ANTANANARIVO – After a two-year absence due to COVID, Peace Corps Volunteers are back in force. Twenty-two Peace Corps Volunteers arrived in Madagascar August 30 to begin two years of service. One group of volunteers will support the Malagasy people by teaching English, while another will promote climate-smart vegetable gardening to address malnutrition. The volunteers will complete twelve weeks of language, cultural, and technical training, then move to sites throughout Madagascar to begin their assignments. These volunteers join two others sworn in by U.S. Ambassador Claire A. Pierangelo and country director Brett Coleman last month.
Mr. Coleman says the Peace Corps is thrilled with their arrival: “For two and a half years, our local staff have done incredible work to maintain Peace Corps’ operations and to maintain our relationships with local communities in preparation for this day. A key aspect of our staff’s work has been to work with local leaders to identify the communities’ own priorities for development, which our Volunteers will support in partnership with the communities.”
Thirty-five additional Volunteers are expected to arrive in Madagascar in February 2023. They will strengthen local health initiatives; bolster maternal and child health; and support water, sanitation, and hygiene projects. The Peace Corps plans to rebuild the Madagascar program to the pre-pandemic level of 150 active Volunteers over the next two years.
The Peace Corps was founded in 1961 by U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Since its founding, the Peace Corps mission to promote world peace and friendship has remained unchanged. More than 241,000 Volunteers have served in 141 countries since 1961, including 1,574 in Madagascar.