Peace Corps volunteers have been digging wells, planting trees and fixing houses since the humanitarian agency began in 1961. But in the past few years, a new dimension has been added - business.
Peace Corps representatives were on hand at the University of Utah Tuesday to outline the agency's mission and drum up recruits who could aid small-business owners in developing nations. Four students attended the informational meeting.The Peace Corps needs everything from accountants to marketing specialists to business owners themselves. Volunteers will find that the needs of the country to which they are assigned will determine the level and type of assistance needed.
"You could be in a rural or urban setting," said Dan Cook, a Peace Corps area representative who volunteered in the Dominican Republic. "You could be wearing a suit and working with a chamber of commerce or in a more typical Peace Corps setting."
He helped entrepreneurs with accounting and basic business skills, teaching in a one-room schoolhouse with a dirt floor in a rural village.
On the other end of the spectrum was Don Droubay, an account executive for Video West Productions, who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Poland offering more sophisticated advice and lectures.
Also on hand was Steve Hurbut, program manager for the Center for International Business, who was a Peace Corps volunteer in the West African nation of Burkina Faso.
He helped handle loans for small business owners and worked with cooperatives and individuals. Among other things, Hurbut encouraged entrepreneurs to think big and reach beyond their village - perhaps taking items they made to the capital to sell to tourists for considerably more money than they'd normally get.
"Sometimes the simplest and most basic things can make a difference," he said.
Peace Corps volunteers spend 27 months in the program with three months of training. They receive transportation to the nation where they're assigned and get a living allowance. They also get a $5,400 "re-adjustment allowance" when they return to the United States. Married couples can join if they don't have young children, as can non-traditional students and older people who are healthy.
The Peace Corps currently has nearly 7,000 volunteers in 87 countries.
Student Kathy McKay, a senior majoring in finance, said the Peace Corps intrigued her - particularly the idea of helping people without attempting to change their customs or religions or make their countries like America.
Peace Corps area representatives Dan Cook and Sharon Fuller will be at the U.'s Career Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday in the ballroom of the Olpin Building. They also will be at Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 612 E. 400 South, at 7 p.m. on Thursday.