Six United States Peace Corps Volunteers will take the Peace Corps Pledge on Wednesday 20 January 2016. Deputy Chief of Mission Laura Griesmer and Political-Economic Officer Sarah Gjorgijevski of the Embassy of the United States of America to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean will attend the ceremony.
Invited guests to the ceremony include government officials, Ministry of Education officials, families who have hosted the Peace Corps Trainees, and local trainers and community members from the villages where the Volunteers will serve for the next two years.
Peace Corps Volunteers come from all parts of the United States and reflect America’s rich diversity. They were selected through a rigorous, year-long nationwide search. Since arriving to Dominica on 1st August 2015, they have participated in a three-week training program to improve their knowledge of the country, youth and organizational development strategies and the professional and technical aspects of the positions to which they will be assigned. Prior to arriving here they spent seven weeks of intensive training in St. Lucia. Most of the training prepared the Volunteers to focus on literacy instruction in grades 1-3. Subsequent to completing their training, they have worked in various primary schools on the island.
Their official swearing-in ceremony was postponed due to Tropical Storm Erika. New Peace Corps Country Director Mary Kate Lowndes will attend the ceremony as well.
Each of the six Volunteers commits to two years of Volunteer service in Dominica. They are assigned to various primary schools on the island where they work on improving literacy. They join six second-year Volunteers who are currently serving here. The Peace Corps program in Dominica is part of a sub-regional Peace Corps program for the Eastern Caribbean headquartered in Saint Lucia. Currently, there are over 55 Peace Corps Volunteers assigned to serve in the Eastern Caribbean.
The Peace Corps first arrived to the Eastern Caribbean in 1961 and to Dominica in 1967. Over the years, Peace Corps Volunteers have worked with their local counterparts in the areas of community development, education, small business development and health education.
The swearing-in ceremony will begin at 10:00am at the UWI Open Campus.
To Dan. Maybe you had some bad experiences with the Peace Corps but many of us can vouch for having received excellent instructions from these volunteers especially in the 70′.s and 80’s in high school . I say we need more !
Six more Peace Corps victims. They will, as usual, accomplish nothing. Can’t fight the backwards Dominica culture or stupid missionaries.
Thanks to the Peace Corps for all that they do ! Looking back, many of us especially in high school have benefitted greatly from their instructions and their constant presence can only be a huge plus especially in these days of cost cutting .