U.S. Ambassador John R. Bass and representatives of the Georgian Government will attend a reception in honor of 28 Peace Corps Volunteers on March 24 at the D'Plaza Hotel. These Volunteers are completing two years of service to the people of Georgia. This group represents the first volunteers to return to Georgia after the program was suspended in August 2008, and the ninth group of Volunteers to serve in Georgia since the program began in 2001.
The Volunteers include 18 teachers who taught English at secondary schools, and 10 business and organizational development advisors who worked with NGOs and business support organizations. All the Volunteers served in Kakheti and Kvemo Kartli and they began their two-year assignments to serve the people of Georgia on August 21, 2009. On March 23 and 24, they will review their experiences and prepare to conclude their service later this summer.
There are currently 58 Volunteers living in Georgia. They work in the areas of English education, community and organizational development, and community identified initiatives. In 2011, Volunteers will serve communities in Adjara, Guria, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, and some locations in Imereti and Samegrelo.
Peace Corps works in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science, public schools, and communities. Over 300 Volunteers have served as English educators, working together with over 1,500 teachers to inspire more than 45,000 students.
In addition to the Secondary Education/English Teaching project, Peace Corps Georgia also implements the Business & Social Entrepreneurship (BSE) project. Since its inception in 2004, 80 Volunteers have served in this project. The BSE project provides support in sustainable project and program development, business skills development, and community-based development initiatives. Many Volunteers in this program also teach informal English for specific purposes courses for their Georgian colleagues and community members.
For the Peace Corps in Georgia, 2011 is a special year marking both 50 years of promoting peace and friendship around the world and ten years of service to the people of Georgia. The first 21 Peace Corps Volunteers to Georgia arrived in 2001. Since that time, 386 Volunteers have served in Georgia exchanging skills with their counterparts, supervisors and community members; sharing American culture and taking a part of Georgian culture back home to the United States.