US Ambassador swears in 21 Peace Corps volunteers marking Nepal’s post-pandemic return

KATHMANDU: Twenty-one Peace Corps Volunteers were sworn in by Ambassador Dean R. Thompson and the Peace Corps/Nepal Country Director Troy Kofroth to begin their two-year service in Nepal. The new Volunteers join the nearly 4,000 Peace Corps Volunteers who have served in Nepal since 1962.

They mark the first group to arrive since the global evacuation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today also celebrates the day that – 61 years ago- on August 24th, 1962the governments of Nepal and the United States signed an agreement to establish the Peace Corps program here in Nepal.

“As the son of a founding Peace Corps staff member, and the parent of a former Volunteer myself, I know firsthand the value of the Peace Corps and its potential to transform lives of both Volunteers and the communities they serve. In Nepal, countless people have told me their Peace Corps story – about the Volunteer who made a difference in their lives or in their communities. And with nearly 4,000 Volunteers working here since 1962, teaching English in Nepal’s schools or working in agriculture, the Nepali people have a lot of stories to tell. It’s great to have Volunteers back in the country once again. I recently met with newly arrived Volunteers and look forward to hearing the stories they’ll spawn as they head out into communities throughout the country,” said Ambassador Thompson.

The twenty-one Peace Corps Volunteers arrived in June 2023 and underwent 11 weeks of intensive language, cross-cultural and technical training in Kavre District in preparation for their service.

The Volunteers have been assigned to five districts in Gandaki and Bagmati provinces to teach English in government schools and to work on food security and health projects in coordination with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Health and Population, and Agriculture and Livestock Development.