Sixteen Americans were sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers at the Peace Corps Tanzania Headquarters in Dar es Salaam on Thursday at a ceremony presided over by US Ambassador Michael Battle, Dr. Edith Rwiza, Director of Human Resources, PORLAG, and Peace Corps Tanzania Director Stephanie Joseph de Goes.

The sixteen volunteers who were sworn in are the first Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Tanzania since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, which forced the repatriation of more than seven thousand volunteers worldwide, including 158 from Tanzania.

The 16 volunteers have been undergoing comprehensive cross-cultural, language, and technical training through the Peace Corps.

The volunteers are set to travel to their permanent sites in local communities in the Kilimanjaro, Tanga, and Zanzibar regions, where they will complete 24 months of service, assisting local communities to address critical development priorities, including education, community health, and sustainable agriculture.

Over 3200 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Tanzania since the program was launched in 1961, working in education, agriculture, and the health sectors to address critical development priorities while promoting world peace and friendship.

In her remarks, Dr. Rwiza described the Peace Corps Program as a symbol of the close relationship between the US and Tanzania and as a legacy of the friendship between Tanzania’s first President, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, and US President John F. Kennedy, who founded the Peace Corps.

She also called on stakeholders in the areas where volunteers will be serving to support them and help them flourish.

In his address before administering the oath to the new volunteers, Ambassador Battle told them that they would be the face of the United States to many people that they encountered.

"People will remember you because you walk alongside them, teaching and learning together." You represent the best of America, and you have the opportunity to experience the best of Tanzania," Mr. Battle said.

For her part, Peace Corps Tanzania country director Stephanie Joseph de Goes expressed gratitude to the government of Tanzania, Korogwe Teachers' College, and host families who partnered with and supported Peace Corps to successfully welcome the new volunteers and train them in the Swahili language and culture.

She reinforced the commitment of the Peace Corps to working with Tanzania in the spirit of collaboration, humility, and respect.