The Cape Verde archipelago is located approximately 375 miles off the coast of West Africa. It is composed of nine inhabited islands and eight islets. The islands have a combined size of just over 4,000 square kilometers (roughly the size of Rhode Island ). Of volcanic origin, the spectacular islands, which boast some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, vary widely in terrain. The climate is tropical, but the archipelago's location in the Sahel belt makes it the victim of periodic and devastating droughts, interspersed with years of greater, yet still less-than-adequate, rainfall.

In 1988, Peace Corps sent its first group of Volunteers to Cape Verde. Since then there have been over 300 Volunteers who have served in Cape Verde. Peace Corps Volunteers have served on all nine inhabited islands; presently, 46 Volunteers serve on all islands except Brava and Boavista.

Over the past fifteen years the Peace Corps program in Cape Verde has grown in the number of Volunteers serving and its scope of intervention. To help the local government address its myriad development needs, the program has adapted its focus and objectives to keep in step with the country's development initiatives. Volunteers work closely with educational institutions, local government offices and nongovernmental agencies (NGOs) assisting communities in identifying their needs and resources and developing projects that help communities best use local resources to meet their needs.

Peace Corps' support of Cape Verde's efforts at economic recovery focuses on the rehabilitation of Cape Verde's human resources through Volunteer assistance in the areas of education and community development.

Education

The education project is designed to share knowledge (content) and skills (methodologies) with Cape Verdean students, teachers, administrators, parents, organizations, and communities in formal and informal education settings through Volunteer and counterpart collaboration. Volunteers work as secondary school English and vocational education teachers and as teacher trainers. The project addresses inequality regarding girls' and boys' access to and participation in school, and educates students and the community in life skills and HIV/AIDS. Work with youth groups in sports, summer camps and community projects are also important components of the project. The MoE and Peace Corps began their collaboration with the education project in 1988, 13 years after Cape Verde gained its independence from Portugal.

Information Technology

To develop and implement sustainable, small-scale, community development projects, Volunteers continue to promote information technology as a tool for development. They also advise small business entrepreneurs with the aim of increasing the profitability and viability of businesses.