BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - NINE enterprising young men and women were sworn in as the newest members of the St. Kitts-Nevis contingent of the US Peace Corps this week.
The induction ceremony held on Monday (Oct. 19) at Manhattan Gardens was attended by Deputy Premier Hon. Hensley Daniel and Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Sam Condor, as well as the volunteer’s trainers and home-stay families.
The new recruits are attached to a variety of organisations – from primary schools such as Saddlers and Tyrell Williams, to the community organisations of Shaping Our Society (SOS) and Ade’s Place. Their placements are in keeping with the seven-week training they received upon arriving in the Federation, mainly in the fields of NGO institutional development and youth development.
Seven of the volunteers will remain in St. Kitts while the other two will reside on sister island Nevis.
Describing them as an “enthusiastic, dedicated and persistent” group of individuals, Associate Peace Corps Director Mavis Huggins expressed confidence that this newest batch would follow in the “shining footsteps” of past recruits. She spoke glowingly of this previous contribution, which notably included the creation of libraries at the Tabernacle and Tyrell Williams Primary Schools.
Deputy PM Condor touched briefly on the volunteers’ importance to the Federation and stressed his appreciation for the substantial amount of work they delivered, all at no cost to his government.
“Peace Corps volunteers display a critical role in American diplomacy around the world. They promote peace and mutual understanding through enrichment in service of countries and humanity,” he explained.
“I welcome you to the beautiful shores of our Federation, for what I am sure will be the most memorable, enjoyable and accomplished episode of your lives,” Condor added.
The Peace Corps was founded on September 22, 1961 by American President John F. Kennedy with the mandate of promoting world peace and friendship through service abroad.
Since establishment, its membership has comprised of 200 000 persons serving in 139 countries around the world.
