Peace Corps Philippines, an agency and volunteer program run by the United States government, has signed a contract to independently evaluate the impact of the organization’s unique “Response Program” as it prepares for the resumption of its activities in a post-COVID-19 pandemic setting.
Jenner Edelman, Peace Corps Philippines country director, awarded the contract to Agnes Quilinguing, an independent research consultant with over 15 years of project management, monitoring, and evaluation experience during a ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 16.
Quilinguing is currently a public financial management specialist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and has worked with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other international organizations and government agencies, and academe.
“This is the first time Peace Corps Philippines has hired an external evaluator to assess the effectiveness of our Response Program in helping our partners bridge specific technical gaps and build lasting capacity. This evaluation will provide valuable insights into what is working and what we can do to better support partners across the Philippines when our Response Program volunteers return post-pandemic,” Edelman said in a statement.
Since its launch in 2007, Peace Corps Philippines’ Response Program has placed more than 200 highly experienced American volunteers with LGUs, state universities, and other institutions seeking specialized technical assistance for short-term assignments of up to one year across the country - in disaster risk reduction and management, environmental management, education, and youth development.
The evaluation is slated to finish in February 2022 and will yield lessons learned that may benefit other Peace Corps Response Programs worldwide.
Founded in 1961 by the late US President John F, Kennedy, the Peace Corps is the US government’s premier volunteer service organization and has since then deployed more than 240,000 Americans in over 140 countries worldwide, seeking to make a lasting impact and achieve Peace Corps’ mission of world friendship and peace.
Peace Corps Philippines, the agency’s second-oldest program globally, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. More than 9,300 volunteers have served alongside host communities across the Philippines over the span of six decades.