31 new Peace Corps volunteers begin two-year service in Kenya
A statement from the US Embassy says the new cohort will serve in Busia, Bungoma, Kisumu, Siaya, Kakamega, and Homa Bay counties, working alongside community leaders, teachers, health workers, and families to strengthen health systems, promote education for the deaf community, and enhance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning in secondary schools.
31 new Peace Corps volunteers are set to begin a two-year journey of service to communities in Kenya, joining 37 others currently serving within local communities in the country.
The Peace Corps is a United States Programme that facilitates volunteer work in communities across 60 countries globally in sectors such as health, education and agriculture.
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A statement from the US Embassy says the new cohort will serve in Busia, Bungoma, Kisumu, Siaya, Kakamega, and Homa Bay counties, working alongside community leaders, teachers, health workers, and families to strengthen health systems, promote education for the deaf community, and enhance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning in secondary schools.
“I congratulate the newest Volunteers for continuing more than six decades of Peace Corps efforts in Kenya to transform lives and improve communities. Their energy, enthusiasm, kindness, and willingness to serve have been a keystone of the strong US–Kenya partnership,” said Susan Burns, the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Nairobi.
The trained Volunteers were sworn in on Thursday in Kisumu following an intensive 11-week training in technical skills, as well as the languages and cultures of the region they will now call home.
They will assist with filling gaps in education and health that require human resources and technical capacity, while promoting culture and friendship between the people of the United States and Kenya.
The programme has been running in Kenya in the regions of Western and Nyanza, particularly Kakamega, Kisumu, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, and Homa Bay, and is expected to gradually expand into other regions of the country as assessments are conducted and resources become available.
According to the Embassy, more than 5,000 Americans have volunteered to serve in the Peace Corps in Kenya over the past 60 years in various roles as teachers, nurses, engineers, and other professionals, living and learning in the local communities they supported.
“In the health sector, Volunteers support efforts to reduce HIV transmission, promote maternal and child health, and provide education on malaria and TB prevention. They also work closely with community health workers and local health facilities on referrals for care and treatment,” the Embassy adds.
Those in the education sector have helped improve teaching approaches, boost student performance in Maths and Science, and expand access to STEM resources to prepare learners for a competitive global workforce.
“Volunteers also support deaf students in acquiring literacy and life skills, enabling them to thrive academically and become independent, productive members of their communities,” the Embassy further said.
Kisumu County’s Director of Public Health, John Ndung’u, lauded the Volunteers’ commitment to grassroots engagement, noting that their collaboration with community health workers and local facilities enhances the reach and impact of public health interventions.
He also reaffirmed the Ministry’s support for the Peace Corps mission and expressed optimism about the outcomes that the new cohort will bring to the counties they serve.
The Peace Corps was established on March 1, 1961 following an executive order by then US President John F. Kennedy as a challenge to university students to volunteer to live and work in developing countries around the world, dedicating themselves to the cause of peace and development.
In September of the same year, the US Congress approved the Peace Corps as a permanent federal agency within the State Department, a legislation that was signed by the President that same month.
In 1981, however, the Peace Corps was made an independent agency that still provides voluntary social and economic development assistance to interested countries.
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