Thirty-four new U.S. Peace Corps Trainee Volunteers have arrived in Sri Lanka this week, beginning preparations for two years of service focused on American English-language education in Sri Lankan communities.
The new Volunteers will first undergo intensive training in Sinhala or Tamil, Sri Lankan culture and American English-language teaching. The training will precede their Peace Corps Pledge of Service in November, after which they will begin working with Sri Lankan teachers and students in the Northern and North Central Provinces.
As part of their service, the Volunteers will live with Sri Lankan host families and become members of the local communities in which they are placed. Their work will centre on expanding American English education through collaboration with teachers and students, combining classroom-based activity with direct engagement in community life.
U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Eric Meyer welcomed the new trainees at the Peace Corps office in Colombo, highlighting the importance of direct relationships between people in strengthening ties between the two countries.
“The strongest connections between our countries are built person to person, and Peace Corps puts Americans right at the heart of that work,” Ambassador Meyer said. “As they become part of the communities they serve, these new Volunteers will build skills and connections that can open doors to economic opportunity and bring our two democracies closer together across the Indo-Pacific.”
The arrival of the latest group continues a Peace Corps presence in Sri Lanka that dates back more than six decades. The first American Volunteers arrived in 1962 at the invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka. Since then, more than 500 Americans have served in the country across areas including education, health, agriculture, community development and tsunami recovery.
The programme was formally reestablished in 2018, with a renewed focus on English-language education. The latest group will extend that more than six-decade tradition when the Volunteers begin their service in Sri Lankan communities later this year.
The Peace Corps describes itself as the U.S. Government’s premier international volunteering agency, sending skilled American volunteers abroad to collaborate on projects that advance both American and host-country priorities. This year, the agency is commemorating 65 years of volunteer service and is partnering with America250 to encourage more Americans to give back.
Since 1961, close to 250,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in 144 host countries, making volunteer service a longstanding component of U.S. global engagement. In Sri Lanka, the arrival of the 34 new trainees marks the continuation of a programme centred on education, community participation and direct interaction between Americans and Sri Lankan citizens.
The trainees will now undertake their language, cultural and teaching preparation before taking the Peace Corps Pledge of Service in November and beginning their assignments in the Northern and North Central Provinces.
