Volunteers of 30th group of Peace Corps volunteers in Armenia take  oath

ArmInfo. Volunteers of the 30th group of Peace Corps volunteers in Armenia took the oath during a solemn ceremony held in Yerevan.

Eighteen volunteers successfully completed an 11-week course of study  in the Armenian language and culture. In the near future, they will  travel to various regions of Armenia, where they will live and work  with Armenian host families, and actively participate in the life of  their communities over the next two years.

Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Armenia David Allen in his  welcoming speech recalled that the Peace Corps was founded in 1961,  and its main goal is for American volunteers in various countries of  the world to promote the ideas of humanitarian aid and development.

"In 1961, more than 240,000 Americans volunteered to serve overseas,  helping to spread a true sense of America to people around the world  and to create a more accurate understanding of other countries among  Americans," he noted.

Allen also recalled that of these volunteers, about 1,000 served in  Armenia, and the first group arrived in the country in 1992. "Today,  this volunteer tradition in Armenia will be continued by 18 new  participants, who have dedicated the last weeks to learning the  Armenian language and deepening their knowledge of the culture of  this country. They have established new connections and, it seems to  me, have made significant progress in mastering the language. Soon  they will be received by Armenian communities and families, where  they will work together with our colleagues, strengthening the  friendship between our countries," added David Allen.

In turn, the Director of the Armenian Office of the Peace Corps  William O'Roark noted that this is an anniversary oath ceremony in  Armenia. He also expressed gratitude to all those who support the  activities of the Peace Corps, including the Government of Armenia,  represented by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports  of Armenia (MONKS), which first accepted the first volunteers 33  years ago.

"Thank you to all the families who will host our volunteers during  their stay in Armenia. I would also like to thank the teachers and  school principals who will work with our volunteers and jointly make  efforts to implement important steps in the field of education," he  said.

In an interview with ArmInfo, one of the Peace Corps volunteers  Nikolay Schweber from Los Angeles said that he will be traveling to  Vanadzor, where he will work as an English teacher. According to  Nikolay, Armenian culture is very different from American culture,  noting that in Armenia, the family occupies a central place.

"I was really happy to live with an Armenian family for 2.5 months  and had a good time with them. What interested me in Armenia was its  ancient culture and history, as well as how resilient and strong the  Armenian nation is," Nikolay shared.

It should be noted that the Peace Corps is an international  humanitarian organization of the United States that sends volunteers  inspired by peace and friendship around the world to other countries.  The goal of the Peace Corps is to promote peace and friendship;  volunteers work with members of their communities on priority  programs in the fields of education, health care, and youth  development.