Babylon Man Travels To Paraguay As Peace Corps Volunteer

BABYLON VILLAGE, NY — In 2016, Babylon Junior Senior high school graduate Owen McCaffrey decided to take a gap year.

Unsure of what to do with his life, he thought that traveling through the United States, and volunteering in Peru and Ecuador, he'd find the key to understanding his life's purpose.

He didn't.

Instead, the gap year led him to a path of service work, and to a making history.

"Every week, I was in a different location. And each week, it was a different community project," he said. "I kind of just fell in love with that idea of living in a community and almost like carrying your weight while you're there."

On May 1, the Babylon native began his two-year service commitment as a community economic development volunteer in Paraguay, as part of the first class of Peace Corps volunteers to return overseas since the COVID-19 pandemic.

McCaffrey told Patch his interest in joining the Peace Corps began during his junior year at West Virginia University, where he studied political science and history.

Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, the Peace Corps is an international service network of volunteers, community members, host country partners and staff who are driven by the agency’s mission of world peace and friendship. In a two-year commitment, volunteers work alongside community members on locally prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth development.

Volunteers have served in 143 countries worldwide.

In March 2020, the Peace Corps evacuated all its volunteers due to the COVID-19 pandemic and announced their return to service in June 2021.

"There was such a backlog of people that had returned to the Peace Corps due to COVID, and they were given priority to return," he said. "But then there was also a backlog of applications."

To increase his chances of being accepted to the Peace Corps, he applied to the AmeriCorps program, USDA Forest Service.

After his college graduation, he lived in the Yellowstone Ranger District of Montana wilderness from April to October 2021, clearing and maintaining trails.

"We were doing 50-mile hikes for over eight days," McCaffrey said. "It was just great extremes, physically and mentally."

The Babylon Village native enjoyed living in Montana so much, he now visits its forests every winter.

"I've fallen in love with Montana since then," he said. "I finished it (AmeriCorps) in October 2021. I went home for Thanksgiving and then drove immediately back."

McCaffrey then applied to the Peace Corps in October 2021, with the intent of a position in agriculture and education.

"Growing up in Babylon, I was very close to the water and I actually worked on an oyster farm for about eight years," he said.

He also had experience teaching English in Peru during his gap year and in Romania. The Peace Corps and application process would take some time, but that didn't stop his wanderlust.

McCaffrey backpacked through Europe for three months, volunteering with different programs in Austria, Romania, and Poland.

"It was pretty hectic, actually," he said. " I was going to a café, doing an interview, writing emails, writing reports, or then trying to figure out the time zones."

In Poland, McCaffrey worked with an organization called Global Volunteers, where he taught English lessons at a technical high school during the day. At night, he and other volunteers planned events for Ukrainian refugee families at night, who usually consisted of mothers and children.

"We would really try to 'de-stress', like go bowling" he said. "Just try to get their mind off the fact that their father or uncle or family member was fighting currently (in Ukraine)."

McCaffrey said that while the language barrier was difficult, he strived to show empathy through all his interactions.

"They don't know what you're saying, you don't know what they're saying. But there's an understanding where they have come from," he said. "Try to just make them comfortable and forget about other things, just to make that one month that I was there a little easier."

In November 2022, while in Poland, McCaffrey received the news that he was accepted to the Peace Corps in Paraguay.

As an economic development volunteer, the Babylon native works with women's groups and high school students who wish to be entrepreneurs or make a second form of income.

"I'm hoping that I can combine everything, to take a little bit from each of my trips and apply it to help them," he said.

Although his parents have since moved from Babylon to Florida, McCaffrey said he tries to spend a month on the East Coast, while also visiting his brother in Islip.

On April 30, his family and friends threw him a going-away party before he flew to Paraguay on May 3.

McCaffrey said his family was at first cautious of his adventurous life, describing himself as someone who casually once visited "Chernobyl for the weekend." But over time, they have grown proud of his gratuitous work.

"Since they've learned about what I'm doing, and they understand why I want to do it, they've really opened up to us and are very supportive right now," said McCaffrey.

After the Peace Corps, the Long Islander said he sees himself becoming a foreign ambassador or working in Washington, D.C.

For now, volunteering with Peace Corps three years after the COVID-19 pandemic is satisfying enough to not only help others, but to give a feeling of hope.

"Going back will also be a signal to the locals, that if the Peace Corps volunteers are back, that means things are getting back to normal," said McCaffrey. "It just feels good to be that sign."

If you are interested in joining or learning about the Peace Corps, visit its website, social media platforms for more information.