Monday, November 06, 2006

[FOG/PC Guinea news] Gender conferences threatened by administrative change

For several years, FOG has sponsored girls' and boys' conferences. By all accounts, these gender conferences have been invaluable in promoting gender equality and female empowerment.

FOG has helped fund the conferences via the intermediary of the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), which is the "official" Peace Corps funding mechanism. However, the PCPP has changed its rules such that transportation and lodging costs can no longer be funded. This change threatens the future of the gender conferences since transport and lodging for participants is the primary expense.

(For more details on the issue, click here)

FOG officials are pursuing this issue and is waiting to hear about alternative funding routes from Peace Corps Guinea.

FOG's board urges members to contact Peace Corps officials and express their concerns.

-Peace Corps Director Ronald Tschetter: rtschetter@peacecorps.gov

-Peace Corps Deputy Director Jody Olsen: jolsen@peacecorps.gov
-
Peace Corps Chief of Operations, Africa Region Lynn Foden: lfoden@peacecorps.gov

Postal letters can be mailed to each of these officials at:

1111 20th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20526
USA

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