Twenty-one newly sworn-in Peace Corps Volunteers will co-teach English with local teachers in secondary schools across Chui, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Talas, Osh, and Jalal-Abad regions over the next two years. This is the 30th group of Volunteers to serve in Kyrgyzstan since 1993, the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek said on August 23.
Guests at the ceremony included U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Lesslie Viguerie, Peace Corps Country Director Hoyt Brian Yee, former Volunteers, as well as local teachers and directors of schools where the Volunteers will serve as co-teachers.
“For more than 30 years, Volunteers and their communities have collaborated to increase student and teacher capacity in English and have built relationships that continue long beyond the two years of a Volunteer’s service. These relationships promote friendship and mutual understanding between the people of the Kyrgyz Republic and the United States,” said Ambassador Viguerie.
By working alongside local English teachers, Volunteers share knowledge and new methods with teachers and inspire students to advance their English skills. In addition to their classroom work, Volunteers and their counterparts lead English clubs and other afterschool activities to help students and other community members practice and improve their English.
Volunteers live with Kyrgyzstani host families and can support locally prioritized community service projects through Peace Corps’ small grants program, including in the areas of education, sustainable development, and climate action. The new Volunteers completed 11 weeks of Kyrgyz language, technical, and cultural training to prepare for their service. Peace Corps coordinates closely with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic when deciding where to assign Volunteers.
