FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, August 14, 2006

Foreign Minister of Paraguay to Address Peace Corps

WASHINGTON, D.C. August 14, 2006 The foreign minister of Paraguay, Ambassador (Ms.) Leila Rachid, will address Peace Corps staff and returned volunteers during the Peace Corps Directors Forum 45th Anniversary Speakers Series on Thursday, August 17.

We welcome Ambassador Rachid as she helps the Peace Corps celebrate its 45th anniversary. Some 2,800 Peace Corps volunteers have been making a difference in Paraguay since 1967, and our relationship with this South American nation has only strengthened over time, said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez.

Leila Teresa Rachid de Cowles, 51, holds a doctorate in foreign affairs and speaks seven languages. Before her post as minister of foreign affairs, Rachid was a Paraguayan Ambassador. She spent two years as her countrys first female vice minister of foreign affairs and a year in Argentina as the first female career diplomat to be appointed to an ambassadorship.


WHO:
Paraguayan Foreign Minister, Ambassador Leila Rachid

WHAT:
Directors Forum 45th Anniversary Speakers Series

WHEN:
August 17, 2006; 10:00 a.m.

WHERE:
Peace Corps Headquarters, Shriver Hall
1111 20th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20526

MEDIA:
Barbara Daly, press director of the Peace Corps
(202) 692-2230
[email protected]

Please RSVP by 5:00 p.m. (EDT) on August 16 to [email protected]
or 202.692.2230.

The Peace Corps is celebrating a 45-year legacy of service at home and abroad, and a 30-year high for volunteers in the field. Since 1961, more than 182,000 volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 138 countries where volunteers have served. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment.

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