GEORGETOWN – Thirty Peace Corps trainees arrived in Georgetown yesterday to complement their 35 colleagues already in service. The new trainees make up the 25th group of Peace Corps Volunteers to serve in Guyana, and they will soon begin their pre-service training.
GEORGETOWN – Thirty Peace Corps trainees arrived in Georgetown yesterday to complement their 35 colleagues already in service. The new trainees make up the 25th group of Peace Corps Volunteers to serve in Guyana, and they will soon begin their pre-service training. For the duration of training, trainees live with host families who 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. Pre-service training also entails a technical component within both the health and education sectors. Over the ten weeks, trainees will be engaged in field practicum in local schools and health centers. This enhances the trainees’ abilities to meet the needs of the communities they will serve. The group is expected to be officially sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers on July 3, 2013.
The Peace Corps was first active in Guyana from 1966-1971. In 1993, Peace Corps was invited to return to Guyana by the late President Dr. Cheddi Jagan, and the first group arrived in 1995. Since its establishment, more than 600 American Volunteers have served the people of Guyana. Upon accepting the invitation to serve, Peace Corps Volunteers agree to live and work in Guyana for two years. The late U.S. President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps in March 1961 to provide human resource and technical assistance to developing countries that have requested such engagement.
The Peace Corps is welcomes the opportunity to work with the people of Guyana in their communities and extends its gratitude to the Government and people of Guyana for their hospitality and for the possibility they offer the Volunteers in working together to advance Guyana’s development aspirations.
Courtesy of U.S. Peace Corps Guyana
