FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 06, 2004
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Peace Corps
Contact: Press Office
Phone: 202.692.2230
Fax: 202.692.2201
Email: pressoffice@peacecorps.gov |
Peace Corps Director Makes Historic First Trip to Azerbaijan |
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Washington, D.C. – Four months ago, Azerbaijan welcomed its
first 25 Peace Corps volunteers to work in education related programs. On April
30, Gaddi H. Vasquez became the first Peace Corps Director to visit the country
when he arrived to meet with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Director
Vasquez also visited with several volunteers, and saw firsthand the positive
impact they are already having on their communities.
"The Peace Corps is proud of this first group of
volunteers, as they are paving the way for future generations of volunteers in
Azerbaijan," said Director Vasquez. "By living in Azerbaijani communities, they
are the pioneers for building mutual understanding between the U.S. and
Azerbaijan and will be able to share their experiences with Americans when they
return from their two years of service."
During his tour of the country, Director Vasquez met with
President Aliyev at the Presidential Palace and discussed future opportunities
for the Peace Corps in Azerbaijan. President Aliyev expressed his profound
appreciation for the currently serving Peace Corps volunteers and mentioned his
desire to see Peace Corps programs in Azerbaijan expand in the future beyond
English education.
Director Vasquez also met with the U.S. Ambassador to
Azerbaijan Reno Harnish, who swore in the first group of volunteers on December
12, 2003. In addition, Director Vasquez met with several members of the
government who have worked with Peace Corps staff to bring volunteers into
Azerbaijani communities, including the Minister of Education Misir Mardanov.
During his visit, the Director visited the sites of two
volunteers who have already made tremendous strides in teaching English to their
students. Peace Corps volunteer Andrea Darrington of Stillwater, Minn. is
teaching English at a secondary school in the small community of Salyan where
900 of the 1,200 students had expressed an interest in learning English as a
second language. Andrea has started an English language club to achieve this
goal and is helping English instructors prepare their lessons.
Director Vasquez’ next visit was with Fazail Alishov, the
Head of the Executive Committee in the Neftchala Region. Mr. Alishov, who is
hosting three volunteers in his region, expressed enthusiastic support for the
Peace Corps.
After the meeting, the Director traveled to a local school
where he met with the three volunteers. There, the volunteers’ students
performed an English language presentation that included several renditions of
traditional American songs and a dramatization of Cinderella by the sixth grade
class.
The first group of Peace Corps volunteers assigned to
Azerbaijan are introducing new teaching techniques and improving the quality of
spoken English among the citizens of Azerbaijan. The volunteers primarily focus
their efforts on training and teaching English as a foreign language in rural
secondary schools. The next group of volunteers is scheduled to arrive later
this summer. The Peace Corps has also established successful programs in many of
Azerbaijan’s neighboring countries.
Since 1961, more than 171,000 volunteers have served in the
Peace Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health, HIV/AIDS
education and prevention, information technology, business development, the
environment, and agriculture. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and
at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a two-year commitment.
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