The latest volunteers from the United States Peace Corps were welcomed on Tuesday and they hope to improve English literacy in primary schools across Upolu and Savai’i.

The group of 14 will join 14 others who arrived last year. It is a mixed group with ages between 20 years and 40 but with one aim, improving literacy across Samoa.

This group is the 94th class of Peace Corps volunteers coming to Samoa and were greeted by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) and US Ambassador Tom Udall with a traditional Ava ceremony. 

“I’m excited that we will continue supporting MEC efforts toward improving English literacy in our primary schools,” said Gini Wilderson, country director of Peace Corps Samoa.  

They will be training for the next 11 weeks until September and will not know their placement locations in Samoa until they have completed their training. Once they are assigned their locations, they will be working with a Samoan teacher counterpart in classrooms and will also help enhance school libraries.

Kayla is a Peace Corps volunteer from Louisiana. Prior to the Peace Corps, she was a teacher for eight years in the United States where she taught high school. 

“This is a very exciting time for me because I get to learn about the Samoan culture and learn from students,” Kayla said. 

The new volunteers, who range in age from their early 20s to their late 40s, will spend two years living and working in Samoan villages serving as English Resource Teachers in government primary schools.

“We do not take your presence lightly,” said Aeau Chris Hazelman, CEO of MEC. “Many of you have travelled thousands of miles to be in a tiny dot in the Pacific. The work that you do will be intergenerational.” 

Rain is a Peace Corps volunteer from Maryland that travelled over 18 hours to get to Samoa. She chose to come to Samoa because of the culture and the welcoming nature of the people. 

“My mom was an English teacher all her life so I thought I would carry that with me and hopefully help as much as I can in Samoa,” Rain said. 

The Peace Corp is a program established in 1961 by the United States government to send volunteers to developing countries and assist with international development in areas such as education, health, and community development. It is the United States longest running program in Samoa with over 57 years of partnership. 

The Government of Samoa first requested the assistance of the Peace Corps in 1967. Since then, more than 2,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Samoa.