Country Welcome for Cameroon

Welcome to Peace Corps/Cameroon!

If you’re considering doing your Peace Corps service in Cameroon, you’re exploring what could be one of the most exciting and transformational experiences of your life. At the heart of this experience is a bold and enduring mission: to promote global peace and friendship. Through collaboration and human connection, we strive to create a safer, more understanding world for all.

Cameroon, often called “Africa in miniature,” offers extraordinary cultural, linguistic, and geographic diversity. Service here is vibrant, but it isn’t easy. Our Volunteers live in modest housing with often unreliable access to water, electricity, and data connectivity. To thrive, Volunteers learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. They share in joys and hardships with their community members and find local solutions to global challenges, together. This is real partnership, grounded in respect and shared humanity, the values that make Peace Corps powerful.

Peace Corps service is a unique exchange. Yes, you’ll bring your skills to support communities in Cameroon, but you’ll also gain so much in return. You will learn new languages, immerse yourself in rich cultural traditions, and develop resilience, adaptability, and leadership skills that will serve you for a lifetime. Service isn’t always easy; frankly, sometimes it’s extremely hard, but it’s worth it. The challenges will shape you, and the rewards will often surprise you.

But your service isn’t just about you or communities here in Cameroon. Service in the Peace Corps embodies people-to-people diplomacy in its purest form. By sharing in the struggles and successes of the community members you serve, you strengthen understanding between nations. In a world that sometimes feels overwhelming, global empathy and human connection are how we make it safer for the people we love.

On a personal note: my own Peace Corps service changed everything for me. It introduced me to my spouse (the mother of my children), and built lifelong friendships that enrich my life to this day. It also launched my career. My time as a Volunteer opened the doorway to extended service, graduate school, and an international career. In addition to several NGO and research positions, I have served as a Peace Corps staff member in Senegal, Liberia, Rwanda, and now Cameroon. I know firsthand how transformative this journey was for me, and I know it can be for you.

At Peace Corps/Cameroon, we are deeply committed to your success and growth. We have an incredible team of American and Cameroonian staff who are here to train you and support you through your service. From learning French or Fulfulde, to promoting HIV awareness, to beekeeping, to teaching math and science, our staff are here to support you as you work alongside Cameroonian counterparts, to tackle priorities identified by the people and Government of Cameroon.

Beyond world-class training and ongoing support, you will have opportunities to take on leadership roles that shape the future of our programs and access professional growth opportunities that will set you up for lasting success. Volunteers may choose to serve on committees, support peers, and train younger classes of Volunteers, developing advanced skills in collaboration, mentorship, and program design while making a lasting impact on the Volunteer experience. Combined with access to a global network of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), and eligibility for graduate school scholarships through the Coverdell program, these experiences ensure that your time in Cameroon continues to enrich your life long after your service ends.

So, if you’re ready to take the leap, to focus on “we,” not “I,” and do something harder than you’ve ever done, I invite you to join incredible team Cameroon in service, growth, and connection. Together, we can make a difference; one community, one conversation, one act of friendship at a time.

With pride and gratitude in service,

Country Director Austin Alcorn Peterson

RPCV Senegal ’09–’12