Kennedy also sent a proposal to Congress, requesting permission for a permanent Peace Corps. John F. Kennedy said in his speech to a group of people in March that "Our Peace Corps is not designed as an instrument of diplomacy or propaganda or ideological conflict. It is designed to permit our people to exercise more fully their responsibilities in the great common cause of world development (Kennedy)."" .
The vision of the Peace Corps is to strive for a world in peace, shaped by understanding and tolerance. The mission of the Peace Corps is to lead the Peace Corps community and others to foster peace by working together in service, education, and advocacy. .
The Peace Corps is a civilian American agency overseen by the federal government that sponsors volunteers who work in so-called Third World or underdeveloped countries on educational, public health, agricultural, and construction projects (Africana). .
Requirements for a Peace Corps volunteer are that he or she be a United States citizen, be at least eighteen years of age, and have no more than two dependents under the age of eighteen (Encarta).
The total number of volunteers and trainees to date are 170,000. The total number of countries served at the moment by Peace Corps is 69. Fifty nine percent of volunteers and trainees are female. The majority, (90%), of volunteers and trainees are single, while only ten percent are married. The average age of someone participating and volunteering in the Peace Corps is twenty-eight years old. The average budget of the Peace Corps is $295 million a year (NPCA). .
The Peace Corps is a volunteer organization that runs off of donated funds and funding by Congress. The first year the Peace Corps served in six different countries, and since then they have been invited to serve in 137 different countries over the years on all six continents with developing nations, including North America. There are Peace Corps volunteers currently serving in 69 countries.