U.S. Embassy News Release
August 6, 2007
New Batch of U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers Begin Service in Philippines
The U.S. Peace Corps held a Swearing-In Ceremony on August 3 for the newest group of Volunteers to serve in the Philippines. This new batch boasts 57 U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers who will proudly join the 8,169 volunteers who have served in the Philippines since the program’s inception in 1961.
U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney presided over the ceremony and administered the U.S. Peace Corps Oath of Service to the new Volunteers (pictured above). Philippine Secretary of Education Jesli Lapus gave the keynote remarks. Additionally, four Volunteers gave remarks in the English, Cebuano, Tagalog, and Ilocano languages. The Volunteers have spent the last three months in a training program that included intense language classes.
At the ceremony, U.S. Peace Corps and government officials joined colleagues from the Philippine national and local government; friends from education, environment, and child and family assistance organizations; and Volunteer host families and agencies to celebrate the newest batch of volunteers. The ceremony was held in the Charles Parsons Ballroom of the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
The 57 volunteers – known as “Group 266” since they are the 266th new batch to arrive in the country – will work mostly on projects concerning children, youth and families; in education; and on coastal resource management programs. They will be spread throughout the Philippines, from Ilocos Sur to Palawan, for their two years of service.
Fifteen Volunteers from the new batch will work with projects under the umbrella of “Children, Youth and Families” or CYF. These volunteers work with organizations and individuals serving children/youth in especially difficult circumstances to strengthen their capacity to rehabilitate and develop through basic literacy, life skills education, staff development, community participation, networking, and advocacy. Peace Corps Volunteers in CYF work with Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) centers and DSWD-accredited non-government organizations.
There are 25 new Volunteers who will work in the field of education with secondary and tertiary students, teachers, and community members to improve English education programs, professional opportunities, and personal growth by strengthening English proficiency in the community. Education volunteers work with the Department of Education and the Commission of Higher Education.
Under the U.S. Peace Corps’ “Coastal Resource Management” or CRM program, 17 Volunteers from the new batch will work with local government units and coastal communities to improve coastal environment protection and food security through participative CRM and environmental education.
U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers work throughout the country and serve for two years. Before beginning their projects, they receive 12 weeks of in-country training that includes language, culture, and technical aspects related to their chosen fields. All volunteers receive both formal language training and informal language training through immersion, which includes living with host families in the Philippines. The 57 volunteers in this batch will serve in the following regions:
Region |
# of PCVs from this batch |
Provinces
included |
|
Region |
# of PCVs from this batch |
Provinces
included |
CAR |
4 |
Benguet |
|
IV-B |
4 |
Marinduque
Mindoro
Palawan |
I |
5
|
Ilocos Sur
La Union
Pangasinan |
|
V |
8 |
Albay
Camarines Sur
Sorsogon |
III |
14
|
Bataan
Bulacan
Nueva Ecija
Pampanga
Tarlac
Zambales |
|
VII |
13 |
Bohol
Cebu
Negros Oriental
Siquijor |
IV-A |
8 |
Batangas
Cavite
Laguna
Rizal |
|
VIII |
1 |
Leyte |
With the addition of this newest group of volunteers, there are now 136 U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers serving in the Philippines, which boasts the second oldest Peace Corps program in the world.
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