At least 37 volunteers of the 91st Cohort of the Peace Corps were sworn in at the event held at Ha Marakabei in Maseru on Wednesday.
During this swearing-in, Her Majesty Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso said the event signifies the great partnership between Lesotho and the United States of America which needs to be celebrated as it signifies warm friendship.
Her Majesty said this group will dedicate their life to Lesotho and Basotho to help them manage their everyday challenges in health and education.
She said to the volunteers, that this will be a journey of challenges for them, however, she said challenges must be used as opportunities to help them grow.
The Ambassador of the United States of America to Lesotho, Ambassador Maria Brewer who administered the swearing in said it signifies tangible evidence of the good partnership between the two countries.
She said the volunteers will be placed in ten districts of Lesotho in the fields of health and education.
Ambassador Brewer highlighted that the volunteers will also help in measures implemented towards eradicating HIV/AIDS, agriculture life skills and community development.
On behalf of the Peace Corps volunteers, Ms. Jessica ‘Karabelo’ Jones said they will work hard to ensure that they build and support positively in all the fields they will be placed in for the benefit of the communities.
She noted that the reception they have been granted by the families they were placed in for their training period has been exceptional as they have learned a lot about the culture and values of Basotho which she said will help them survive during their volunteering period.
Additionally, the Peace Corps Lesotho Country Director, Ms. Randa Wilkinson said for over 55 years, over 2600 Peace Corps were placed in Lesotho to serve in the fields of education, health, community development and agriculture to mention but a few.
She noted that over 4000 young people have been impacted by the deployment of Peace Corps across the country and about 1000 learners have been able to yield positive results.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the hosting families, Mrs. ‘Mankareng Lerotholi said they have learned better from the cohort as volunteers showed the spirit of bravery, patience and love.
She added that they learned of the spirit of perseverance and respect that the volunteers have which she wished Basotho children could copy from for the development of their own country.
The 91st Cohort of the Peace Corps volunteers is made up of 20 volunteers from the education sector while some will be of the health sector.
In preparation for their voluntary duties, they undergo training for 11 weeks, preparing them to easily blend with the Basotho nation in terms of their cultural norms, food and practices.
Source: LENA 13/12/2023
