US Peace Corps equipped with local dialects to help SA communities
The 15 new volunteers now bring the total number who have served in the country to 1 800.
Fifteen newly sworn-in US Peace Corps volunteers have been armed with Sepedi and Setswana language skills to influence a positive impact in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces.
The group was sworn in on October 4 during the Peace Corps South Africa annual ceremony in Waterkloof in Pretoria.
The group will call the provinces home as they dedicate the next two years to serving communities to improve health and basic education in the various regions.
Nine volunteers will focus on the HIV Awareness & Prevention Programme for Youth Project, while six will focus on the Literacy Enrichment Project (LEP).
The 44th group of volunteers were recently sworn in at a ceremony in Pretoria and will implement literacy and HIV prevention methods in communities in the two provinces.
The volunteers have been in SA since July 17.
The batch will further support teachers from grades R to 4 to bring positive impacts to the learners’ educational journeys in various regions.
The opportunity to aid locals in Mpumalanga and Limpopo was not easy as the volunteers had to undergo a rigorous 10-week pre-service training after having applied their acquired experience skills with their live-in families in Groblersdal.
US ambassador to South Africa, Dr Reuben E. Brigety II said the swearing-in of the 44th cohort of Peace Corps volunteers marked another milestone in the countries’ bilateral relationship.
“For the last 11 weeks, you learned Sepedi and Setswana, lived with South African host families in Groblersdal and Mpumalanga, and immersed yourselves in South African culture. You are now ready to continue your collaborative work for the next two years within your host communities.
“Our health volunteers will work with local organisations to enhance their capacity to improve the health and well-being of orphans, vulnerable children, youth and families, aiming for lives free of HIV. We extend our profound gratitude to the South African government for 27 years of collaboration with the US Peace Corps. ”
Nkangala district education department Douglas Metji Maja said they were appreciative of the work of the Peace Corps and impressed that they had grasped the local languages spoken in schools and communities.
“We really appreciate the support and what they are doing in our communities. Our schools [will] learn from the best practices they share with our communities.”
Volunteers Molly Feeley and Danna Kaufman said they were ready to immerse themselves in SA culture while sharing the varied traditions and experiences of Americans.
“We have come from all over the US with different backgrounds and life experiences, and we have found community in our shared goals. Service, learning and supporting world peace and friendship.
“In the past 11 weeks, we have made bonds that will last a lifetime with each other and with the people who are here to support us today. We commit to the goals of the Peace Corps, and we look forward to the next two years of continued service and learning. ”
US Global Aids co-ordinator and senior bureau official for Global Health and Security Diplomacy, Dr John Nkengasong said the group was entrusted with the responsibility of nation-building.
“The one component that you will be, besides being a number one diplomat in the community, you will be entrusted with the nation-building of that community, as an educator or a healthcare worker. And that person, that child that you are impacting knowledge on, they are going to be the leaders and the values that you carry on in building the nation. So thank you for volunteering to do this work and good luck in your communities,” said Nkengasong.
Country director of Peace Corps SA Kristi Raube said the exchange between the two countries showcased how deeply the two were working to build a positive world.
“It’s one thing to give resources. It’s another to truly give of yourself. And through the Peace Corps, you are demonstrating that the United States is willing to give of ourselves to South Africa. And there is no gift more precious.”
The Peace Corps have aided SA since during President Nelson Mandela’s visit to the United States in October 1994.
He invited the government agency to establish its volunteer service programme in SA to address key country social issues.
The 15 new volunteers now bring the total number who have served in the country to 1 800.
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For more information on the Peace Corps and its programmes in SA, visit https://www.peacecorps.gov/south-africa/.
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