source (a volunteer in Kazakhstan) who has been informed that following a conference next week (on Thanksgiving) in Almaty, the Peace Corps staff in Kazakhstan will begin processing the exit of Peace Corps Volunteers from Kazakhstan.
Why? Why now?
This is likely either the result of one empowered official in Kazakhstan (unlikely in my opinion), or a combination of factors. There are rumors that Kazakhstan’s current Minister of Education is opposed to the presence of Peace Corps Volunteers in the schools and universities and colleges of the country. The rumor states explicitly that the Country Director for Peace Corps Kazakhstan has been ignored by said Minister.
Naturally, the recent bombings could play a part. In my opinion, this is the factor whose influence will be most overestimated. More distressing, in my opinion, is the fact that several female volunteers have been sexually assaulted in the past year. The fact that the majority of these cases affected those Volunteers who have only been in-country since early 2011 could likely play a role in Washington’s decision.
I’m sure I speak for everyone at Registan.net that we hope for a quick, painless resolution for the Peace Corps Volunteers in country and for their family members. Speaking for myself, I am also very concerned about the fate of the stellar in-country Peace Corps staff who may soon find themselves unemployed.
This post was written by...
Michael Hancock-Parmer – author of 158 posts on Registan.net.
Michael earned an MA in Central Eurasian Studies in 2011 and remains a student at Indiana University pursuing a dual PhD in Russian History and Central Eurasian Studies. He served 6 months in the Peace Corps in Uzbekistan in 2005. After the events in Andijan and the subsequent closure of the program, he served 2 years in southern Kazakhstan, returning to the Midwest in 2007. His general area of interest is on post-Timur Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, centered on the Syr Darya river valley.
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{ 11 comments }
A friend of mine who is a PCV in Kazakhstan wrote on facebook this morning that she has been given a week’s notice to pack up and get to Almaty. No explanation was given but she mentioned that the entire Peace Corps Kazakhstan program is closing. What you’ve written appears to be true, though, as you’ve said, it’s still unconfirmed.
I checked in with your (and my) now ex-country director, and she confirmed the bad news. That said, with the safety issues you mention and a snap election called for January this has politics written all over it. What a shame for everyone involved.
That leaves only Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan in the region. Surprising that the former is still around.
I am actually a bit shocked that it would be the bombings.
I was a PCV in Osh of Kyrgyzstan during the ethnic clashes and riots and it seemed that they were never even considering closing the program because safety concerns. It’s interesting to me how fast this was resolved.
I’m a PCV in Kyrgyzstan and our Country Director just cancelled all ‘non-essential’ travel to Almaty because of the ‘suspension’ of the program in KZ due to ‘on-going safety, operational, program and PCV support concerns.’ (The CD’s word’s sent to everyone this morning via SMS).
So yeah… odd. That plus the fact that outside of the bizarro situation vis a vis the program in Turkmenistan means that the Kyrgyz program, amazingly enough is the last one really standing….
I am an RPCV from Kaz 5! I am very sad to hear this. My prayers are for the Kaz staff and the teachers they employ in the summer. This will have a very bad impact on those teachers who depend on the income of the Peace Corps. Some of them have been around since the very beginning.
do peace corp volunteers get paid that well?
why do they want to stay in countries with less comfort in life?
Peace Corps is a US Government Development Agency that focuses on grass roots development work hand-in-hand with local partners called by PCVs counterparts. We work under agreement (i.e. invitation) of the government of the nation the PCV is stationed in. Peace Corps is all volunteer and we all work in the developing world because that is where the need is.
And no we get paid ‘stipends’ and ‘living allowance’ that while decent pay by local standards is not competitive in comparison to the wages we would be making back home.
I’m an RPCV KZ, left in August. Thank you for your well-wishes, especially to the Peace Corps staff, some of whom have been there for the full 18+ years and all of whom are, as you noted, wonderful.
I discuss the reasons that led to it happening, including why I think it was KZ and not KG last year, in my latest blog post.
It is sad that the peace Corp could not take steps to protect these women who were assaulted. It sure doesn’t bring a positive view of the organization.
David,
Peace Corps can’t do anything to prevent women from being assaulted beyond training them to take precautions, much like you can’t do anything to keep your sister / mom / girlfriend in America from being sexually assaulted short of sending her to self defense classes and having her train herself to take precautions. Rape / sexual assault can be mitigated, but it’s still going to happen, sometimes even if a girl takes every precaution in the book and knows krav magaw.
Everyone who joins Peace Corps knows the risks of going to a village in the middle of nowhere as the only American, just like every soldier knows there are risks to going to a warzone. The only thing the Peace Corps should do better is respond better after a rape / sexual assault is committed; make sure local police investigate these crimes fully, provide fully funded counseling for victims and generally support victims with the full weight of the US Gov’t. I’m hoping the Kate Puzey Volunteer Act will assist with that, but further acts creating a Peace Corps centric law enforcement agency with it’s entire job being the liason with Host country national national police departments to investigate crimes against volunteers need to happen.
Regardless, Dave, do some research or talk to some volunteers before making blanket statements. I’m as big of a critic as anyone of Peace Corps when it comes to their past response to rapes and sexual assaults, but response is the only thing you can fix; you can only do so much with prevention short of giving every volunteer a protective team of special agents or a handgun. My best friend was raped in a village where two other volunteers lived; she was sober and tough, but sometimes there’s nothing you can do when some psycho decides to do this heinous act.
On the topic at hand, it’s sad to hear Peace Corps is being used as a political football by these post-soviet nations, but not too surprising.