After a two-year Covid-19 hiatus, 14 Peace Corps volunteers were sworn in last at Okahandja’s Andreas Kukuri Conference Centre last Thursday.

Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Kalumbi Shangula welcomed them. Attended by the US Charge d’Affaires, Jessica Long, the executive director of the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, Daniel Nghidinua, and representatives of Peace Corps Partner organisations were also in attendance. The 14 peace corps volunteers arrived in Namibia on 31 August and underwent a rigorous 12 weeks of pre-service training in Okahanadja before being sworn in.  “The US-Namibia partnership is strong and diverse, built upon a foundation of meaningful people-to-people relationships and forged in shared values, including democracy, rule of law and human rights. Peace Corps is a special and unique part of this relationship, one in which Americans volunteer to work alongside Namibian communities to contribute to the development of this incredible country,” said Long.  

Introduced to Namibia in 1990, more than 1 900 American volunteers have worked in various sectors, including education, health and economic development.  

Through the United States President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, in partnership with the ministries of health, education and other implementing
organisations, volunteer activities will be needed to promote behaviour change and build life skills to address barriers to HIV prevention and treatment, of which six community health and HIV/AIDS volunteers will contribute to national HIV mitigation. Eight economic empowerment volunteers will work alongside the Namibian counterparts to support the government’s sustainable economic development programmes. 

With assistance from these volunteers, Namibia’s aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly youth and women, will increase their capacity to help build a strong economy. 

Volunteers will also work with their partner organisations to promote income-generating activities and small business development in their communities. 

Volunteers are said to serve two-year assignments, during which they live and work in Namibian communities, learn local languages and integrate into the culture as they work to advance the priority development aims of communities.  

At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, 127 volunteers were serving throughout every region of Namibia. 

As the country went into lockdown, all volunteers were evacuated.  Although groups of reinstated Peace Corps volunteers and one-year Peace Corps response volunteers arrived in May, July and August 2022, this 51st class of Namibian Peace Corps volunteers is the first group of two-year volunteers to return to Namibia since March 2020.