Chargé d’Affaires David Renz today administered the oath of service to 23 new Peace Corps Volunteers, who will teach English language in different public schools in Ethiopia.
The volunteers sworn-in at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia today will be working on community-based engagement and teaching English in Ethiopian Public Schools within the Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, and Southern regions, according to a presss statement from the United States Embassy in Addis Ababa.
Chargé d’Affaires David said “You have come to Ethiopia at an important time, when history is being written and new opportunities are being created to build a better future.”He also spoke to Ethiopian host families and communities as well, saying “Thank you for generously opening your homes and hearts to these Volunteers and for giving them the opportunity to fully experience Ethiopian life and hospitality.”
Peace Corps Volunteers live and work within small communities around Ethiopia. They often become members of those communities and collaborate closely with teachers and school administrators in Ethiopia’s public schools to implement the Promoting English Language Learning in Ethiopia (PELLE) program that focuses on teaching English to high school students in grades 9 and 11.
Volunteers also will organize extracurricular activities, including promoting gender equality, using information communication technology and libraries to support English proficiency, and supporting teachers’ English proficiency and language instruction through continuing professional development opportunities. The volunteers will complete their certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) during their two years of service.
All 23 of these new Volunteers are heading to their communities having completed 3 months of training before taking the oath of service today. This inauguration brings the total number of Peace Corps Volunteers who have worked in Ethiopia to over 3,700 since its inception
About the Peace Corps: As the preeminent international service organization of the United States, the Peace Corps sends Americans abroad to contribute towards solutions for the most pressing needs of people around the world.
Peace Corps Volunteers work at the grassroots level with local governments, schools, communities, small businesses and entrepreneurs to develop sustainable solutions that address challenges in education, health, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development.