WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) and the Peace Corps community, lead this month a worldwide discussion on sustainable water resources on behalf of its online program, Africa Rural Connect (ARC). The Twitter discussions focused on issues farmers in Africa face concerning access to water for irrigation and drinking.

“The Internet allowed us to invite the whole world to our event to discuss water issues in rural Africa,” said Kevin Quigley, president of the NPCA. “Using micro-blogging as the platform we held a discussion conducive to people throughout Africa and around the world.”

In honor of World Water Day and as part of the 2010 ideas competition kick-off, ARC, which solicits ideas from around the globe on helping rural African communities, spearheaded the innovative discussion on water’s role in agriculture and rural development in Africa.

The center of the online event was a live discussion at the Local 16 bar in Washington featuring academics, RPCV and others who have lived or worked in Africa. Participants at the event shared their ideas through a live Twitter feed displayed on a screen, where other users around the world were able to add their perspectives virtually.

 For more information about the National Peace Corps Association or Africa Rural Connect, please visit www.peacecorpsconnect.org, or www.africaruralconnect.org, respectively.