You may have seen a stranger in your community within the last few years; an American who doesn’t seem to be a tourist or a Ross student. Or perhaps there is a new smiling face at the St. Christopher Heritage Society. Maybe even a stranger strolling out of the Ministry buildings on Victoria Road. If so, you might have come across one of the volunteers from the United States Peace Corps. These volunteers are spread throughout the Federation as far as Sadlers in St. Kitts, and are here to lend a hand.

The Peace Corps has been in St. Kitts for quite some time, but the service was interrupted in 1998 for five years. In late 2003 volunteers returned at the request of the St. Kitts and Nevis government. Volunteers live in local communities and have assisted library start-ups, worked with youth groups and assisted in the schools.

“We work within our communities, in the schools, with groups, and also with the Ministries out of Basseterre. We’re a jack of all trades kind of group,” said Amber Greening, a volunteer in St. Peters.

Current projects range from helping children learn to read to protecting the environment. Many of the volunteers work in primary schools and libraries, helping with literacy programs. Some work in the area of health, helping to educate people about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and how to prevent infection.

However, a large portion of the Peace Corps’ work lately has centered on environmental issues. In coordination with the Department of Social Development and Communities and sponsored by UNESCO, volunteers helped with a day camp in Lodge Village to teach children about the importance of keeping St. Kitts clean under the theme “Protect Our Environment, Our Future Depends on it.” And in the last Carnival Grand Parade, they participated in the Clean-Up Troupe sponsored by UNESCO’s Small Islands Voice to promote the theme “Reduce and Reuse in 2007.” Additionally, many of the volunteers assist the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network, tagging sea turtles, monitoring nests on the beaches and participating in coastal clean-ups.

The goals of the Peace Corps are three-fold: to help transfer skills to local communities, to teach people about American life and culture, and to learn about Kittitian and Nevisian life to share with friends and family back home. It is an opportunity for Americans to travel and learn abroad while giving back to the communities they live in.

There were 16 Peace Corps volunteers serving in the Federation in August, the majority in St. Kitts. And after one group left in mid-August, another will replace them, bringing that number closer to 25. The volunteers range in age from 21 to 65 years old, bringing with them their experience, optimism and willingness to help.

But what they’re really looking forward to is “becoming a good cricketer!” says Greening.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 15th, 2007 at 12:32 pm and is filed under lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.