"Ground truthed"

that's how Obama's aid in charge of the Peace Corps described the unique value added of Peace Corps volunteers. The ability to talk from experience, acquired 'on the ground', unmitigated by politics, injecting a healthy dose of reality into any dialogue dealing with development.

The US representative in our international organization organized this get-together today, in celebration of the 50th year of the Peace Corps. Over 300 of our own staff were, at one point or another, volunteers -- some going back to the 60s -- and they've formed an "alumni" association.

Neat bunch of people, with a vast reservoir of unique experiences and interesting stories to tell!