Media Release
Charge' D' Affaires Visits Peace Corps Trainees
September 17, 2009
On September 15, U.S. Embassy Kolonia Chargé d’ Affaires William “Doug” Douglass met with new U.S. Peace Corps Trainees at the former Pohnpei Agriculture and Trade School (PATS) in Madolenihmw. The meeting included a briefing on the Compact of Free Association, United States and FSM relations, and an informal question and answer session. Also attending the information session were Peace Corps Country Director Kevin Carley, Program and Training Officer Elizabeth Neason, and Program Assistants for Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae, and Palau.
Since arriving in Pohnpei the thirty trainees have completed the first of three weeks of cultural and Peace Corps program training at PATS. Following their various assignments to islands throughout the FSM, trainees will undergo two months of language instruction. In an effort to combine teaching and teacher training efforts, the volunteers will be matched with local co-teachers at a number of Micronesian schools. The teams will then work together to improve instructional methods and raise educational standards.
The Peace Corps is a United States Government agency that sends volunteers to countries requesting assistance worldwide. Peace Corps was founded in 1960 when then-Senator John F. Kennedy encouraged students to serve their country by living and working in developing nations. Volunteers work at the local level and focus on improving education, health, business, information technology, agriculture and environment sectors. In the FSM and Palau, volunteer efforts are focused primarily on education.
The Peace Corps mission is “to promote peace and friendship.” Since its official establishment in 1961, the Peace Corps has sent approximately 195,000 volunteers to countries all over the world. Peace Corps volunteers first arrived in Micronesia in 1966. Since then, more than 5,000 volunteers have served in various islands throughout the FSM.