July 15, 2005: Headlines: Directors - Vasquez: COS - Mongolia: Peace Corps: Peace Corps Director Visits Volunteers in Mongolia
Peace Corps Online:
Directory:
Mongolia:
Peace Corps Mongolia :
The Peace Corps in Mongolia:
July 15, 2005: Headlines: Directors - Vasquez: COS - Mongolia: Peace Corps: Peace Corps Director Visits Volunteers in Mongolia
Peace Corps Director Visits Volunteers in Mongolia
"The future of the Peace Corps in Mongolia is very promising due in great part to the hospitality and welcoming spirit of the Mongolia people," stated Director Vasquez. "Our success has been possible because of the productive collaboration between the Peace Corps and the Mongolia government, evidenced by the fact that the Peace Corps/Mongolia staff is currently training the largest group of volunteers in the history of this program."
Peace Corps Director Visits Volunteers in Mongolia
Peace Corps Director Visits Volunteers in Mongolia
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 15, 2005 – Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez visited Mongolia last week, where he met with volunteers and staff and discussed Peace Corps' program with government officials.
"The future of the Peace Corps in Mongolia is very promising due in great part to the hospitality and welcoming spirit of the Mongolia people," stated Director Vasquez. "Our success has been possible because of the productive collaboration between the Peace Corps and the Mongolia government, evidenced by the fact that the Peace Corps/Mongolia staff is currently training the largest group of volunteers in the history of this program."
Continually improving education is a high priority for the Mongolian government. Thus, Peace Corps education volunteers are aiding efforts to further the study of English as a second language in Mongolian schools, as the school systems work to provide alternative language training beyond Russian. Early in his trip, Director Vasquez met with Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, Prime Minister Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj and Minister of Education Puntsag Tsagaan, in addition to U.S. Ambassador Pamela Slutz. Education and language training was of great interest during many of these discussions.
"The Mongolian government has determined that English is the foreign language that will best allow Mongolians to communicate with the rest of the world," said Prime Minister Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj.
Director Vasquez witnessed the accomplishments of education volunteers during a visit with Peace Corps volunteer Annika Ericksen. Ericksen teaches English as a foreign language at the 10 Year School in her host community. She is also working with her students and neighbors to establish a reforestation project that will help reverse the damaging effects of over-farming in the area. Desertification and deforestation are major concerns in Mongolia, where much of the nation's few arable lands have been overcultivated and are no longer fit for agriculture. Ericksen's project will help restore vitality to the lands near her community and will eventually provide fertile soil for farming.
After spending time in Ericksen's host village, Director Vasquez joined several Peace Corps volunteers, trainees, and staff members for a traditional Mongolian lunch in a ger camp, a community of felt tents that many Mongolians call home. The group dined while listening to traditional music and throat-singing, including a final performance by Peace Corps volunteer Doug Smith. After lunch, Director Vasquez thanked the volunteers and staff for their dedication, hard work and commitment to the people of Mongolia. He also challenged the new trainees — the largest trainee class in Peace Corps Mongolia's history — to be as committed and hard-working as their more experienced colleagues.
Later, Director Vasquez met with Peace Corps Volunteer Leader George Economides in the nation's capital, Ulaanbaatar. Economides has been an education volunteer in Mongolia for three years. He began his service by teaching English as a foreign language to local students. As one of only two Peace Corps volunteers in the program's history to receive a superior score in Mongolian language proficiency, Economides now uses his skills to assist the staff of the Educational Advisory Resource Center (EARC). The EARC provides many programs for Mongolian youth, including exchange programs to allow students to study English in the United States.
"Mongolians are the most open minded, resourceful, patient and flexible people I have ever met," said Economides. "Working with the EARC, I have been given the opportunity to help individuals understand and achieve their goals from children in kindergarten through adults working to gain access to higher education."
When this story was posted in July 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today. |
| American Taboo: A Peace Corps Tragedy Returned Volunteers met with author Philip Weiss in Baltimore on June 18 to discuss the murder of Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner. Weiss was a member of a panel that included three psychiatrists and a criminal attorney. Meanwhile, the Seattle U.S. Attorney's office announced that Dennis Priven cannot be retried for the murder. "We do not believe this case can be prosecuted by anyone, not only us, but in any other jurisdiction in the United States." Read background on the case here. |
| June 14: Peace Corps suspends Haiti program After Uzbekistan, the Peace Corps has announced the suspension of a second program this month - this time in Haiti. Background: The suspension comes after a US Embassy warning, a request from Tom Lantos' office, and the program suspension last year. For the record: PCOL supports Peace Corps' decision to suspend the two programs and commends the agency for the efficient way PCVs were evacuated safely. Our only concern now is with the placement of evacuated PCVs and the support they receive after interrupted service. |
| Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community. |
Read the stories and leave your comments.
Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
Story Source: Peace Corps
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Directors - Vasquez; COS - Mongolia
PCOL21272
74