Embassy of the United States

Transcripts

Ambassador Ordway Addresses New Peace Corps Volunteers

Academy of Sciences,
Almaty, Kazakhstan
November 9, 2007

Ambassador Ordway: In late 1992, not long after this country declared its independence, President Nazarbayev invited the Peace Corps to help strengthen Kazakhstan’s human resource base.  Since then, the Kazakhstani people and the government have been extremely supportive of the Peace Corps’ role in development.  The government of Kazakhstan’s programs are driven by President Nazarbayev’s message, entitled, “Prosperity, Security and the Ever-Growing Welfare of All Kazakhstanis,” a program commonly referred to as “Kazakhstan 2030.”  The program calls for consistently improving standards of living, health, education, and opportunities for Kazakhstanis as well as improving the natural environment in the country.  Peace Corps volunteer activities are closely aligned with the president’s vision in these areas and the Millennium Development Goals endorsed by the government of Kazakhstan. 

These 68 trainees will soon join with 67 currently serving volunteers, advancing mutual understanding by working throughout this country.

Volunteers engaged in organizational and community development programs promote the development of civil society by working with host organizations, counterparts, and community volunteers throughout Kazakhstan to improve the community’s capacity to meet its needs—particularly  in target areas such as HIV/AIDS, youth, environment, women, and economic development initiatives—and support the Millennium Development Goals.  Volunteers are placed in towns and at the grass-roots level to educate, train, and assist host agency staff in leadership, business skills, transparent accounting, grant writing, and strategic planning.  Last year, four volunteers conducted a four-day business skills workshop with 20 regional participants.  They covered leadership and business topics as well as the selection, integration, and management of local volunteers into overall programming strategies.  Supporting a local HIV/AIDS prevention center, one volunteer designed outreach activities with staff to educate the general population about HIV/AIDS, prevention options and the links with IV drug use.  The program included training in media outreach and the design of informational brochures.  Working with a local non-governmental organization to support the handicapped, one volunteer taught business planning and management skills to staff.  They have completed business plans and started the implementation of a wheelchair factory that will meet needs of handicapped citizens throughout the country. 

Volunteers engaged in the education program, about two-thirds of those currently serving, support one of Kazakhstan’s main goals—to become one of the top 50 most competitive countries within the world market economy.  As English is the language of international communication, the Ministry of Education has requested assistance from the Peace Corps in English language teaching, teacher training, and educational resource development, particularly in rural secondary schools.  Many rural schools are understaffed, are using outdated and often ineffective textbooks, and have limited teaching resources and teachers with limited English fluency.  In addition to team teaching to address daily classroom teaching methodologies and communicative approaches, most volunteers conduct teacher-training workshops for village teachers throughout Kazakhstan to improve their English teaching methodology and their English language skills.  This year, one volunteer conducted a no-cost training seminar for 70 local teachers serving in village schools.  In two other towns, 22 teachers from rural schools participated in a training to promote the use of information and communications technologies in the classroom and to provide training to teachers in the use of computers and the Internet. 

Volunteers in education also organize numerous community projects, including business, technology, environmental clubs, and HIV/AIDS awareness activities.

In addition to their formal roles as teachers in academic settings or as trainers in host agencies, volunteers are enthusiastic participants in summer camps across Kazakhstan. Building on the summer camp tradition that existed in the former Soviet Union, volunteers work with local counterparts to provide campers with enriching, invigorating camp experiences.  As a result of this work, counterparts improve their English ability as well as their planning, organizational, and leadership skills while the campers participate in activities enhancing critical thinking and improving their knowledge and respect for the environment.  More than 40 volunteers organized and participated in camps throughout Kazakhstan last summer.  One volunteer and the Society for Disabled Youth organized a series of summer camps for children with physical and mental disabilities. 

The United States Peace Corps program in Kazakhstan, whose mission is promoting world peace and friendship, is a valued component of the U.S. government’s efforts to advance mutual understanding and human development. 

Today, you join 8,079 volunteers serving at 68 posts in 74 countries, a 37-year high in the number of Peace Corps volunteers serving around the world—the highest number of Americans serving in the Peace Corps since 1970. 

A closing quote – 

“Lessons from our region show that peace must be built between peoples.  It derives from understanding, trust, and a sense of working towards a shared destiny.  It arises only out of mutual and equitable exchange of skills, of ideas, of cultural values.  Peace Corps volunteers—going where they are invited; bringing open minds, dedication, and enthusiasm; living and working side-by-side with their hosts; and returning with new perspectives to share with those at home—are among the best examples of how that peace will be achieved.”

*     Queen Noor, Jordan

I look forward to seeing you at your sites.  You have my best wishes, strongest support, and highest appreciation for your service.