Forty-three Peace Corps trainees arrived in Georgetown last week to begin their two years of service to the people of Guyana. The new trainees make up the 27th group of Peace Corps Volunteers to serve in Guyana, and they will soon begin their pre-service training.

For the next twelve weeks of training, trainees will live with local host families who will 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 where trainees will be engaged in field practicum in local schools and health centers. This enhances their 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 8, 2015.

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 700 American Volunteers have served the people of Guyana. 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 welcomes the opportunity to work with the people of Guyana 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.