Women, Wellness, and Change

Ruppe Award highlights breast cancer advocacy in Malaysia

The Ruppe Award for Outstanding Community Service is a prestigious honor presented annually by the National Peace Corps Association to RPCV affiliate groups. Named after the respected 10th director of the Peace Corps, Loret Miller Ruppe, this award celebrates initiatives that embody the Peace Corps’ mission to pro- mote cultural understanding, collaboration, and volunteer- ism. The award aims to highlight impactful projects that uphold the Third Goal of the Peace Corps: “Bringing the world back home” through community service and international understanding. The award also serves as a model for other RPCV groups to emulate in their own communities.

At the 2024 Peace Corps Connect Conference, Friends of Malaysia received the Ruppe Award in recognition of their long-standing commitment to supporting marginalized communities in Malaysia, and to preserving the legacy of the Peace Corps’ impact in the region. Friends of Malaysia was awarded this honor for three primary accomplishments:

1. Breast cancer awareness and education

Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of death among women in Malaysia, especially in rural areas where access to healthcare resources is limited. Friends of Malaysia has provided educational materials to organizations that help over 10,000 women in these communities learn how to perform self-examinations and locate nearby clinics for follow-up care. This initiative not only raises awareness, but also empowers women to take proactive steps in managing their health. By focusing on early detection, it aims to reduce mortality rates and increase breast cancer awareness in underserved areas.

2. Community support projects for sustainable development

Friends of Malaysia has championed various projects targeting environmental and social needs across Malaysia. Their efforts include providing water purifiers to an island that lacks a potable water supply, supporting the cleanup of plastic waste from tourism, and funding educational programs for local children. They’ve also given grants to a local nongovernmental organization (NGO) dedicated to building hydroelectric power plants for off-grid villages, enhancing access to sustainable energy. Additionally, Friends of Malaysia has funded art programs for refugee women, helping to preserve traditional art forms and foster creative expression within camps. Recognizing the socioeconomic challenges of rickshaw drivers affected by the rise of ride-sharing, the group has allocated funds to supplement these workers’ retirement and healthcare needs. Addressing the public health issue of stray animal overpopulation, Friends of Malaysia has also supported spay and neuter clinics to mitigate the risks associated with feral animals.

3. Legacy and community building

The group also produces a quarterly newsletter that allows members to share stories and updates, fostering a sense of community among RPCVs. Additionally, they’ve developed a comprehensive website to chronicle the Peace Corps’ history in Malaysia, collecting archives that other- wise would have been lost, thus ensuring that the impact of Peace Corps Volunteers from the 1960s onward is preserved for future generations. This initiative serves as a digital archive of Peace Corps’ contributions in Malaysia. They continue to connect RPCVs with their Malaysian counterparts and their families. Friends of Malaysia supports a legacy of international friendship and cultural exchange that embodies the Peace Corps’ third goal of bringing the world back home. The Loret Miller Ruppe Award will again be presented in-person at the Peace Corps Connect Conference in Washington, D.C., next July. The award emphasizes the importance of RPCV groups in maintaining the spirit of Peace Corps service, and encourages them to replicate Friends of Malaysia’s model in their own communities worldwide. It is a testament to the enduring influence of Peace Corps service, bridging past and present Volunteers through ongoing contributions to community service.

Cynthia Capruso (Madagascar 2019–2020) is an NPCA intern and graduate student at Baruch College.