51 New Peace Corps Volunteers Begin Service in Uganda

On October August 6, 2014, 51 new Peace Corps volunteers were sworn in by the U.S. Chargé d’affaires Ms. Patricia Mahoney. The new volunteers will be serving in the areas of health, agriculture and education.  This newest group brings the total number of Peace Corps Volunteers currently serving in Uganda to 164.

Speaking at the swearing in ceremony, U.S. Chargé d’affaires Ms. Patricia Mahoney said “I would also like to thank all our Ugandan counterparts and communities for their hospitality and collaboration to build capacity, seek solutions to development challenges, and their help to make our Volunteers’ time in Uganda as productive and enjoyable as possible.”

Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 215,000 Americans have served in 139 host countries.  In Uganda, the Peace Corps program was established 50 years ago in 1964 with the arrival of secondary school teachers. Since then, 1,305 Volunteers have worked hand-in-hand with their Ugandan colleagues towards the goal of a peaceful, prosperous, healthy, democratic Uganda.