Peace Corps-Madagascar: 42 new peace volunteers

Yesterday morning at the Villa Soafanantenana in Ivandry, 42 young Americans took the oath in order to become peace volunteers. After receiving special training on Malagasy language and dialects, on customs and culture, these 42 new peace volunteers, composed of 21 girls and 21 boys, are now ready to work in different localities of Madagascar for 2 years. They will primarily work in domains such as public health, agriculture and education.

Many notable persons were present in the ceremony, including M. John REDDY, Director of Peace Corps-Madagascar, Eric STROMAYER, Public Affairs official of the American Embassy, Dr. Boda RANJEVA of the Peace Corps health department, Nata Robert RAKOTONOMENJANAHARY, Peace Corps volunteers’ training manager, and the Colonel RAKOTOMAHANINA Florens as one of the government’s delegates. In the course of the successive speech given by these officials, the positive outcomes of Peace Corps’ activities in Madagascar, namely the teaching of English language in the primary and secondary public school, the improvement of health care service in isolated localities, and the increase of schooling rate in these localities, were repeatedly mentioned.  With the arrival of the 42 new Peace Corps volunteers, the organization has now 113 volunteers working in the Great Island. Recently, Peace Corps-Madagascar has just celebrated its 16 years anniversary.