11 new U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers begin two year Service

Apia, Samoa – 23 September 2024 – Eleven U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers have started their two-year service with the Ministry of Education and Culture after they were sworn into service last Friday.

This is the 94th group since the Peace Corp movement began in Samoa in October 1967 and is the third group to arrive in Samoa since the agency’s return in 2023, following the global pandemic.

Present at the swearing in ceremony was the Minister of Education and Culture, Afioga Seu’ula Ioane Tu’uau who spoke on behalf of the Government of Samoa, acknowledging the Peace Corps Samoa Office and Peace Corps Group 94 for answering the call to service.

Since arriving in Samoa in early July, the eleven Trainees completed an 11-week pre-service training to gain understanding of the Samoan language, culture, and education system, practice literacy teaching techniques and learn general health and safety tips for living in Samoa.

“This immersion in the culture and the grassroots approach to development have been essential for the success of the volunteer projects over the years. The energy, enthusiasm, and passion with which Volunteers come to service are the cornerstones of these transformational experiences,” said Peace Corps Samoa Country Director, Gini Wilderson.

“We are pleased to present the 94th cohort of Peace Corps Volunteers, who bring decades of cumulative experience in teaching and education to the transformative experience of Peace Corps service in Samoa,” said Wilderson.

The new volunteers with the Peace Corps Samoa Country Director, Gini Wilderson, the U.S. Charge d’Affaires, Daniel Tarapacki and the Minister of Education and Culture, Afioga Seu’ula Ioane Tu’uau.

The group are now prepared to work within the communities they are assigned to serve to provide additional opportunities for primary students to practice and improve critical reading and writing skills.

Wilderson acknowledged the community of Saoluafata for generously hosting and caring for the Trainees during their training and orientation program.

The U.S. Charge d’Affaires, Daniel Tarapacki, led the Trainees in the Oath of Service to become Volunteers. The oath is proclaimed by every Peace Corps Volunteer globally when they transition from Trainee to Volunteer. Charge Tarapacki proudly congratulated the new Volunteers and spoke about the value of Peace Corps people-to-people relationships.

“Every moment spent in dialogue, every skill shared, and every laugh exchanged adds to the rich tapestry of cultural exchange that has made the Peace Corps a vital part of the fabric of communities worldwide,” said Chargé Tarapacki.

The 11 Peace Corps Volunteers now begin their two-year service in their assigned communities, equipped with tools to learn and integrate into their communities through respectful curiosity, collaboration, exchange, and acceptance, while celebrating diversity and nurturing equity and inclusion.

They now work at the invitation of the Ministry of Education and Culture to support English literacy and library development and management in Upolu and Savai’i.

U.S. President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961, to promote world peace and friendship around the world, build relationships and opportunity, and strengthen bonds among nations.

Since that day, over 240,000 Americans have served in 142 countries around the world.

The Samoan government invited Peace Corps Volunteers to Samoa in October of 1967. Since then, more than 2,000 volunteers have served in Samoa, living and working alongside their partners as a catalyst to positive change.