WOODLAND PARK, N.J. —After retiring from a career in business and finance, Rakesh Jobanputra was searching for a way to give back and serve others.

His search took him to a road less traveled — and he took it.

“I didn’t want to just retire and go and play golf or sit sipping cocktails,” said Jobanputra, 59, of Florham Park. “That’s just not me. And for me, I need a challenge. I need to be in an environment helping others. And I’m selfish in that I want the reward and the satisfaction of knowing I’ve helped others, but I’m hoping I’m a little bit selfless as well.”

Jobanputra turned to the Peace Corps after he discovered that the organization welcomes members of all ages.

“I’ve heard a lot about the Peace Corps, from that perspective of younger recent graduates going out and volunteering all over the world,” Jobanputra said. “I didn’t realize that there was the senior part to it in terms of volunteers. Apparently, it’s less than 10% and growing.”

Despite this statistic, Jobanputra was not discouraged.

“I am not feeling any concerns about working alongside young people. In fact, I hope I can share my experiences and knowledge with them as well as learn from them, too,” he said.

‘Pain, anger and sadness’:Peace Corps under scrutiny after worker kills woman in Africa

After the Peace Corps accepted his application, Jobanputra learned he will be one of the first volunteers to go abroad after the coronavirus pandemic.

In March 2020, the Peace Corps brought all its volunteers home. More than 7,000 volunteers were evacuated from posts in more than 60 countries. During the pandemic, the Peace Corps continued its work through a new virtual service platform, domestic deployment of volunteers to aid in the United States’ COVID-19 response, and continued work with overseas staff and partners.

Now the Peace Corps is sending volunteers, including Jobanputra, abroad once again. He will be stationed in Albania for two years.

“Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe,” Jobanputra said. “Interestingly, it’s one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. The scenery is breathtaking. But sadly, the government there bankrupted the country 20 years ago, and since then, it’s been really trying to dig itself out of a really bad economic situation.”

Florham Park resident Rakesh Jobanputra is among the first to travel with the United States Peace Corps since 2020, when volunteers were recalled due to the pandemic.

He explained his role in the region.

“From what I understand, I will be an organizational development volunteer, and I look at that as volunteer community work [and] social work,” Jobanputra said. “And so I’ll be placed at a site, probably a rural town or village, and probably an underserved community.”

He also hopes to bring some of his experiences and interests to the role, to go above and beyond what is expected of him and to have a positive impact in the region.