Two of Guyana’s very own attended the Inauguration of Barack Obama.  Timothy Birner worked for the State Department in Guyana from 2003 to 2005 and Mike Geurink was a PCV from 2004 to 2006.  Many PCV’s who served from 2003 to 2005 knew Tim as the man who hosted the parties, partook in numerous Peace Corps events, and provided transportation for those in need.  Actually, Tim was at so many Peace Corps get togethers that he was numerously mistaken for a PCV himself.  He was our honorary PCV who participated in any cultural activity that provided a chance for us to get together.

In fact there were many Guyana RPCV’s in attendance.  The mass of people made logistics next to impossible, so it was best to go with who was standing next to you.  Whether that was a person you knew or not, you just had to go with it.  Tim and I stuck together for the whole day and froze together.  It was such a great day for all of America that words cannot justify it.  From the great campaign, to election night, and to finally, the Inauguration.  Definitely a culminating event that many couldn’t wait to occur.  It was a great experience to be a part of history and to witness the peaceful process of transitioning to a new leader.  Not a single person was arrested on January 20th.  That is amazing to me.  2 million people in one spot and not a single disturbance.  No protests, no drunken violence, no police brutality, just happy people who wanted to be part of something special.

A great event that millions witnessed all over the world!

(via peacecorpsonline.typepad.com)

Organized by the National Peace Corps Association and the Washington DC Returned Volunteers, members of the Peace Corps community marched in President Obama’s Inaugural Parade.President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s Inaugural Committee officially extended an offer to the Peace Corps Community and AmeriCorps Alums to march in the 56th Inaugural Parade.

In keeping with its commitment to hold inaugural events that celebrate our common values and reflect our nation’s history of community service, President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s Inaugural Committee officially extended an offer to the Peace Corps Community and AmeriCorps Alums to march in the 56th Inaugural Parade. Members of these service organizations will join representatives from across the country and our Armed Forces in the historic parade down Pennsylvania Avenue following President-elect Obama’s swearing-in ceremony on the steps of the Capitol. “These organizations embody the best of our nation’s history, diversity and commitment to service,” said President-elect Obama. “Vice President-elect Biden and I are proud to have them join us in the parade.”

What is peacecorpsconnect.org?

PeaceCorpsConnect.org – our redesigned website is live…well almost. You are visiting the beta (test) version of the social networking portion of the site. Right now we are on schedule to officially launch Peace Corps Connect on January 20th.

Please be patient as we get settled in and continue to make changes. Look around, offer suggestions. We welcome your feedback and hope that you’ll be excited about possibilities that can emerge by connecting the Peace Corps community.

The PEACE CORPS CONNECT MISSION:

Peace Corps Connect engages those who served in the Peace Corps, or share the Peace Corps values, to build communities that inform, inspire, and integrate experiences that promote understanding and appreciation of other countries and cultures and sustainable development across the globe.

PEACE CORPS CONNECT PROVIDES:

• A “hub” of information about Peace Corps for current, future, and past volunteers, Peace Corps staff, and other interested individuals.
• Online building blocks to bring together individuals with similar interests.
• A springboard for advocacy initiatives to inform the Peace Corps community about “calls to action.”
• A library of institutional knowledge about the projects of current and past volunteers to promote development work.
• Resources for returned volunteers about careers, graduate schools, service opportunities, travel, and a variety of other relevant areas.

FROG would like to give a shout out to Russell McGorman of Our house Graphic Design, for donating his time helping us with logo work. We appreciate the time and energy that went into volunteering for us!

If you’re interested in finding volunteers to help with your organizations design work, check out DesignismConnects.com

(http://www.demerarawaves.com/)

Demerara Waves, a new online news source for Guyana, has recently been launched. Their mission, according to their site, states that they aim to provide unbiased news and utilitize new technology, like web-casts.

(http://www.peacecorps.gov/)

The Peace Corps is proud to announce the top colleges and universities on their annual list of “Peace Corps Top Colleges and Universities” for 2009.

For the third consecutive year, the University of Washington is No. 1 on the undergraduate list in the large schools category, with 104 alumni serving as Peace Corps Volunteers. The University of Colorado-Boulder has risen dramatically from sixth place last year to claim the No. 2 in the large schools category, with 102 Volunteers. Michigan State University has also risen up two spots from fifth place last year to take the No. 3 rank among the country’s large schools, with 89 currently-serving Volunteers.

The complete list can be found here.

Ryan Riley, an RPCV from Benin in West Africa has created a shop on Etsy.com to sell photographs from his time in Peace Corps. There are about 100 photos and each of them are very personal and cover the entire two years of his service. He is donating $5 from every photo sold to Peace Corps projects in Benin through PCPP.

My name is Ryan Riley. I am a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from the Republic of Benin in West Africa. I have been home since September. The following are some of the photographs taken over the two years I was there. These photographs represent an important part of my life. They are very important to me and I hope that they might mean as much to you. I am selling five of each photo. Only five. After that I will not sell anymore of that photograph here on Etsy. For each photograph sold I am going to donate $5 to volunteer projects in Benin. Each photograph is 8 x 10. If you have any questions or want another size then contact me about your needs.

Check out the link – http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6736131

(via caribbeannetnews.com)

Heavy rainfall continues to create havoc in Guyana and the Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, has issued a statement that his ministry will be forced to close 60 schools if the rain continues.

The Kaiteur News reported that the minister said he has received reports that dozens of schools are affected by floods due to the past two weeks of heavy rainfall, and he is looking carefully at the situation before he makes a decision.

Most of the schools affected are in the rural areas.