Sushi for Breakfast and Reggaetón from the Rooftops
By Brynn Smith Today marks one month since I landed back in the States, and every day I still wake up dazed and confused, wondering whether my whole life in Colombia was
A Man and His Animals
By Jerry Cronin Many consider the Peace Corps Volunteers pseudo-hippie idealists who don’t accomplish anything. When I arrived in Bogotá in September, 1964, I had no idea where I would be sent.
Corona Contradictions
By Margarita Sorock A man in bermudas and a T-shirt arrives at the entrance to the Pearly Gates. St. Peter (very harried): Where are you from? Man in bermudas: Cartagena. St. Peter:
Ensuring the Future of the Peace Corps Op-Ed
by Jerry Norris In a March 15 open letter to Volunteers worldwide, Peace Corps Director Jody Olson wrote: we are acting to safeguard your well-being and prevent a situation where Volunteers
Transformative Chocolate
Recently evacuated Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) Elyse Magen would like to thank FOC for contributing to her National Peace Corps Association fundraising campaign “Economic Empowerment of Women in Colombia.” The campaign
TCP Global Micro Loan Program
Yasmila often takes her Miracle Pot (La Olla Milagrosa) and a chicken to the poorest barrios around Fundación, inviting each family to contribute something—corn, yuca, potatoes, carrots or whatever they can spare.
Colombia’s Amazing Race to Build a $1,000 Ventilator
By Maureen Orth (PC Colombia 1964-1966) Long-time FOC member, Maureen Orth, recently reported on how three teams from Medellin built ventilator prototypes for COVID-19 in just ten days! Colombia can’t afford to
PC Colombia Volunteers evacuated due to COVID-19 pandemic
The return of all Peace Corps Volunteers to the United States is heartbreaking to witness, however Friends of Colombia is particularly devastated to know that the countless positive relationships the PCVs formed
Long-Time FOC Member Pat Wand Wins 2019 Peace Corps Champion Award!
By Michael Band (CII-3 2011-2014) and Pat Wand (C-8 1963-1965) Each year the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington, D.C. (RPCV/W) organization honors someone whose work has made a great impact on
Help Send the Marina Orth Foundation’s Rural Robotics Champs to Estonia
Please help the Marina Orth Foundation’s rural robotics champs, from El Carmen de Viboral outside Medellin, Colombia, travel to Tallinn, Estonia, to participate in the 2019 International Robotex Competition from November 26