International Voluntary Service:
A Powerful American Value
International voluntary service has been a source of national strength since the earliest days of the United States. The confluence of efforts of individual American volunteers, voluntary organizations, private enterprise, and government has been a distinctly American contribution to world stability and development.
American volunteers and the U.S. Government joined forces to provide major relief for Europe during and after the First World War. Following the Second World War, the Marshall Plan was a triumph of American assistance, providing financial support for the rebuilding of Europe and promoting policies of political and economic freedom and openness.
Tens of thousands of American volunteers have responded and continue to respond to President John Kennedy's initiative, the Peace Corps - one of America's and the world's best-loved international programs. The Peace Corps, requiring a minimum two-year commitment by volunteers, has transformed the lives of aid recipients as well as those of thousands of American volunteers.
Volunteers for Prosperity Initiative
President George W. Bush now is calling on American citizens to mobilize in "armies of compassion." His Volunteers for Prosperity initiative links highly skilled American professionals with U.S. organizations that have international volunteer opportunities. These organizations place the volunteers in shorter, more flexible assignments than the Peace Corps model.
In a speech to the US Coast Guard Academy on May 21, 2003, President Bush announced the creation of Volunteers for Prosperity, a new volunteer-based initiative designed to support major U.S. development initiatives overseas using the talents of highly skilled Americans who will work with U.S. organizations helping to promote health and generate prosperity in countries around the world.
President Bush launched the Volunteers for Prosperity initiative to help Americans with skills in such areas as health care, information technology, financial services, trade and investment, education, and agricultural development, to answer the call to service and help meet global needs.
Executive Order 13317
On September 25, 2003, President Bush signed Executive Order 13317 concerning the Volunteers for Prosperity initiative. The Executive Order directed appropriate federal agencies and departments to look for ways to expand, promote, and enhance volunteer service opportunities overseas for American professionals. It also directed appropriate agencies to evaluate prospective grantees in part according to their ability and plans to use highly trained volunteers in carrying out assistance activities to be implemented abroad. This innovation will make grant applicants who rely on skilled volunteers more competitive for federal funds.
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