Twenty-four American Peace Corps were sworn in at American Ambassador Alan Eastham’s residence in Lilongwe on Wednesday, to start a two-year stint in Community Day Secondary Schools across the country. According to Eastham, the volunteers have been assigned to rural Community Day Secondary Schools. “These Peace Corps are going into the rural areas where they are going to face a lot of challenges and also be able have a real glimpse of life in Malawi,” Eastham said.
Peace Corps volunteers dispatched to rural schools in Malawi
US volunteers dispatched to rural schools
BY JACOB NANKHONYA
07:31:20 - 14 December 2007
Twenty-four American Peace Corps were sworn in at American Ambassador Alan Eastham’s residence in Lilongwe on Wednesday, to start a two-year stint in Community Day Secondary Schools across the country.
According to Eastham, the volunteers have been assigned to rural Community Day Secondary Schools.
“These Peace Corps are going into the rural areas where they are going to face a lot of challenges and also be able have a real glimpse of life in Malawi,” Eastham said.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Anthony Livunza, who was present at the ceremony, said that the Peace Corps have over the years played a role in spearheading a lot of development in the country.
“Our government appreciates the role American Peace Corps have played in the country and these 24 are going to impart knowledge to our students in their specialized areas such as Mathematics, Biology, Science, amongst others, which are key areas in our education,” Livunza said.
Malawi’s education policy, according to Livuza, aims for a collaborative effort between government, private sector and the donor community in order to deliver quality education.
The country director of Peace Corps, Dale Mosier, said that since 1961, when President Kennedy established the American Peace Corps, it has redefined America’s perception to public service.
“It is a call for Americans to serve their country by living and working with ordinary people all around the world, helping to train the people at the grassroots level, thereby creating opportunities for advancement, individually and collectively, and strengthening the ties of friendship and mutual understanding around the world,” Mosier said.
Zachary Norton, one of the 24, said he was looking forward to working in Malawi.
“I really didn’t know what to expect because the stereotype about Africa is that of hunger, poverty and vast forests but thank God I have some friends who had traveled to Africa before and told me before hand about Africa, but I am here to experience for myself,” he said.
