by Virgil Leonty
Eight US Peace Corps volunteers will serve as Literacy Trainers in primary schools across the island.
The beneficiary schools are Micoud Combined, Desruisseaux Combined, Canaries Primary, Grand Riviere, Ti Rocher Primary, Aux-Leon Combined, and Anse-La Raye Combined. The volunteers will be teaching literacy development in the classrooms, as well as at community after school programmes.
The United States citizens were sworn in at a virtual ceremony at the Bay Gardens Hotel on Aug. 4. They form part of a larger group of 28 volunteers in total, who will serve in Dominica, Saint Vincent and Grenada.
The ceremony was addressed by US Country Director Ms. Anna Todorova who exhorted the volunteers to serve with distinction.
“Make yourselves and country proud,” she said. “The service you’re about to enter will take you to different places over the course of the next two years. You will teach in classrooms, engage in after-class programs, and share opportunities to build literacy.”
She urged them to serve with dignity, respect, humility, grace and gratitude, adding that the motivation to join the Peace Corps is always a desire to serve.
The swearing-in-ceremony was also addressed by the Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Dr. Pauline Antoine Prospere.
Speaking on the value of literacy to the island she said that the decision to send the volunteers to work collaboratively with schools, “is a testament to the transformative power of education.” Literacy she said, is a priority in Saint Lucia’s school system.
Prior to their swearing-in, the volunteers fulfilled a nine week training exercise that involved living with host families in various communities in Saint Lucia. They will serve for a period of two years.
SOURCE: Government Information Service
While this sounds good – please ensure that they have all been fully vetted. Just saying —
Jay. It is those like you who write crap and run your mouth and DO NOTHING to uplift the community. The Peace Corps have to be commended for leaving the comfort of their homelands where their navel strings are buried and then venturing to Iyanola to enlighten US and OUR CHILDREN. I vividly recall in late August 1964, my dad took my brother and I to a building at the Old Bus Stop ( near current the marketing Board and Old Seamen and Waterfront Workers Building) to meet a Peace Corp Volunteer who signed us up ( My Brother was Member # 3, I was Member # 4). We were each given a T-Shirt on which was printed ‘” St. Lucia Boys Club.” George ( that was his name ) and his fellow volunteer named Bill turned out to be two of the most brillant individuals I have ever known. They organized a whole lot of Educational and Social Activites….tutoring and reading in the open air, concerts, games, volley ball ( they introduced that sport to St.Lucia). The boys from Conway tried to overrun the place but those two volunteers tactically kept them in check. By the time they returned to the U.S in mid 1966, they left behind a whole lot of much-improved, proper english-speaking students and a Second Division Football Team called “Boys Club”. A few of us made it to St Mary’s College and beyond. Today, I am a Self-Employed, Certifed Public Accountant living in the United States-Thanks to the Peace Corps and Others. So Jay-COWARD try to emulate them or SHUT-UP
@DOT – I don’t know you and this is a public forum – moreover; we are all free to disagree and I am certainly not a coward. Third world countries have historically received help from abroad. All I am saying is to make sure folk are vetted when they come to assist – so keep your insults to yourself.
I am involved in projects which include educational, medical, physical fitness and dietary personnel who travel to the Caribbean and as far as Africa to assist – and our organizations always ensure everyone is vetted – that’s all it is – checks and balances for the benefit of all those concerned.
BTW – for your information one of our organizations which included several volunteers (educational, physical fitness, dietary, nursing personnel) just returned from St. Lucia last week (they provided assistance in Anse La Raye, Canaries & Baboneau). Our team members were all vetted prior to being accepted for the assignment why – because it is the right thing to do for any organization – you don’t just accept individuals without vetting them for any project. You Lucians love to name call – YOU DO NOT KNOW ME AND YOU CERTAINLY DON’T KNOW WHAT I DO FOR ST. LUCIA although I no longer reside there —