US Envoy Calls For World Peace!!!

….As New Batch of Peace Corps Arrived In The Gambia

By Staff Writer Fatou Barry, Banjul

“More than ever there is a need for people around the world to work for peace. The mission of the Peace Corps is as critical and important today as it was over 40 years ago. The time is now for people from different nations, different religions, tribes and clans to come together in the name of peace,.” These were the exact words of the US Ambassador to The Gambia Barry Wells. The US envoy was addressing a new batch of Peace Corps Volunteers yesterday. The Ambassador emphasized the need for world peace. Below is the full speech of the Ambassador, which was emailed to the Freedom Newspaper. Please read on…….

Remarks of the U.S. Ambassador to The Gambia

Swearing in Ceremony for Peace Corps Volunteers

Honorable SOS for Forestry and Environment Kotu Cham, Permanent Secretary for Health and Social Welfare Sulayman Samba, Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Mr. Jarju, Permanent Secretary for Environment Mr. Baldeh, Charge’ d’affaires from the French Embassy, Ms. Danielle Robin, Peace Corps Country Director Michael McConnell, Embassy staff, Peace Corps staff and Peace Corps Volunteers, friends of Peace Corps, distinguished guests and our newest members of the Peace Corps family, welcome to the U.S. Embassy Residence. 

Today is a special day as we are gathered to witness the administration of the Oath of Office to trainees who will be happy to shed that title and become full-fledged Peace Corps Volunteers.  They will join a family of Americans who first served in the Gambia in 1967, over 40 years ago, and others who have served with distinction continuously since.   

Volunteers are a special type of people.  They are giving, compassionate, generous, thoughtful and kind.  As a Peace Corps Volunteer you will be contributing directly to the growth and development of various communities and instilling a sense of democratic principles in their lives.   

Your work will directly affect and change the lives of those around you.  It is a monumental experience to be able to bring fresh water to a community or help plant new commodities that will help stimulate economic growth.  I’ve seen the trash bag project here, where recycled trash-bags are used to make woven purses that are later sold for a profit.  I have also seen local plants turned in to mosquito repellent and mangroves planted to curb erosion. 

Like their predecessors, the volunteers we swear in today bring a wide range of skills and experiences to their assignments here in The Gambia.  They have undoubtedly had many offers of employment, graduate school and other opportunities that would probably pay them a bit more than their Peace Corps living allowance!  But financial reward was not the defining criteria that led here. Despite the lure of those many opportunities before them, they have chosen to serve their country; they have chosen to serve the people of The Gambia; they have chosen service. And for that we thank them!  

In a few days the United States will observe the swearing in of our 44^th President, Barak Obama.  And in our democratic tradition, President-elect Obama will take the oath of office – much the same oath as you are about to take today. It is an oath not to a king or sovereign but to a set of ideas embodied in a document drafted over 200 years ago, the Constitution of the United States of America.  

More than ever there is a need for people around the world to work for peace. The mission of the Peace Corps is as critical and important today as it was over 40 years ago. The time is now for people from different nations, different religions, tribes and clans to come together in the name of peace.   

As you undertake your assignments here in The Gambia, there will be days when you are homesick - perhaps missing the fresh smell of new fallen snow or the alluring aroma of a Big Mac - And, you may wonder what am I doing here? What difference am I making? When those days come – and they will, remember the oath you take today, remember that the smallest spark can start a roaring blaze – I challenge you to commit yourself to be that spark in the name of spreading peace. I wish you all the best. Thank you!