Peace Corps volunteers return to Albania after global pandemic withdrawal
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- A ceremony held this week saw the American Peace Corps volunteers meet their host families for the first time.
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TIRANA, Oct. 3, 2022 – The first group of Peace Corps volunteers in two years has arrived in Albania following the decision to withdraw resident volunteers globally in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The American volunteers are to work as English language teachers and in positions helping municipalities, associations and civic communities in various development projects.
Peace Corps, an independent program of the U.S. government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance, has been present in Albania since 1992, creating a 30-year history of volunteering in education and Albanian communities.
The volunteers are hosted by local families in the first few months of stay and typically learn to speak fluent Albanian as part of the volunteer work.
A ceremony held this week saw the American Peace Corps volunteers meet their host families for the first time.
“I am happy that the volunteers are sitting together with their host families. This is just the beginning of a long and challenging journey in Albania,” said Megan Wilson, head of the Peace Corps for Albania and Montenegro, according to a VoA Albanian article about the ceremony marking the return of the volunteers.
Since 1992, more than 900 American volunteers have worked for two years with community members and local leaders to jointly address Albania’s development challenges.
U.S. Ambassador to Albania Yuri Kim said the American volunteers and their Albanian hosts will start an exciting journey.
“I am happy that the Peace Corps volunteers are in Albania again. They will soon witness Albanian hospitality,” Ambassador Kim said.
In March 2020, more than 7,000 volunteers were evacuated from posts in more than 60 countries. During the pandemic, the Peace Corps continued its work through a new virtual service platform, domestic deployment of volunteers to aid in the United States’ COVID-19 response and continued work with overseas staff and partners.
Now they are back, a group of mostly young recent university graduates in their late 20s but as there are no age restrictions some older volunteers will pick up positions where more experience is required. Senior volunteers make up about 10 percent of the group.
One of them heading to Albania is Rakesh Jobanputra, 59, who recently retired from a career in business and finance, according to a profile of him in his hometown media outlet, NorthJersey.com, in which he explained his coming role in Albania.
“From what I understand, I will be an organizational development volunteer, and I look at that as volunteer community work [and] social work,” Jobanputra said. “And so I’ll be placed at a site, probably a rural town or village, and probably an underserved community.”
He also hopes to bring some of his experiences and interests to the role, to beyond what is expected of him and to have an even more positive impact in the area where he will be deployed.
“I’m hoping I’ll do more, maybe in my extra time, by teaching yoga, for example. I love yoga,” Jobanputra told NorthJersey.com. “Teaching accounting skills — [I’ve] been in accounting for 40 years now, and I’ve learned a lot. So I’m looking forward to passing those skills on to folks.”
