Twenty one Peace Corps Volunteers sworn in

Twenty-one Peace Corps Volunteers were sworn in by US Ambassador Dean R. Thompson and the Peace Corps/Nepal Country Director Troy Kofroth to begin their two-year service in Nepal. The new Volunteers join the nearly 4,000 Peace Corps Volunteers who have served in the country since 1962, according to a US Embassy press release.

They mark the first group to arrive since the global evacuation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today also celebrates the day that – 61 years ago- on August 24th, 1962the governments of Nepal and the United States signed an agreement to establish the Peace Corps program here in Nepal.

“As the son of a founding Peace Corps staff member, and the parent of a former Volunteer myself, I know first hand the value of the Peace Corps and its potential to transform lives of both Volunteers and the communities they serve,” pointed out ambassador Thompson. “With nearly 4,000 Volunteers working here since 1962, teaching English in Nepal’s schools or working in agriculture, the Nepali people have a lot of stories to tell, said Thompson. “It’s great to have Volunteers back in the country once again,” he added.

The twenty-one Peace Corps Volunteers, who arrived in June 2023, underwent 11 weeks of intensive language, cross-cultural and technical training in Kavre District in preparation for their service. The Volunteers have been assigned to five districts in Gandaki and Bagmati provinces to teach English in government schools and to work on food security and health projects in coordination with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Health and Population, and Agriculture and Livestock Development.