30 Peace Corps Economic Empowerment and Health Volunteers Sworn-in for Two-year Service

On November 14th, in the presence of Honorable Deputy Minister, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Dr. Esther Utjiua Muinjangue, United States Ambassador to Namibia, Randy Berry, and United States Peace Corps Country Director, Dr. Elizabeth Anderson, , 30 Peace Corps Trainees were sworn-in to begin their two-year service as Economic Empowerment and Community Health HIV/AIDS Volunteers in communities around Namibia. This 53rd group of Trainees to Namibia, who arrived on August 28th, just completed their 12 weeks of Pre-Service Training at the Peace Corps Training Center located in Okahandja.

The focus of Pre-Service Training is for Trainees to engage in hands-on learning experiences, including working with members of the host community (Okahandja) to practice applying Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) tools which add in developing effective partnerships between the Trainee and community. Trainees participated in intensive technical training, learned about the health and economic sectors of Namibia, current HIV/AIDS interventions, as well as intercultural sessions to enhance their understanding of the local cultures as a foundation for effective community integration. Each Trainee also learned one of the following local languages: Afrikaans, Oshikwanyama, Oshindonga, Otjiherero, Rukwangali, and Silozi.

At the invitation of the Namibian government, Peace Corps Volunteers began serving in 1990. Since then, more than 1,800 American Volunteers have worked in various sectors, including education, health, and economic development. Volunteers live in Namibian communities, learn local languages, and integrate into the culture to foster world peace and friendship.  Peace Corps Volunteers work alongside community members on locally prioritized projects that build relationships, promote knowledge exchange, and make a lasting and measurable impact.

“The U.S.-Namibia partnership is built upon a foundation of meaningful people-to-people relationships and forged in shared values including democracy, rule of law, and human rights.

Peace Corps is a significant part of the overall U.S. presence in Namibia and is an important cornerstone of our friendship,” said Ambassador Randy Berry.

At the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, there were 126 Volunteers serving throughout every region of the country. As the country went into lockdown, all Volunteers were evacuated.  With our newest Volunteers, Peace Corps will have 60 Volunteers serving in all regions of the country as far away as Lüderitz and Katima.

The arrival of this diverse group of Americans marks a significant renewal of the United States’ commitment to work alongside Namibians in tackling the challenges of economic empowerment and critical health care issues in rural and urban areas throughout Namibia.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Namibia.