On its 60^th Anniversary in Sierra Leone, U.S. Ambassador David Reimer swore in the latest cohort Peace Corps Volunteers at the Peace Corps Training Center in Kambia, in the presence of Honorable Ministers of Health & Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby, Resident Minister northwest region, Alhaji Alpha Khan, and Deputy Minister of Basic and Secondary School Education, Ms. Emily Gogra.

“In the following days, these 16 new Volunteers will officially take up service in 14 districts across Sierra Leone, working in partnership with their Sierra Leonean counterparts. 11 Volunteers will be working on projects furthering education, literacy and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), while five Volunteers will work on health programs. Peace Corps Sierra Leone works in collaboration with the Government of Sierra Leone and local communities when deciding on work location and program focus for Peace Corps Volunteers. Prior to their swearing in, the Volunteers completed a 10-week training course that included instruction in Krio language, technical and cultural training.

This year marks the 60^th anniversary of the U.S. Peace Corps program in Sierra Leone. Since 1962, 3,911 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Sierra Leone. Peace Corps is an independent agency of the U.S. government, with the mission to promote world peace and friendship by helping interested countries meet their need for trained men and women and promote mutual understanding between Americans and people of other countries.