WASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2005 - On a joint mission this week, Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez and Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Randall Tobias will visit Uganda government officials and Peace Corps volunteers working to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Uganda is the first stop for Director Vasquez this month in a number of visits and meetings on HIV/AIDS issues. The joint tour in Uganda will provide Director Vasquez and Ambassador Tobias with a close look at the efforts of Peace Corps volunteers working on the front lines of HIV/AIDS education and prevention. In country, the two will attend a primary school day camp at which Peace Corps volunteers promote HIV/AIDS prevention strategies that help reinforce children’s skills and abilities to act responsibly and avoid HIV.

Director Vasquez and Ambassador Tobias will also meet with Megan Krispinsky, 23, of Ranchos De Taos, N.M., Julia O'Connor, 26, of Santa Fe, N.M., and Paul Babcock, 22, of Chesterton, Ind. The three Peace Corps volunteers are working in a Habitat for Humanity program that supports HIV/AIDS education for homeowners and is working to implement a program to assist new AIDS orphans and vulnerable children.

The visit will also allow the two to further coordinate efforts and goals related to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief activities in Uganda and other Peace Corps countries.

"Uganda is an example of how community and school-based HIV education initiatives can help decrease the spread of the deadly disease. We are pleased that the Peace Corps has been a part of these education initiatives and that the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief has allowed the Peace Corps to work with even more teachers, to create strong curriculums in the fight against HIV/AIDS," said Director Vasquez.

In addition, Director Vasquez and Ambassador Tobias will help swear in the newest group of Peace Corps trainees about to begin HIV/AIDS project assignments in Uganda.

Following this visit, Director Vasquez will also travel to participate in the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Annual Meeting in Ethiopia, and visit Kenya and Madagascar in the latter part of May.

Including the new group of trainees, currently, 55 Peace Corps volunteers work in education and health and HIV/AIDS prevention and education in Uganda. The Peace Corps program in Uganda originally opened in 1964. It was closed in 1973, reopened from 1991-1999, and again in 2000. Over the years, more than 650 Americans have served in the country. To learn more about Uganda, please visit the Where Do Volunteers Go? section.

Since 1961, more than 178,000 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 27-month commitment.

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