Peter Parr

Peter Parr was born in northern Minnesota on the Iron Range. In 1955, during the transition from colonial rule to national independence, he traveled with his family to Africa. They arrived in Sudan during the turbulent period before its independence from Anglo-Egyptian dominance. As South Sudan erupted into civil war, the family fled to Ethiopia, where they lived a nomadic life in the southwest, moving from one station to another.

Parr holds a BA in English Literature from the College of Wooster and a Master's Diploma in Development Administration from the University of Birmingham. After college, he returned to Ethiopia, where he and his wife volunteered on a refugee program in Gambella. They later moved to Surma to help build a mission station among the Surma tribe. Two of their four children were born in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Parr has worked long-term in various countries, including Afghanistan, Egypt, and Kenya. In 2007, he became the US Peace Corps country director for Ethiopia. He currently resides inside the States.