Overview:
We're starting Post-Service Training on how to navigate uncertainty—a skill every RPCV knows well. We're experts at picking up projects that are falling apart and finding creative solutions with limited resources.
2025 started as a whirlwind and turned into a full-blown tornado. DOGE efforts resulted in massive Peace Corps staff cuts and hiring freezes. USAID was dismantled. USIP faced elimination. Peace Corps is shuttering three posts in the Africa region, including Mozambique, Ethiopia, and South Africa.
In responding to the unexpected announcement that Peace Corps South Africa (PCSA) will cease operations, NPCA affiliate Friends of South Africa (FSA) shared the following statement:
“FSA is deeply saddened to hear about the closure of PCSA. Our hearts go to all PCVs in country as they are given the news that Peace Corps South Africa will close its doors. We understand this decision does not come easily to PCVs currently serving, nor to RPCVs that call South Africa a second home. As we process the devastating news, RPCVs and PCVs have already started to band together to tell our story of South Africa and the people whom have touched all of our lives. We hold fast to a local saying, Ubuntu, ‘I am because we are’, and will continue to support and uplift the people of South Africa.”
As this example shows, the federal landscape for international service shifted more dramatically in one year than in the previous two decades. The instinct? Roll into a corner. Doomscroll. Feel powerless.
That is not how we RPCV.
Our Peace Corps community advocates got organized. We made calls. Sent letters. Showed up. The result: Peace Corps' budget is holding relatively steady (at or near $430.5 million) while other agencies faced devastating cuts—not by accident, but because thousands of advocates made their voices heard.
What We Did in 2025:
- More than 7,500 NPCA advocates across all 50 states sent more than 26,000 messages to members of Congress.
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NPCA advocates in 28 states and in D.C. were featured in opinion pieces, letters-to-the-editor, or other news stories, with the potential of reaching 6.7 million people.
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170 advocates from 29 states and in D.C. held more than 150 meetings with congressional offices during NPCA’s Capitol Hill advocacy day this past July. Since then, Peace Corps funding remains on a path for level or near level funding for the current fiscal year.
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To date, 15 members of the House of Representatives (9 Democrats, 6 Republicans) have co-sponsored bi-partisan legislation to recognize Peace Corps with a Congressional Gold Medal, recognizing the service of past and present volunteers.
What We Are Asking You To Do:
Your support makes a difference and is more crucial than ever. Peace Corps exists today because advocates speak up when it matters most. We're not done yet. Your assignment: ensure lawmakers know Peace Corps' value. Ready to complete Module 1? Access advocacy resources and training materials below.
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