The US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, Tobias Glucksman, swore-in 21 new Peace Corps volunteers in Antananarivo on 5 May
All of the volunteers are health advisors who will support the work of local Centres de Santé de Base (CSB) to enhance maternal and child health, promote access to clean water and sanitation, and improve youth reproductive health.
Prior to their swearing-in, the volunteers successfully completed 12 weeks of training in technical skills, as well as in Malagasy language and culture. They will now move to their project sites around Madagascar where they will serve for two years.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a global evacuation of volunteers. The Peace Corps now plans to rebuild its Madagascar programme to the pre-pandemic level of 150 active volunteers over the next two years.
Peace Corps’ country director for Madagascar, Brett Coleman remarked that the swearing-in of their first group of health volunteers marked the first time since the March 2020 evacuation that they had volunteers working in all three sectors that Peace Corps supports. “We are thrilled to renew our partnerships with all the communities where these new volunteers will serve,” Coleman said.
Peace Corps Madagascar expects 35 new agriculture volunteer trainees to arrive in September 2023 to support local agriculture initiatives, including climate-smart vegetable gardening to address malnutrition. Moreover, their swearing-in in November will coincide with Peace Corps’ 30th anniversary of operations in Madagascar.
