KATHMANDU, May 18: Ten Peace Corps Response Volunteers were sworn in on Friday by Peace Corps Deputy Director David E White Jr, US Ambassador to Nepal Dean R Thompson, and Peace Corps/Nepal Country Director Troy Kofroth to begin their service in Nepal.

This marks the first-ever group of Response Volunteers to serve in Nepal. The Peace Corps Response Program enlists US citizens with targeted experience for short-term, high-impact assignments identified by the Government of Nepal, typically lasting nine to twelve months.

The new Response Volunteers will focus on three key sectors: promoting rural tourism in Gandaki province, supporting information technology and e-learning initiatives in government schools in Bagmati and Gandaki provinces, and enhancing research activities at agricultural colleges in Gandaki and Lumbini provinces.

These Volunteers will work closely with their host organizations and community members on projects that address local priorities, fostering relationships, promoting knowledge exchange, and achieving measurable impacts.

“This is the start of a Peace Corps Response program, where more experienced US citizen Volunteers respond to specific needs articulated by our partners in the Government of Nepal,” said Ambassador Thompson.

Similar to the traditional two-year Volunteer Program, Peace Corps Response Volunteers are expected to integrate into their communities, build relationships, and serve as role models representing the United States in Nepal.

These ten Response Volunteers join nearly 4,000 Peace Corps Volunteers who have served in Nepal since the Peace Corps program was established in 1962 through an agreement between the governments of Nepal and the United States. With this new group, there are now fifty Peace Corps Volunteers serving in eight districts across Nepal.