PeaceCorps volunteers have been venturing out in the world since 1961 when Sargent Shriver first organized the program to send Americans into the developing world with the mandate to “promote world peace and friendship”. In 1981 he said

The cure is care. Caring for others is the practice of peace. Caring becomes as important as curing. Caring produces the cure, not the reverse. Peace doesn’t not come through strength, strength comes through peace.

May Dog Meets World in it’s own small way, be a seed of peace. One PeaceCorp volunteer said “Thank you Dog Meets World for giving purpose to my Peace Corps service. Through DMW, I not only distributed photographs. I also brought a service to the people my communities. I showed them that I see them.”

Kyle is currently a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica. He said Dog Meets World has been one of the favorite activities he’s done at his school.

The best part would have to be seeing the faces of the children when they received their pictures, especially for those students whom I think don’t have very many, if any, pictures of themselves. The faces of these children were fixed on the printer, watching their image take shape, and then their faces lit up when they got to receive their own personal picture, for free, to enjoy. (Each picture comes with the date printed on it, so they can remember when it was taken.) Those were the kids that really made the project worth while. For these reasons, Dog Meets World is a great project to share with those who haven’t shared the same opportunities I may have had as a child. And I think the smiles in the photos speak for themselves.

Read more on Kyle’s blog.

Phodographers Kathryn Rouillard and Nisha Grimes in Las Vegas de Rio Canas, Costa Rica, March 2010

Peace Corps Volunteer Kathryn wrote “Thank you Dog Meets World for giving purpose to my Peace Corps service. I commit to spending the remainder of my service not only seeing red, blue, and yellow, but trying to make purple, green, and orange. Through DMW, I not only distributed photographs. I also brought a service to the people of Cuatro Calles and Las Vegas de Río Cañas. I showed them that I see them.”

She noted that Dog Meets World opened her eyes to the poverty and lack of opportunity that exists in Ortega- in Cuatro Calles and Las Vegas de Río Cañas, which are two barrios that pertain to Ortega. Many families struggle with the daily task of collecting water early in the morning for cooking, cleaning, bathing, drinking, and other activities that we often take for granted.

Kathryn a Peace Corps volunteer shares what photos mean to her “I have been blessed with photo documentation of my first birthday, my first trip to the beach, my first day of school, my first prom… I cherish a picture of my grandfather which I have had next to my bed since he passed away last year. Through pictures, I have told my life story to my friends and neighbors in Ortega and, through pictures, I have frozen unforgettable moments in time like laughs with friends, kisses with boyfriends, and breathtaking scenery in places like Spain, Paraguay, and now, Costa Rica. I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to pass on such joy to families in Ortega by being part of the Dog Meets World photo project.“

Kathryn writes: “Just a quick note to tell you how thrilled I am to be part of the Dog Meets World project. I am anxious to share my reflection and pictures with you and others, but I wanted to check in with you while I am still coming down from one of the highest highs I have experienced thus far as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica.. Thank you!”

When describing her motivation to become a phodographer Kathryn explained, “I have been blessed with photo documentation of my first birthday, my first trip to the beach, my first day of school, my first prom… I cherish a picture of my grandfather which I have had next to my bed since he passed away last year. Through pictures, I have told my life story to my friends and neighbors in Ortega and, through pictures, I have frozen unforgettable moments in time like laughs with friends, kisses with boyfriends, and breathtaking scenery in places like Spain, Paraguay, and now, Costa Rica. I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to pass on such joy to families in Ortega. Today I took a family photo for a woman with two children and a newborn baby. That is something special. “

Wearing green on St. Patrick’s day is all about connecting cultures. While these children are not celebrating today’s Irish holiday, they are celebrating owing their first photographs of themselves thanks to volunteer phodogrpaher Anna, a retired Peace Corps worker. She recently revisited her village in Costa Rica where she reconnected with friends and shared photos through Dog Meets World.

Peace Corps Volunteer Kristen writes that former volunteer and phodographer Anna Myers “came back to visit. She brought with her this project which includes a totally sweet little digital printer with all the pieces (paper, ink, etc.). To Americans, a photo of ourselves is incredibly easy to come by. We probably have thousands spanning throughout our lifetimes. But here in rural Costa Rica it is very rare to have more than one or two personal photos and even then, the kids themselves don’t really have ownership of them. This non-profit project is just getting started but it has already spanned across the world as world travelers bring along the compact printer with them on their trips abroad. Peace Corps Costa Rica is Dog Meets World’s first initiation of the project in cooperation with Peace Corps. The founder hopes to expand this and have printers circulating Peace Corps countries as volunteers initiate the project. I implemented the project first during my girls youth group and it went over fabulously.“. Read more on Kristen’s blog.