PRESS RELEASE : On Tuesday, February 14, Peace Corps Samoa welcomed its first Volunteer trainees since the 2020 Global Evacuation due to COVID 19.
The seven trainees, who arrived in Samoa on Monday, were welcomed with a traditional ava ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture (MESC). Peace Corps Volunteers in Samoa work at the invitation of MESC to support English literacy in primary schools throughout the country.
The ava ceremony was attended by the Honorable Minister of Education Sports and Culture Seu’ula Ioane as well as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, Ambassador Tom Udall, and the U.S. Charge d’affaires, Noriko Horiuchi.
President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961. Peace Corps is about promoting world peace and friendship around the world, about building relationships and opportunity, and strengthening bonds among nations.
From the onset, Peace Corps was the aspiration of visionaries who saw how the efforts of individual people who work together to build cultural bridges and understanding could become a powerful instrument for “world Peace through friendship”.
And since that day, over 240,000 Americans have served in 142 countries around the world.
The Samoan government invited Peace Corps Volunteers to Samoa in October of 1967, nearly 56 years ago. Since then more than 2,000 Volunteers have served in Samoa, living and working alongside their partners to catalyze positive change.
This immersion in the culture and the grassroots approach to development have been essential for the success of the volunteer projects over the years. The energy, enthusiasm, and passion with which Volunteers come to service are the cornerstones of these transformational experiences.
Peace Corps’ Country Director Gini Wilderson says “Peace Corp’s biggest factor for success is our partnership with local communities, especially the local primary schools and communities who have graciously embraced hosting and working with the Volunteers.
Working to accomplish peace and friendship is a lofty mission, and I am now reminded of the words of wisdom shared by the first Peace Corps Director Sargent Shriver when he was asked “how do we practice peace?”
He simply said: “Caring for others is the practice of peace”. “
The values which propelled Peace Corps to the organization it proudly stands today resonate well with his words. Respect for other cultures, collaboration and acceptance while celebrating our diversity and nurturing equity and inclusion—are more important than ever, both at home and overseas.
The seven Peace Corps trainees will now begin an 11-week community-based training in literacy, culture, intercultural diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the Samoan language. They will then swear-in to become Peace Corps Volunteers and disperse to their sites throughout the country to begin their two years of service.