Thirty-eight Peace Corps trainees arrived in Guyana on Tuesday morning to begin their 27 months of service to the people of Guyana.
Members of the Peace Corp that arrived in Guyana
The new trainees are part of the 31st group of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Guyana since 1995, and represent 20 out of the 52 United States. The volunteers’ age range from 21 to 47, and come from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
For the next 10 weeks of pre-service training, the Peace Corps trainees will live with host families who will teach them the Guyanese way of life as they learn how to cook local food, negotiate in the market place, and participate in community activities.
In addition, their training will include a technical component within the health, education and environment sectors where they will engage in field practicums within Peace Corps’ new local model school programme. The group will be sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers in August, to begin their two years of service in nine regions of Guyana.
In March of 1961, President John F Kennedy created the Peace Corps to provide human resource and technical assistance to developing countries. The Peace Corps was first active in Guyana from 1966-1971, and later returned in 1995 at the invitation of then-President, Dr Cheddi Jagan. Since its establishment, more than 900 American volunteers have supported numerous communities throughout Guyana.
The volunteers have welcomed the opportunity to work with the people of Guyana and extended their gratitude to the people of Guyana for their hospitality, and for the possibility they offer to the volunteers in working together to advance and develop the country.
