Tbilisi,Georgia, August 20, 2009 - Peace Corps will resume its service to Georgia with the commencement of a new group of 28 Peace Corps Volunteers in Sagarejo on August 21. This will be the first group of Volunteers since the program was suspended in August 2008, and the ninth group of Volunteers to serve in Georgia. The Volunteers include 18 English teachers and 10 business advisors who have successfully completed a nine-week Pre-Service Training program concentrating on Georgian language and culture, technical, health, and safety training prior to commencing their service. To facilitate their learning and adaptation, they lived with Georgian host families in and around Sagarejo. Volunteers will teach English at secondary schools or work in NGOs or business support organizations in Kakheti and Kvemo Kartli. A ceremony celebrating the commencement of their Volunteer service will be held on Friday, August 21, at the Mevenakhis Sakhli Restaurant in Sagarejo from 11:00 to 2:00. Those in attendance will include representatives of the U. S. Embassy, the Ministry of Education & Science, the Ministry of Economic Development, regional and local government officials, collaborating organizations and institutions, host families, the Peace Corps staff and both new and former Peace Corps Georgia Volunteers. The US Peace Corps operates at the request of the Georgian government and provides qualified men and women who contribute to social and economic development while also promoting a better understanding between Americans and Georgians. The Peace Corps is a United States Government agency founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to promote world peace and friendship. The Peace Corps Georgia program was established in 2001 and with this group more than 300 Volunteers will have served in Georgia.
The Peace Corps has shared with the world America's most precious resource - its people. Coming from all walks of life, Volunteers represent the rich diversity of American society. As the Peace Corps approaches its 50th anniversary in 2011, its service legacy continues to promote peace and friendship around the world. Since 1961, over 195,000 Volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 139 countries in which they have served. Currently, 7,876 Peace Corps Volunteers serve in 76 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, and the Middle East.
