GASABO - The United States Ambassador to Rwanda Stuart Symington on Wednesday administered a ‘swearing in’ of the first group of Peace Corps Volunteers from the US who will be serving in Rwanda.

The ceremony which took place at the Envoy’s residence in Kacyiru and attended by officials from the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs, saw 32 young volunteers under the Peace Corps commit to serve in Rwanda under different development and humanitarian areas.

The group, which is the first since 1994, arrived in the country in January and has since been living in Nyamagabe District from where they underwent intensive technical and cross-cultural training including lessons in Kinyarwanda to prepare them for their 24 months of volunteer service in Rwanda.

The youthful volunteers with expertise in health are set to depart to different destinations across the country where they will be partnering with the Ministry of Health to provide community health services.

They will also be working with different community based and non-governmental organisations as well as local government institutions in the districts of Nyamagabe, Kamonyi, Muhanga, Ruhango, Ngororero, Karongi, Nyamasheke, Nyaruguru and Gakenke.

Other districts where the volunteers will serve are Musanze, Nyagatare, Kirehe, Ngoma, Rwamagana, Bugesera, Nyarugenge and Gasabo.

According to John Reddy, the Country Director of the Peace Corps in Rwanda, the volunteers have already been initiated in the Rwandan society and are determined to work with Rwandan people, whom they have found very friendly.

"Our volunteers are eager to get to their sites and work alongside their Rwandan colleagues to improve the health of all Rwandans and promote better understanding between the people of the two countries,” Reddy said.

"I really find Rwanda a very beautiful country, despite what it has gone through, people have been able reconcile and get together to reconstruct the country. I am glad to be playing my part, I am yet to decide whether I will stay here for good, it’s very tempting,” Bryna Ramsey, one of the volunteers told The New Times.

The US Peace Corps was established in 1961 by President John F Kennedy and it is an organisation of American men and women of all ages and ethnic background who volunteer to spend two years working in different parts of the world especially in developing countries helping especially in humanitarian areas.

Symington urged the young volunteers to go out and make a difference in people’s lives so that they can always be remembered in the communities and also play their part in improving further the good relations between Rwanda and the US.

"Indeed the Government of Rwanda warmly welcomes the presence and contribution of Peace Corps to the Socio-Economic and cultural development of Rwanda. The swiftness with which they have learnt the language shows their commitment and determination to work in Rwanda,” said Ben Rutsinga, the Director of Europe, Americas, UN and International Organisations at the Ministry of Foreign of Foreign Affairs.

The excited volunteers already have a good command of Kinyarwanda that can sustain a conversation as demonstrated by some who interacted with this reporter.  

Ends