MANILA - The newest batch of U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers recently arrived in Manila on Monday and is ready to begin their two-year service to support local programs in education, youth development, and environmental protection in communities across the Philippines.
In a press release from the U.S. Embassy in Manila, it mentioned that 48 new volunteers will be assigned to fulfil a range of roles by host communities in Aklan, Antique, Batangas, Benguet, Bohol, Capiz, Cebu, Iloilo, La Union, Nueva Ecija, Oriental Mindoro, Pampanga, Pangasinan, and Tarlac.
According to the Embassy, the roles include co-teaching English in public elementary and secondary schools, serving as youth development facilitators with the Department of Social Welfare and Development-accredited organizations and residential shelters, and supporting local governments in establishing marine protected areas and implementing coastal resource management plans.
In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson underscored the diversity, skills and experience the volunteers are expected to contribute during their stay in the country and how they can promote world peace and friendship.
“U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers come from all over the United States and represent the diversity of the American people. They come with a variety of skills and experience to contribute during their service in the Philippines,” U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said.
“The Peace Corps’ goal is to promote world peace and friendship, and what better way to do this than to serve with cultural humility and mutual respect to our Filipino friends and partners,” Carlson added.
The new volunteers represent the 281st batch of U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers deployed to the Philippines, bringing the total number of American volunteers currently serving in the country to 126.
The U.S. Embassy also confirmed that the total number of volunteers have already surpassed the number of volunteers assigned to the Philippines prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) warmly welcomes this 281st batch of U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers,” PNVSCA Executive Director Donald James Gawe said as he expressed hope that the new American Volunteers will “continue to serve as builders of hope and catalysts of change.”
“Together, let us sustain the spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding and create a sustainable future for the generations to come,” he added.
The Peace Corps Volunteers, aged between 22 to 67, will undergo an intensive 11-week pre-service training that includes technical, language and cultural studies to prepare them for their service.
According to the U.S. Embassy, the Philippines is the second oldest U.S. Peace Corps program, wherein more than 9,400 Americans have served alongside Filipino community members in support of government and community development priorities since 1961.
