Twenty new Peace Corps Volunteers have been sworn in to begin their two-year service in Madagascar. U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros Claire Pierangelo administered the oath, marking the start of assignments in education, health, and agriculture across five regions of the country.
This group, the 61st to serve in Madagascar since 1993, arrived on September 3 and recently completed an 11-week training program. The training covered English education, classroom management, maternal and child health, farming techniques, and cultural sessions aimed at helping volunteers integrate into local communities. Each volunteer also learned a regional Malagasy dialect.
Education volunteers will work primarily at high schools and middle schools, focusing on teaching English, collaborating with local teachers, and organizing extracurricular activities to help students understand their role in society. Agriculture volunteers are set to assist farmers with sustainable practices, conduct cooking demonstrations, promote nutrient-rich crops, and support household gardens. Health volunteers will address vaccination campaigns, maternal and child health initiatives, water and food sanitation issues, as well as general hygiene education.
Ambassador Pierangelo said: “Here in Madagascar, the Peace Corps is a key component of our bilateral relationship. They strengthen the ties between our two nations and demonstrate, every day, that our shared humanity is stronger than any difference that may divide us.”
David Solomon, Acting Country Director for Peace Corps Madagascar, told the new volunteers: “As Volunteers, you will soon live and work in communities across the country—in schools, health centers, community fields and gardens. You will teach, support, and learn. You will be teachers and learners every day. And through your relationships, you will represent the best of what connects the United States and Madagascar—our shared belief that partnership, compassion, and understanding make the world stronger and more peaceful.”
Since Peace Corps operations began in Madagascar over thirty years ago at the invitation of its government nearly 1,700 Americans have served there. Volunteers focus on working with community members on locally identified projects intended to build relationships while sharing knowledge for long-term impact.
The Peace Corps was founded by President John F. Kennedy on March 1st 1961. In its history more than 240 thousand Americans have served worldwide in efforts to foster mutual understanding between Americans and host communities; today more than 3 thousand serve across sixty countries.