Since 1991, Peace Corps Romania has shared America’s most precious resource – its people. Collaborating with local community members, Volunteers work in areas like education, youth outreach and community development, the environment, and information technology. PC Romania has created more than 1,000 successful partnerships between American volunteers and partnering Romanian service providers. Volunteers receive extensive language training and provide two years of technical assistance to Romanian organizations, schools and local goverments while sharing in the daily life of their communities.

Purpose and Mission

Peace Corps purpose and mission remain the same today as at their founding by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. The organization, which has placed more than 200,000 volunteers in 80 countries, promotes cross-cultural understanding and friendship through the unique person-to-person development philosophy of the agency. The three pillars of Peace Corps are to:

• Help people of interested countries meet their needs for trained men and women
• Promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served
• Promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans

Background

Shortly after the 1989 revolution, U.S. assistance to Romania focused primarily on aiding Romanian street children and children who had been institutionalized during the Ceausescu regime. Although the Peace Corps had no official agreement, programming began under a memorandum of understanding with the Citizens Democracy Corps. In December 1990, a country representative and an administrative officer from the Peace Corps arrived in Bucharest. In March 1991, 18 Trainees arrived to initiate a Romanian orphanage project, and on January 24, 1992, a country agreement was signed and support efforts were refocused to establish a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) project, which began in the summer of 1992. The Peace Corps began a health, social and youth nongovernmental organization development project and a community economic development project in 1993. Peace Corps Romania’s environmental management and educational project began in 1998.

Timeline for Peace Corps in Romania (pdf)

Peace Corps Romania Brochure

If you would like an electronic copy of a Peace Corps Romania brochure send an e-mail to info@peacecorps.ro.

Peace Corps Romania Overview

If you are interested in learning more about PeaceCorps Romania, you can download a Power Point Presentation presenting Peace Corps Romania here.

Statistical Summary of Peace Corps Romania

History

• Peace Corps Romania officially established: March, 1991
• Total number of Volunteers to date: 1013

Volunteers

• Current number of Volunteers and Trainees: 87
• Gender: 58 female, 29 male
• Marital Status: 91% single, 09% married
• Minorities: 11 volunteers of minority descent
• Age: 42 years old (average)
• Oldest Volunteer’s Age: 79
• Education: 90% have undergraduate degrees, 30% have graduate studies/degrees
• Volunteers by Work Area
  
  • Teaching English as a Foreign Language- 68 (79%)
  • Environment Education and Awareness – 9 (10%)
  • Youth Development -8 (9%)
  • Community Economic Development- 1 (1%)
  • Peace Corps Response – 1 (1%)

Figures are based on data as of 2011. Percentages for sectors may total more than 100 because of rounding.