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The Peace Corps kicked off Language Week 2025 today with Peace Corps countries from Albania to Zambia contributing to illustrate this year’s theme, “Building Bridges through Language.”

The annual Peace Corps Language Week celebrates the agency’s legacy of language learning and teaching, which encompasses both the hundreds of staff facilitators who teach 125 languages to volunteers in 60 countries as well as the 800 volunteers who currently teach English in host communities around the world. More than 240,000 Americans have driven innovation and global economic growth through their entrepreneurship and language proficiency, making U.S. businesses more competitive in the international marketplace.

Since the first cohort to Ghana learned Ewe and Twi in 1961, Peace Corps’ intensive language and intercultural competency training has helped volunteers integrate into host communities where they live and work. Peace Corps volunteers spend nearly 100 hours in language training with many learning one of 14 different alphabets ranging from Arabic to Tamil. Deaf education volunteers learn – and teach the Deaf– in Ghanaian and Kenyan sign languages.

In the Kyrgyz Republic, all volunteers learn Kyrgyz and some also learn Russian and Uzbek, which use Cyrillic alphabets. “Most volunteers in the Kyrgyz Republic learn more than one language,” said Peace Corps staff member Aisuluu Gazieva. “Our language and cross-cultural facilitators support trainees throughout the whole experience of pre-service training. They have language classes almost every day, and they also have homework to do. 

“Our volunteers live with host families,” she added. “This is how they integrate and it's much easier to learn the language.”

The Peace Corps’ largest sector is education and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) volunteers work with teachers, students and community members in 32 countries. Developing English communications skills can increase economic and professional opportunities for children and adults in host communities while also promoting a better understanding of American culture and values.

According to Gazieva, the Kyrgyz government wants to increase English language classes at schools and universities. “Current students, especially young ones, would love to explore this world and expand their horizons—and that's why they're learning English, because English provides more opportunities, more [access to] books and scientific reports,” she explained.

Peace Corps social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X will feature Language Week content from September 22-26, 2025.

Cultivating person-to-person connections at the grassroots level plays a critical role in extending American values overseas. Countries and communities around the world continue to partner with the Peace Corps as the agency aspires to attract and support 8,000 volunteers in service by September 30, 2030. The Peace Corps invites U.S. citizens from all backgrounds who embody the spirit of service to become volunteers. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit peacecorps.gov to learn more about the Peace Corps and apply for service.

WASHINGTON – The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) holds the top spot among Peace Corps’ 2025 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are currently 46 Badgers serving in 30 countries around the world. UW-Madison has consistently sent some of the largest cohorts of Peace Corps volunteers overseas and has maintained its place as the No. 2 all-time volunteer producer with 3,074 alumni having served since 1961.

Colorado College took the first slot among small-sized schools, with 13 alumni volunteers. George Washington University, with 27 undergraduate alumni in service, ranked at the top for medium-sized schools this year while also ranking among the top-producing graduate schools in the nation.

“Colleges and universities from across the nation are providing us their talented alumni to serve in countries around the globe,” said Peace Corps Chief Executive Officer Allison Greene. “These top-ranked schools understand the transformative power of public service and human connection. The Peace Corps builds invaluable intercultural communication skills, a broadened worldview, and adaptive leadership qualities needed in the American workforce today.”

Below find the top ranked schools in each category and the number of alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers.

2025 Top Large Colleges and Universities - Total Volunteers

More than 15,000 undergraduates

1. University of Wisconsin-Madison - 46

2. University of Colorado Boulder - 39

3. University of Florida - 34

4. University of Maryland, College Park - 28

4. University of Virginia - 28

4. Virginia Tech - 28

2025 Top Medium Colleges and Universities - Total Volunteers

Between 5,000 and 15,000 undergraduates

1. George Washington University - 27

2. American University - 22

3. University of Vermont - 19

4. William & Mary - 17

5. Emory University - 13

5. Western Washington University - 13

2025 Top Small Colleges and Universities - Total Volunteers

Fewer than 5,000 undergraduates

1. Colorado College - 13

2. Kenyon College - 9

3. Hobart and William Smith Colleges - 8

3. Macalester College - 8

5. Carleton College - 7

5. Gettysburg College - 7

5. University of Richmond - 7

2025 Top Graduate Schools - Total Volunteers

All Categories

1. Columbia University - 9

1. University of Michigan - 9

3. American University - 7

3. George Washington University - 7

3. The University of Texas at Austin - 7

Historical, Since 1961 - Total Volunteers

All Categories

1. University of California, Berkeley - 3,163

2. University of Wisconsin-Madison - 3,074

3. University of Washington - 2,700

4. University of Michigan - 2,528

5. University of Colorado Boulder - 2,298

*Rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2024 data as of September 30, 2024, as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers.

The Peace Corps’ unique model of community-based development and people-to-people diplomacy connects skilled, committed Americans to work in partnership with welcoming host communities. Since 1961, more than 240,000 Americans in 144 countries have supported global progress in agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health, and youth in development in some of the most remote areas of the world.

The Peace Corps invites all qualified U.S. citizens to answer our bold invitation to serve. Applicants who pursue certain programs will be eligible for added benefits, such as a shorter assignment, a mid-service break, or an increased readjustment stipend. The next application deadline is July 1, 2025. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply online. Visit peacecorps.gov to learn more about Peace Corps volunteer service in 60 countries.

REMARKS AS PREPARED:

Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn: Salam alaykum! (Peace be upon you) Good morning. It is an incredible honor to be here with you all in the “Smiling Coast of Africa” where the spirit of “Peace Only” resonates so deeply. Thank you, for welcoming me with such warmth and hospitality on my final trip as Director of the Peace Corps.

Today is a celebration of the nearly six-decades of friendship and partnership between the Peace Corps and the Gambian people. It is also the beginning of a new chapter in that relationship, as we symbolize the Peace Corps’ deep and long-term commitment with the opening of the agency’s beautiful new office.

To all of our distinguished guests – Minister Barry, Deputy Chief of Mission Banjul, Peace Corps Country Director Morley, government and community partners, host families, friends and Returned Volunteers from near and far – thank you for joining us to celebrate this important milestone.

Travel back with me, for a moment, to the year 1967. When here in The Gambia, a group of Americans are stepping off an airplane, filled with hope and optimism – and, I’m sure, no small amount of nerves – prepared to do what they can, working alongside people and communities they’ve never met to try and make a small amount of difference in the world through the power of personal connection.

That first group of Peace Corps Volunteers who were welcomed with open hearts by the people of this nation laid the first stones in the beautiful foundation of friendship, connection, and partnership grown stronger with every generation of Volunteer and their counterparts who built on it over the last 57 years.

More than 2,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have called The Gambia home. They’ve learned the language and culture of the Fula, Wolof, Mandinka, Jola, and Serahule.

They’ve played football with local children, shared countless meals of Domoda, and Akara, and Wonjo Juice, and fasted alongside their communities for Ramadan. And through it all they’ve worked hand-in-hand with their Gambian partners to strengthen Education, enhance Agricultural practices, and promote health and wellness it their communities.

Today, forty Volunteers are continuing this powerful legacy of connection and community-led development. They are working with communities to build resilience in the face of growing natural disasters, and helping women unleash their own economic empowerment through greater digital literacy.

A numeracy pilot program spearheaded by two of our Volunteers, Isbah and Shelby, has already profoundly changed the learning trajectory of Gambian children – and will continue to do so for years to come as it is now being replicated countrywide.

But as much as our Volunteers strive to give to the communities who welcome them with such warmth and with arms wide open, the fact is that they get just as much – if not more – in return. Each of them carries a little bit of The Gambia – the wisdom, kindness, and enduring spirit – in their hearts and in their souls the rest of their lives. It shapes who they are long after their service here ends, building lasting bridges of understanding across cultures, across borders, and across differences. And I’m so thrilled that we’ll be hearing directly from 6 of these Volunteers and some of their counterparts shortly. I understand that some of them will be speaking in Wolof, Mandinka, Serahule, and Pulaar, which I’m very excited to see.

My point in sharing a bit of the great work that our Volunteers are doing alongside their communities isn’t to be boastful, although I am very proud. It’s to demonstrate how deep and lasting our commitment to the Gambia remains. And beyond the Volunteers themselves, there is no greater testament to that than the new office that we open today.

But this is more than a building. It is more than brick and mortar. This is a space in for collaboration, innovation, and big dreams. Here, Volunteers will join with staff and partners to chart a future rooted in mutual respect and shared aspirations.

This new office is an investment in the future of Peace Corps here in The Gambia. As is our exploration of potential new service models and innovative recruitment methods that we are starting to implement – that we hope will lead ever greater numbers of future Volunteers to step through these doors and out into the beauty of this nation and its people for many years to come.

The future for the Peace Corps and The Gambia is bright, and we are so excited to work side-by-side with the Gambian people to build it – one connection, one interaction at a time.

Abaraka, Jerejef, Jarama, Thank you. Peace only.

WASHINGTON – Aligned with Human Rights Day and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, the Peace Corps today published its Sexual Assault Prevention Strategy and Implementation Plan: Fiscal Years 2025-2029, a guide to the agency’s next phase of action in support of sexual assault prevention. Central to the strategy and plan are measures to further cement the agency’s public health approach to prevent sexual violence before it occurs. The strategy and plan underscore the Peace Corps’ commitment to global, societal-level action to prevent sexual violence for the safety and well-being of volunteers and members of communities where volunteers live and work.

“Sexual violence directly threatens the Peace Corps’ mission of world peace and friendship,” said Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn. “This new strategy adds a public health lens to more than a decade’s worth of sexual assault risk mitigation and response work. Today, we further dedicate ourselves to long-term, whole-of-agency action to end sexual violence.”

The agency’s strategy and plan are rooted in three foundational principles that inform its approach to sexual assault prevention programming, operations, and efforts:

1. Fostering a Culture of Sexual Assault Prevention: The Peace Corps will further institutionalize prevention into its operations and utilize its unique approach to development to support host countries in fostering community attitudes and norms around sexual violence to create safer environments for community members and volunteers alike.
2. Reducing Real and Perceived Barriers to Reporting Sexual Assault for Volunteers: The Peace Corps will strengthen its sexual assault response procedures and services and further integrate trauma-informed and victim/survivor-centered care to support volunteers who experience sexual assault.
3. Improving Organizational Accountability: The Peace Corps will increase the transparency and accountability of its Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) program and increase feedback mechanisms for the Peace Corps network.

The strategy and plan released today build on the agency’s long-term work to combat sexual violence. Since the SAPR program was established in 2013, the Peace Corps has worked to reduce incidences of sexual assault against volunteers and equip staff with the necessary tools and training to respond appropriately when sexual violence against volunteers occurs. In March 2022, the agency released Broadening the Peace Corps' Approach to Sexual Assault Prevention, a roadmap that outlined a comprehensive plan to strengthen the agency’s approach to sexual assault prevention and response. Since then, the agency has completed every component of the roadmap including publishing today’s strategy and plan as well as:

• Expanded the SAPR office to include a Senior Prevention Specialist who helps identify, implement, and evaluate promising practices and evidence-based research.
• Enhanced feedback mechanisms to collect volunteer and returned volunteer feedback and incorporate input into improvement strategies.
• Contracted a tele-sexual assault nurse examiner provider to guide agency medical officers as they conduct forensic exams and complete documentation.
• Revamped and bolstered training requirements for Peace Corps staff at all levels.
• Released a performance review and report outlining progress from Fiscal Years 2021-2023.

Today’s announcement, made in conjunction with Human Rights Day and the final day of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign, formalizes the Peace Corps’ dedication to breaking the silence surrounding sexual violence and continuing its work to foster a culture of support, respect and empowerment for all individuals. Peace Corps stands in solidarity with survivors and advocates globally to create a world free from violence.

Returned volunteers who have been impacted by sexual violence, or any crime while serving in the Peace Corps, can contact the Office of Victim Advocacy, which is available 24 hours a day and can provide confidential services and referrals, by phone or text at 202-409-2704 and email at victimadvocate@peacecorps.gov.

BANJUL – Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn officially opened the agency’s new office in The Gambia today, marking a new chapter in the agency’s 57-year partnership with The Gambian people. This new facility will serve as a hub for Peace Corps/The Gambia staff to support volunteers, community partners, and host families who work together every day to advance local development.

“I am honored to be here to experience the Smiling Coast of Africa, where the people of The Gambia have warmly welcomed volunteers into their hearts and homes for decades,” said Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn. “This moment is an investment in the future of this great partnership between the Peace Corps and the Gambian people. We call on Americans everywhere to walk through these doors and help build on this incredible legacy of service.”

Since 1967, more than 2,100 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in The Gambia. To continue to meet the country’s requests for skilled volunteers, Peace Corps/The Gambia is piloting a new one-year service opportunity designed to provide a shorter service option for volunteers. This pilot will complement Peace Corps/The Gambia’s traditional two-year and Peace Corps Response programs in advancing locally led priorities in education, agriculture, environment, and health.

The Peace Corps invites U.S. citizens from all backgrounds, who embody the spirit of service and intercultural understanding, to become volunteers. The next application deadline is January 1, 2025. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply online to contribute to world peace and friendship. Visit PeaceCorps.gov to learn more about Peace Corps Volunteer service and how volunteers connect with immersive experiences in over 60 countries.

REMARKS AS PREPARED:

Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn: Buenos tardes!

It’s an honor to be back in San Salvador on such a momentous occasion, celebrating the spirit of confianza – or deep trust and mutual respect —that has defined the more than half-a-century relationship between the Peace Corps and the Salvadoran people.

It’s hard to believe that it was just over a year ago that we came together to sign the agreement welcoming Peace Corps Volunteers back to El Salvador. Today, I am thrilled to stand with you as we take the next step in that journey. Ambassador Duncan and Country Director Kuklinski— I am deeply grateful to you and your teams for your remarkable work getting this program up and running in what must be record time.

Though there are some finishing touches still to be made, especially at the Peace Corps office that I had the pleasure of touring earlier today, we mark something far more important—the official return of Peace Corps Volunteers to El Salvador. After eight years away, we are back in business, and I couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead!

To all of the Volunteers being sworn in today—congratulations and welcome. You have already made incredible contributions in other countries and other regions, but today, you begin a new chapter in your service. You are blazing a trail that will shape the future of the Peace Corps in El Salvador for years to come.

I want to personally thank each of you for taking on this new challenge. And to tell you how impressed I am by all of you. Just a few days ago, I was speaking on a college campus in Nebraska, encouraging the students and others in the audience to step outside their comfort zones because that's where true growth happens. And that’s exactly what each of you has done over these past two years.

Whether tackling gender disparities along the Colombian coast while facing water shortages and contaminated sewage systems, teaching P.E. in under-resourced Bolivian schools, or having to adapt to repeated site changes due to the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, each of you has faced incredible challenges. You’ve been tested and stretched in ways that have made you more resilient, more adaptable, and more connected to the communities you serve. And you have grown from all of it. I have no doubt that the people standing here today are different from the ones who took their first oaths of service two years ago. And throughout your time in El Salvador, I am certain you will continue to grow in ways you can’t even imagine yet.

As you embark on this next chapter, I encourage you to be bold. Take risks. Step into the unknown with confidence, unburdened by the fear of failure and untethered to what has been done before. This moment in history calls for boldness, and I know you have it within you—because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be here today.

Though more than 2,300 Volunteers have served in El Salvador over the last 60 years, you are the first to return since the global pandemic. The world today is not the world of 2020, let alone 2016—the last time Volunteers had the privilege of calling El Salvador home. But with the strong foundation laid by those who came before you, you have the opportunity to chart your own paths and set the course for all who will come after you.

Congratulations once again, and thank you for taking on this exciting new opportunity. I can’t wait to hear your stories and see all that you achieve as you help strengthen the bonds between our two countries and create opportunities for young Salvadorans across this beautiful nation.

Thank you.

(Kathmandu, Nepal | Friday, May 17, 2024) – Today, Peace Corps Deputy Director David E. White Jr. officiated the swearing-in ceremony of the inaugural cohort of Peace Corps Response Volunteers in Nepal, a special milestone in the longstanding partnership between the agency and the Nepalese government. The swearing-in ceremony marked the end of training for 10 new Response Volunteers and was attended by the U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Dean R. Thompson, Nepalese government ministers, community partners, and Peace Corps Nepal staff.

“As we welcome our new cohort of Response Volunteers, we also honor the rich legacy they join—a legacy of service and cross-cultural exchange that spans more than six decades,” said Peace Corps Deputy Director David E. White Jr. “Together, with our local partners, we will continue to forge meaningful connections and work hand-in-hand to address the most pressing challenges facing communities in Nepal.”

Peace Corps Response creates opportunities of service for experienced professionals with specialized skills to complete short-term, high impact assignments at 43 countries around the world.

The Peace Corps Response program in Nepal will pair the Response Volunteers with community partners to advance locally prioritized projects in three of the agency's six sectors: community economic development, education, and agriculture. These new Response Volunteers will collaborate closely with community members across the Gandaki, Bagmati, and Lumbini provinces of Nepal.

“This is the start of a Peace Corps Response program, a program in which more experienced U.S. citizen volunteers respond to specific needs articulated by our partners in the Government of Nepal,” said U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Dean R. Thompson. “Like the traditional two-year volunteer program, Peace Corps Response Volunteers need to integrate into their communities, build relationships, and be role model representatives of the United States in Nepal.”

With this new group, a total of 50 Peace Corps Volunteers – in both the two year and Peace Corps Response programs – are currently serving in eight districts of Nepal. A total of 4,000 volunteers have served the people of Nepal since 1962 when the governments of the United States and Nepal signed a partnership to promote world peace and friendship.

During his week-long visit to Nepal, Deputy Director White also met with government and civil society representatives to discuss the agency’s commitment to global volunteerism to promote world peace and friendship, and to express gratitude for the longstanding partnership with the government of Nepal and their welcoming communities.

Peace Corps invites U.S. citizens from all backgrounds, who embody the spirit of service and cross-cultural understanding, to become volunteers. The next application deadline is July 1, 2024. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply online to take the first step towards a life-changing experience in contributing to global peace and friendship. Visit PeaceCorps.gov/Bold to learn more about Peace Corps Volunteer service and how volunteers connect with immersive experiences in over 60 countries.

(Washington, D.C. | Friday, April 26, 2024) – The Peace Corps announced today that the agency will close its post and country program in Comoros. After nearly two decades of close partnership with the people and government of Comoros, operational challenges prevent the return of Peace Corps Volunteers to service in the foreseeable future.

In March 2020, the agency evacuated 27 Volunteers from Comoros as part of the worldwide suspension of Volunteer activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the absence of Volunteers serving in-person, Peace Corps Comoros staff facilitated Virtual Service Pilot engagements with the University of Comoros and staff-led programming with local partners, including digital literacy and mentorship activities. Volunteers did not return to Comoros when the agency resumed overseas operations in March 2022.

The legacy of friendship and partnership between Comoros and the United States will endure through the fellowship among returned Peace Corps Volunteers who served in Comoros and the host families, colleagues, and friends they lived and worked alongside. Between 1988 and 1995, and from 2014 to 2020, a total of 197 education sector Volunteers taught English together with community counterparts at the invitation of the government of Comoros.

(Washington, D.C. | Friday, December 22, 2023) – The United States Senate voted unanimously to confirm David E. White Jr. as the next Deputy Director of the United States Peace Corps on December 20, 2023.

Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn issued the following statement:
“I am so excited to welcome David to the Peace Corps team. David’s rich experience in the private and public sectors will be an incredible asset to our work at this critical juncture in our agency’s history. I am certain that his commitment to service, coupled with his deeply held belief that mutual understanding is vital to making a lasting impact around the world, will resonate profoundly with the incredible staff, Volunteers and host country governments, counterparts, and community members who work to advance world peace and friendship everyday.”

For President Biden’s announcement of now Deputy Director White’s nomination, visit here.

(Washington, D.C. | Monday, November 20, 2023) – We mourn the passing of a remarkable woman, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, whose grace, dedication, and compassion have left an indelible mark on the world. Mrs. Carter's unwavering commitment to service, both within the United States and abroad, resonates profoundly with the mission and values of the Peace Corps.

She was a beacon of hope and a tireless advocate to alleviate the suffering of others and promote human dignity. Her legacy of service to others will continue to inspire future generations of Peace Corps Volunteers. Our thoughts are with the Carter family as they honor the incredible life of Mrs. Carter.