BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– United States of America (USA) Chief of Mission Earl Miller has come out to say the two governments are nothing without their interconnectedness.
He said the strength of humanity is built on individual relationships, one connection and one interaction at a time, he was speaking on the swearing-in of eight additional Peace Corps.
“The ideals of the Peace Corps are as timeless as the emaSwati concept of ‘Buntu’ having humanity towards one another similarly, I am because you are,” he said.
Miller said everywhere he travels in Eswatini he meets people who tell him how Peace Corps Volunteers touched their lives.
“Senior government policy and decision-makers, civil society leaders, teachers, healthcare workers, students of all ages, talk of their wonderful experiences with Peace Corps Volunteers,” he said.
He further said, “ You may be the first American emaSwati ever meet. You will be asked about our country. Speak your heart. Tell the story of America as you know it, our country’s struggle, imperfect and ongoing, to live up to its founding ideals, to heed the better angels of our nature,” he said in addition.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini commended Peace Corps volunteers for their spirit of humanity and dedication to their calling.
He was speaking through Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi during the swearing-in ceremony of the eight new Peace Corps volunteers.
Worth noting is that the eight join 11 other Peace Corps volunteers serving in the country, with more expected later this year.
To date, 1 859 volunteers have served in Eswatini, joining some 240 000 who have served around the globe. “The Peace Corps has been one of the most humanitarian and fruitful development agencies in the world. It is the spirit of humanity, what in Africa we call the Spirit of Ubuntu, that sets the Peace Corps apart. It is also the passion within which Peace Corps volunteers carry out their calling, as they serve rural communities, and for that, we are grateful,” he said.
Courtesy Pics of U.S. Embassy Eswatini
