On October 3, Peace Corps in Montenegro will welcome back American Peace Corps Volunteers to serve alongside community members across the country.
Volunteers have not served in Montenegro since they were evacuated in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This event marked the first time in the agency’s 60-year history that Volunteers were evacuated globally. Since then, Peace Corps staff in Montenegro have continued to engage in partner communities through piloting a virtual service program, conducting virtual English teacher trainings, and further building relationships with Montenegrin Partners.
“We are so excited to be a part of the historic return of Volunteers to Montenegro,” said U.S. Ambassador Judy Reinke, in a meeting organized in Podgorica, on September 2nd, where the return of Volunteers in Montenegro was jointly announced with the Ministry of Education, U.S. Embassy and U.S. Peace Corps. “Since March 2020, Peace Corps staff based in Podgorica have worked to strengthen the foundation of our new program in Montenegro. We are now ready to relaunch volunteer service and meet this historic moment with our community partners and post staff,” said Megan Wilson, U.S. Peace Corps Country Director. During the meeting, Minister of Education Miomir Vojinović spoke about the importance of quality education, emphasizing that “Cooperation with Peace Corps Volunteers will further enrichen English language learning in our schools.”
At the request of the government of Montenegro, Volunteers will engage in the education sector. They will be placed in public schools and focus on teaching English alongside their Montenegrin counterparts, in coordination with local school leaders and the Peace Corps’ partner, the Ministry of Education. Volunteers will also work with their teacher counterparts to engage young people in after school clubs, education camps, sports initiatives, and similar activities. During their service, Volunteers also engage in secondary projects alongside community members which may include economic development initiatives, local volunteer activities, and environmental projects.
About the Peace Corps: The Peace Corps is an international service network of Volunteers, community members, host country partners and staff who are driven by the agency’s mission of world peace and friendship. At the invitation of governments around the world, Peace Corps Volunteers work alongside community members on projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth development. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans have served in 142 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
