Just saw this posted on the blog Central American Politics with a great comment "Even if Peace Corps is cutting back in Central America, that doesn't mean that it still isn't a great opportunity."
There are some big changes going on here in the Northern Triangle of Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras). I'm sure most have heard the volunteers (PCVs) in Honduras were pulled out for a reevaluation of the program (they say it's currently the country with the highest homicide rate in the world...) As for Guatemala and El Salvador the situation is not quite so drastic, however the number of volunteers is being significantly reduced (almost immediately), leaving many unlucky PCVs and communities in a lurch. Many volunteers cannot tolerate the idea of leaving early, even jus one to four months, and will be staying on their own dime to finish up projects and say goodbye. Others may end up leaving Peace Corps rather than face relocation to safer areas of the country.
While this has been quite a roller coaster ride for us, with varying opinions on those specific program changes, the one thing we can all agree on is that Peace Corps takes safety and security very seriously! I was super lucky to have been placed in such a wonderful community and have traveled all over the country with no major problems....though there was that one time my bus rolled down a ditch, throwing a my chile relleno (breakfast) and me around a bit...what's life without a little adventure? :)
