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Embassy Press Release

U.S. Peace Corps Swear in New Volunteers for Romania

May 5, 2008

Thirty-seven new Peace Corps Volunteers take the oath of allegiance at the swearing-in ceremony, preceded over by U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Taubman.
Bucharest, May 5, 2008.
[Lucian Crusoveanu / Public Diplomacy Office]

- RELATED INFO -

Remarks by Ambassador Nicholas Taubman on the Occasion of the Swearing-in of Peace Corps Volunteers

In a ceremony at his official residence, U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Taubman today swore in 37 new American Peace Corps Volunteers who will serve in Romania for the next two years. The new Volunteers have just completed 10 weeks of training in Ploiesti, where they studied Romanian language, history and culture. During their training, the Volunteers lived with Romanian host families. The new Volunteers have been assigned to cities, towns and villages throughout Romania.

In his remarks at today’s ceremony, Ambassador Taubman said to the new Volunteers, “Learning about other countries and cultures is very important, because Americans, now more that ever, need to know more about the rest of the world. Romania is a wonderful country in which to serve in this regard. With such an incredible history and rich culture, you will have much to learn.”

Peace Corps Romania began operations in 1991 at the request of the Romanian government. There are currently 135 volunteers working in 40 counties across the country. Since its beginning in 1991, over 850 Volunteers have supported 4 program sectors, noted below:

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)
Community Economic Development (CED)
Institutional Development (ID)
Environmental Management and Education (ENV)

Peace Corps Romania focuses on high priority needs identified by Romanian organizations, and places qualified Americans for 2 years of service with Romanian organizations to help meet these needs.

The Volunteers serve without a salary, working directly with the people of Romania in response to the various needs of the country. Sensitive to Romanian culture, Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) work in close cooperation with their local counterparts to facilitate the exchange of ideas, skills and expertise between the two parties, which in turn enhances both the personal and professional development of everyone involved. By working and living with counterparts, PCVs and Romanians are able to develop lasting friendships. And when these PCVs return to the United States, they promote a better understanding of Romania and its people among Americans.

Ken Goodson, Country Director for Peace Corps Romania, said: “Our Volunteers have served as cultural Ambassadors, sharing American culture with their Romanian friends, while at the same time being committed to learning as much as possible about this country and its culture, so as to increase knowledge and awareness of Romania in the United States.”

The Peace Corps was created in 1961 by United States President John Kennedy to promote world peace and friendship by providing American volunteers who would contribute to the social, economic and human development of the host countries in which they serve. Over the past 47 years, more than 190,000 Americans have served in the Peace Corps in 134 countries.

The Peace Corps has 3 simple goals:

To help people of interested countries meet their needs for trained men and women.
To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served
To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans

More about the Peace Corps Volunteers in Romania can be found at: http://www.peacecorps.ro/.

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