The United States Peace Corps is a volunteer program as well as a governmental organization run by the US government. It was empowered by Congress on September 22nd 1961 and established by Executive Order 10924 on March 1st 1961, with passage of the Peace Corps Act – Public Law 87-293.

Each participant of the program, also called a Peace Corps Volunteer, is an American citizen who dedicates him/herself to working outside the country in an assignment for the agency for a span of two years. The organization sends its applicants to over 70 various countries. The work that is usually done is associated with international advancement with focus on business, educations, agriculture, information technology, and environmental sectors. It also collaborates with non-government organizations, non-profit aid groups, and entrepreneurs who contribute to areas in education.

Aside from assisting in the said areas, the US Peace Corps is also responsible with developing mutual intercontinental understanding. Peace Corps has a mission that includes three points: to make people outside the United States understand the American culture, to help Americans understand other countries’ cultures, and to provide technical service.

The goal of the Peace Corps Act is as follows:

“To promote world peace and friendship through a Peace Corps, which shall make available to interested countries and areas men and women of the United States qualified for service abroad and willing to serve, under conditions of hardship if necessary, to help the peoples of such countries and areas in meeting their needs for trained manpower.”

This government agency functions primarily through an announcement of its availability to other governments. Foreign governments that have required the help of the Corps have established areas where the organization can do volunteer work. The agency then pairs the requested appointments to its large number of applicants, with the proper expertise, and sends them to nations that initially made the requests.

Ever since 1960, over 195,000 people have joined in the Peace Corps as volunteers in 139 nations.