Monrovia, Liberia: President George Manneh Weah has pledged that his government would provide the necessary protection and create the environment that enables Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) execute their programs. Liberia has reaped and continues to reap a great deal of doles from the presence of Peace Corps; impacting knowledge and providing relevant skills training opportunities for Liberians in all parts of the country.

 

President Weah expressed delight over the contributions and the enormity of the phenomenal sacrifices they have made and are making to the country, even in the most difficult times when the country was gripped by the scourge of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) which took the lives of over four thousand citizens.

 

“I want to congratulate you on this endeavor. We take seriously your decision to come to Liberia; it is not an easy one, and we will do everything in our power for you to be successful,” President Weah said. The Liberian leader spoke Friday, August 17, 2018 at the swearing-in ceremony of 44 Peace Corps Volunteers in Monrovia. The 44 Peace Corps Volunteers are expected to be deployed in the 15 counties for two years. 

 

President Weah spoke of his knowledge and association with Peace Corps when he was a teen several years ago in his village in Sasstown, Grand Kru County, saying that the “George” name he bears today was given to him by a Peace Corps volunteer.

 

Welcoming and thanking the PCVs for making the journey to Liberia, he said they have been working over decades to instill discipline in Liberians, teaching in the classrooms. “They thought us; they made significant impact on our lives; supported education and they did all they could in a friendly manner. I had a Peace Corps father, who named me George. He was a good Christian. He thought me in the church. He did not only educate me, he gave me a name that has given me a positive life,” the Liberian leader reflected.

 

He urged Liberians not to underestimate the sacrifices of PCVs, to leave their families and friends to come to another country that has the history of Ebola to teach them to be disciplined. 

“When our people were running away, you were in Liberia to mentor people. This is a great sacrifice; great like going into the army and they are telling you that you are going to war,” President Weah indicated. He added: “But whatever you do here, we are going to pray for you so that you go back to your families safely.”

 

“We will do all we can through our partnership to ensure you are saved. We will make sure you impact lives in this country. We will do everything in our power for you to be successful.”

Meanwhile, President Weah also thanked the government of the United States for believing in Liberia and for ensuring that their citizens come to Liberia to teach Liberians; stating that such action justifies a Stanza in the American national anthem, "A country of the free and of the brave.”

 

The Peace Corps, it can be recalled was created in September 22, 1961 by a Congressional Legislation to “promote world peace and friendship”: (1) to help the peoples of interested countries in meeting their needs for trained men and women; and (2) to help promote a better understanding of Americans.