FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, October 27, 2022

Peace Corps Chief Executive Officer Carol Spahn Visits the Philippines to Celebrate Sixty-One Years of Partnership and to Usher in a New Era of Volunteerism

Spahn highlighted the return of Peace Corps Volunteers to the Philippines in January 2023 and recognized the Peace Corps’ strong collaboration with the Philippine Government, including with the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency.

MANILA – Today, Peace Corps Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Carol Spahn, participated in a joint press conference with Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) Director Donald Gawe.

CEO Spahn’s remarks:

“I am here this week to celebrate the 61st anniversary of Peace Corps Philippines, witness the tremendous work of our staff and partners in support of Filipino communities, and share how excited we are to welcome Peace Corps Volunteers back to the Philippines in January 2023.

In January, 60 volunteers will arrive and work for two years at the invitation of host communities across Luzon and the Visayas in the project sectors of education, youth development and coastal resource management. “I am excited to say that this group will be one of the largest that the Peace Corps has organized since resuming overseas operations in March 2022. By September 2023, I expect more than 120 volunteers will be working alongside community members in the Philippines.

I am also excited that Volunteers in the Philippines will be amongst the first to implement Peace Corps’ new climate initiative to support over two million hours of volunteer and staff service. Next year alone, up to 40 Coastal Resource Management Volunteers will help identify and implement strategies that contribute to climate priorities and local government units’ climate change adaptation plans, amongst other activities by Volunteers and staff.

“Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to visit Cebu to see the work of longtime Peace Corps partners, including Rare Philippines, Glory Reborn, and My Refuge House. We discussed the various, innovative ways we have been able to work together through the pandemic, including through climate change adaptation efforts and the Peace Corps’ Virtual Service Pilot. I also visited two COVID vaccination clinics and observed how Peace Corps’ staff have partnered with local health officials and USAID ReachHealth staff in Cebu and other provinces this past year to vaccinate nearly 27,000 Filipinos and counting.”

“This morning, I met with Director Gawe about our shared priority of mainstreaming national volunteerism both for Americans and Filipinos. Volunteerism is an essential building block for both meeting development priorities and promoting civic engagement, especially among youth. I am excited to see what the future holds for our partnership as we expand opportunities for volunteer service

“I am so grateful to the Philippine Government, USAID, and our many other Filipino partners for working with Peace Corps Philippines during this historic moment in time. I look forward to January when Volunteers will once again be working alongside Filipinos in this beautiful country, learning local languages, and supporting host communities in meeting local development priorities.”

For more information, please send media inquiries to Troy Blackwell, Peace Corps’ Spokesperson, at [email protected]

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