Ambassador Speeches

Remarks by Ambassador Martinez at the U.S. Peace Corp Swearing-In Ceremony

Kitwe
March 31, 2006

It is a great pleasure for me to be with you today to preside over the swearing-in ceremony of these new Peace Corps Volunteers. I am very pleased that these Volunteers have come to work with the Ministries of Education and Health, bringing with them their skills, their enthusiasm and their experience. I am confident the Zambian Government, the Ministries of Education and Health, and especially the many communities with whom they will work with, will all be rewarded with your professional contributions.

When American President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps in the early 1960’s, he instituted three overarching goals for the organization:
1- to help people of interested countries in meeting their need for skilled manpower;
2- to promote a better understanding of the American people by those served;
3- and to promote a better understanding of the people served by the American people.

I am pleased to see that even today, 45 years after the founding of the Peace Corps these goals continue to be relevant to the Peace Corps experience. In Zambia, there are approximately 155 Volunteers currently serving, and there are almost 600 former volunteers who have previously served in Zambia and have now returned to their homes to share their stories and experiences. The U.S. Embassy strives to support the Government and people of Zambia in many ways. By bringing in Peace Corps Volunteers to serve within the Ministries of Education and Health, we seek to help complement the skilled human resources that these government Ministries bring to the field level.

Since demand for human resources is constantly growing in the rural areas of Zambia, these Volunteers will find opportunities to assist rural communities in ways they can hardly imagine now. This is why the Peace Corps continues to provide highly skilled Volunteers to help Zambia meet its human resource needs.

The U.S. Embassy has provided strong support to the Peace Corps in Zambia since the first group of Volunteers arrived here in 1994. We are proud of the contributions our Volunteers make to their communities, and we anticipate a close collaboration and cooperation between our offices in the years ahead. We appreciate the willingness of these Volunteers to work in the field, in the rural villages and districts, in the schools and clinics throughout Zambia. Their efforts do not go unnoticed, nor are they unappreciated in their villages, and by our Embassy.

One issue that I must mention in this forum is that of the HIV/AIDS pandemic that afflicts this country and indeed the region. The Government of Zambia actively supports efforts to reduce the transmission of HIV; to banish the stigma placed upon people living with AIDS; to support improved quality of life for HIV/AIDS patients with effective home-based care programs; and to work tirelessly to ensure that unsafe behaviors are changed.

As Nelson Mandela said at the Durban AIDS Conference, “…there is need for us to be focused, to be strategic, and to mobilize all our resources and alliances, and to sustain the effort until this war is won. Let us combine our efforts to ensure a future for our children. The challenge is no less." These new Volunteers, as they work with communities around Zambia, will see first hand the impact that HIV/AIDS has on our lives, our families and our workforce. The Volunteers will work to improve access to education and will assist in the effort to improve the health and nutrition of those with HIV/AIDS in our rural communities.

I am happy to note the high caliber of the Volunteers in this group. For this, I would like to urge Peace Corps to continue identifying such appropriate personnel to meet the needs of Zambia. The good that these young Americans do reflects well on the United States, and on the American people.

To the in-coming Volunteers, I welcome you to Zambia. We have been looking forward to your arrival, and we congratulate you on your successful completion of your training program. I urge you to carry out your work to the best of your abilities. I am also sure that you’ll learn much from your work and from your interactions with your community and colleagues. Draw upon the three goals of the Peace Corps organization that I cited before in my remarks: “work to not only assist the communities you live in, but to transfer skills that will last long after you have returned to America.” I wish you all the best of luck.

Congratulations!!

Honored guests, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much.