CLOSE to 3000 United States Peace Corps volunteers have travelled to serve in Fijian communities over the past 54 years.
Peace Corps Fiji country director Kury Cobham said the organisation has had a long and strong relationship with Fiji since its inception in 1968.
“We started here in 1968 so we will have our 55th year next year and we’ve had close to 3000 volunteers serve the people of Fiji under various portfolios like agriculture, water sanitation, education and we are concluding a youth and development portfolio,” Ms Cobham said.
“Now we are starting a new portfolio with this community economic development and so there are various highlights from those features but our biggest success story is that people remember Peace Corps, they remember the partnership and collaboration and they learn about each other’s cultures.
“So even beyond the practical or technical skills that are provided, they are learning thing about each other.
“The Peace Corps was developed in the 1960s by John F Kennedy and the reason behind that was to create fellowship and friendship and I think that this encapsulates what Peace Corps is all about.
“You are learning about Americans and we are learning about you.”
She said the latest group of volunteers would be working on the new Community Economic Empowerment Program which was designed together by the Peace Corps and the previous government.
“They are going to be working with communities to help them best identify priorities for economic activities that they are interested in moving forward,” she said.
“We have heard from the Government of Fiji which partnered with us closely for the establishment of this new portfolio and their interest was to ensure that local communities — indigenous had stronger roles in the advancement of their interests in economic activities.
“So they will be working with them to help them prioritise the necessary proposals to get funding and aid them in the management of the funds.”
