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PEACE CORPS DIRECTOR CAROL SPAHN VISITS MOROCCO FOR 60TH ANNIVERSARY AND SWEARS IN 64 NEW VOLUNTEERS
(Rabat, Morocco | Thursday, November 16, 2023) – As part of her first official tour to the Kingdom of Morocco, Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn today swore in 64 Peace Corps Volunteers during a ceremony in Beni Mellal that also celebrated Peace Corps’ 60th Anniversary of its partnership with the government and people of Morocco. With this new group of Volunteers, Morocco currently has one of the largest Peace Corps posts across the world.
Peace Corps’ enduring partnership with Morocco began in 1963, when Morocco was one of the first countries to invite Peace Corps Volunteers to serve, just two years after the agency was founded in 1961. Since then, more than 5,000 Volunteers have served in Morocco, working side by side with communities in areas such as education, community economic development, agriculture, and youth development.
"For sixty years, this beautiful country has become a second home to generations of Peace Corps Volunteers as the Moroccan people welcomed them into their lives and communities,” expressed Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn. “Peace Corps is built on the notion that every intentional relationship, fostered across cultures, creates the fabric of world peace. We are thrilled to bring this new group of Volunteers, host families, counterparts, partners and students into the greater Peace Corps network. They will continue to build on a strong foundation of trust, partnership, and friendship between the U.S. Peace Corps and Morocco.”
Notable attendees who participated in the historic 60th anniversary celebration include:
HE Puneet Talwar, United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, U.S. Embassy Morocco
HE Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communications
HE Khatib El Hebil, Governor and Wali of Beni Mellal Province
Following today’s swearing in ceremony, Volunteers will work with Moroccan counterparts and youth, directly supporting the Dar Shabab Youth Program, in coordination with the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication. With Moroccan youth making up 30 percent of the country’s population, Volunteers will play an active role in supporting and empowering young people in their host communities – serving as catalysts for young people to unlock their economic potential and contribute to their country’s prosperity.
The newly sworn in Volunteers join a network of more than 2,400 Volunteers serving in 57 countries around the world. With the Peace Corps’ Bold Invitation, the agency has the goal of recruiting and deploying thousands of Volunteers over the next year, and is committed to attracting and retaining the most talented and diverse group of Volunteers in the agency’s history. For more information on how to join the Peace Corps, visit www.peacecorps.gov/bold.
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 locally prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development, and youth development. Through service, members of the Peace Corps network develop transferable skills and hone intercultural competencies that position them to be the next generation of global leaders. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans have served in 144 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
CONTACT:
Karen Mascarinas
Peace Corps Deputy Communications Director
[email protected]
Travis Hunnicut
U.S. Embassy Assistant Information Officer
[email protected]
