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Apia, Samoa – July 10, 2024 – Fourteen (14) Americans arrived in Samoa on Monday, joining a select group of citizens heading to Samoa to serve as U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers.
The new volunteers were welcomed at a ceremony at the Ministry of Education and Culture auditorium by Aeau Christoper Hazelman, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Tom Udall, U.S. Ambassador to Samoa and New Zealand, and Gini Wilderson, Country Director of the Peace Corps.
A new Peace Corps volunteer receives her Ava Cup.
The group of volunteers will work with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture to promote the teaching and learning of English literacy. The new volunteers, ranging in age from their 20s to their 40s, will live and work in Samoan villages for two years, serving as English resource teachers in public primary schools.
“We are honored to welcome this new cohort of Peace Corps volunteers to Samoa,” said U.S. Ambassador Tom Udall. “This year marks the 57th anniversary of the Peace Corps’ presence in Samoa, and since 1967, they have built a deep and lasting partnership with the Samoan people. Over the years, Peace Corps volunteers have built countless relationships with Samoan families, and I am confident that this new cohort will be as warmly welcomed by the people of Samoa as their predecessors.”
Aeau Christoper Hazelman, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Education and Culture, welcomed the new volunteers.
The Samoan government first requested Peace Corps assistance in 1967. Since then, more than 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers have provided small-scale technical assistance and built cross-cultural connections in Samoa.
Volunteers choose to serve in Samoa for different reasons. Some want to make a difference in the lives of students.
As one volunteer said, “As an educator, I believe that literacy is the key to the world. My main desire is to get my students interested in reading and writing.”
Another added: “I realised how important education is in achieving one’s dreams and goals in life.”
Accept and welcome one of the new batch of volunteers.
Other volunteers are also eager to learn about Samoa and build lasting bonds within the community. “I hope to be as part of the community as possible, attend church events, spend time with host families and students, connect with those around me, combine respect with friendship, and hopefully (one day) become part of the community myself,” said one of the volunteers.
Newly formed volunteer team, 94day The volunteers, who have lived and worked in Samoa before, will spend the first 11 weeks in a pre-employment training program, which includes learning the Samoan language and culture as well as technical training. The first week of training will be in Apia, and the next 10 weeks will be in the village. After training and cultural orientation, the volunteers will work in Samoa from September 2024 to 2026.
After the welcome ceremony, the 94th group of volunteers took a group photo with Aeau Christoper Hazelman, CEO of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Tom Udall, U.S. Ambassador to Samoa and New Zealand, and Gini Wilderson, the Peace Corps Country Director.
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