52 New Peace Corps Health and Agribusiness Volunteers Begin Service in Uganda
KAMPALA – On August 10, 2017, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to Uganda, Colette Marcellin, presided over the swearing-in ceremony of 52 United States Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) in Kampala.
This newest group of 52 Volunteers will bring the total number of Peace Corps Volunteers currently serving in Uganda to 164. In the Health Sector, Volunteers will be placed at health centers and work at grassroots level to train and empower village health teams and community health promoters. They will promote access to health care services with a focus on HIV/AIDS, malaria, hygiene and nutrition. Community Agribusiness Volunteers will contribute to the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Feed the Future Initiative and focus on farm-to-market value chain development, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and improved child nutrition.
This swearing-in ceremony is the culmination of the ten weeks of training for the 52 Volunteers in the health and agribusiness sectors. Both groups underwent cultural immersion training on local language and customs, in which they lived with Ugandan host families. From 1964 to date, 1,600 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Uganda.
In her remarks, Deputy Chief of Mission Colette Marcellin said, “The Government of Uganda has welcomed many Volunteers throughout our over fifty years of partnership. Government ministries and departments have embraced the different programs, nominated representatives on the project advisory committees, and recommended viable partners to Peace Corps. For all this and more, we are very grateful,” she further noted.
