Nearing 50, Peace Corps Limited by Budget and Bureaucratic Strains

Approaching the half-century mark, the Peace Corps is struggling with budgetary and bureaucratic problems even as it remains a symbol of American idealism to much of the world, The Boston Globe reports.

The agency, founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, peaked at 15,000 volunteers five years later and now has barely half that number. Budget constraints are forcing it to cut another 400 volunteers, and the Peace Corps can’t afford to start new programs in all of the estimated 20 countries ready to accept its workers.

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