The volunteers have been training in China for eight weeks and will assist the nation as English teachers in 44 institutions of higher education. The 57 volunteers will be joining more than 40 others currently in the country in sharing ideas and methodologies with Chinese educators as well as teaching environmental education.
Peace Corps Inducts 57 New Volunteers for China Program
Peace Corps Inducts 57 New Volunteers for China Program
Largest-ever Peace Corps group in China to help teach English at 44 schools
By Todd Bullock
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Fifty-seven individuals -- the largest group of new volunteers in the U.S. Peace Corps' history ever sent to China -- took their oath of service at a ceremony in Beijing August 31, according to a Peace Corps press release issued the same day.
In April 2003, the Peace Corps temporarily suspended operations in China as a precautionary measure due to the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). The program resumed in July 2004 after an assessment team concluded that the overall environment allowed for the immediate return of the volunteers. (See related article.)
Peace Corps volunteers serve in the more rural regions of China and thus are not in the areas most heavily affected by SARS.
The Peace Corps' relatively rapid re-entry into China is a testimony to the strong support the Chinese government has for the work of volunteers, Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez said in the press release.
"The Peace Corps is a community which gives and in turn is honored by the treasures we receive of friendships, learning, and cultural exchange with the people of China," Vasquez said.
The volunteers have been training in China for eight weeks and will assist the nation as English teachers in 44 institutions of higher education. The 57 volunteers will be joining more than 40 others currently in the country in sharing ideas and methodologies with Chinese educators as well as teaching environmental education.
According to the Peace Corps, the volunteers will serve in the Sichuan, Guizhou and Gansu provinces and the Chongqing municipality.
Representing her fellow new volunteers, Devon Van Dyne thanked the educational institutions, in Chinese, for providing the opportunity to serve.
"Today we commit to you the best we have to offer, and are excited to begin a friendship that will last for years to come," Van Dyne said.
The Peace Corps China program, known in China as the U.S.-China Friendship Volunteers, began in 1993 when volunteers were sent to assist with a teacher-training project. The 2005 group will bring the total number of volunteers who have participated in the program to 334.
Since 1961, more than 178,000 U.S. citizens have volunteered to serve in the Peace Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, information technology, business development, the environment and agriculture. (See related article.)
See also Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and The United States and China.
Additional information is available on the Peace Corps Web site.
