November 16, 2023, 11 a.m., U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Puneet Talwar led a swearing-in ceremony today for 64 Peace Corps volunteers in Beni-Mellal, marking the completion of the volunteers’ 9.5 weeks of intensive language and cultural training.
The volunteers will now move to host towns and villages across the country where they will perform service in collaboration with local partners to strengthen life skills, promote friendship, and support the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication’s youth development strategy.
“Thank you to all 64 of you, who have made the bold decision to volunteer the next two years of your lives, immersing yourselves in a local community in Morocco and deepening the already strong people-to-people ties between our two countries,” Ambassador Talwar said during his remarks.
Ambassador Talwar also thanked Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication Mehdi Bensaid and Beni-Mellal Wali El Khatib Lahbil, both of whom attended the ceremony, for the Moroccan government’s continued support for the Peace Corps program.
He congratulated Director Carol Spahn, global Peace Corps Director, on 60 years of building communities and strong friendships in Morocco.
The Morocco group represents one of the largest numbers of Peace Corps volunteers currently in any country in the world.
The Kingdom was one of the first countries to invite volunteers in 1963, just two years after President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961.
Since then, more than 240,000 U.S. citizens have served as Peace Corps volunteers across the globe. Over 5,000 have served in Morocco. The Kingdom remains one of the most requested service destinations for volunteers.
The volunteers are aged between 21 and 70 and come from across the United States, reflecting the country’s diversity.
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