Swearing In as a Peace Corps Volunteer

Me with Mupemba, the training manager for our Rwandan education group.



The entire Rwandan training staff that helped us with every aspect of culture, language, and education pedagogy.



A collection of the Peace Corps Rwanda Education Group II just after swearing in as volunteers.  We are on the steps of the Ambassador's House.



Listening to speaches at the Ambassador's House shortly before swearing in.



            Swearing in is the culmination of a volunteer’s long road from application, medical reviews, invitation, and training to being an actual volunteer.  It’s a long road, one from finishing the application to being an actual volunteer can be from 6 months to 5 years. 

            In order to be a Peace Corps Volunteer, the trainee must pass a language exam (able to speak “survival Kinyarwandan” which is the technical equivalent of an intermediate level foreign language), medical exam, and technical exam (teaching test, and approval of the educational instructor that the trainee will be an effective teacher as reviewed from the educational training staff), along with the training group believing that the trainee will be an effective and positive volunteer. 

            On January 3, sixty-five trainees swore in as Peace Corps education volunteers.  The ceremony was emceed by the United States Ambassador to Rwanda and the Peace Corps Rwanda Country Director, and took place at the United States Ambassadors House (side note, the house is the nicest building I’ve seen in Rwanda). 

            The day culminated in a shopping trip in Kigali.  The next day, all of the volunteers said goodbye to each other and moved to their sites.  The volunteers will reconvene together for a five day in service training (IST) in April.