Welcome to the Peace Corps Macedonia
Since 1996, over 400 Peace Corps Volunteers have worked alongside their counterparts in Macedonia. Now, we'd like to invite you to get involved.
WHAT IS THE PEACE CORPS?
President John F. Kennedy established the US Peace Corps in 1961. It is a US government agency devoted to world peace and friendship. To this day the three original goals remain the same:
- Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their needs for trained men and women.
- Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
- Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of all Americans.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Volunteers live and work in local communities for two years. They are not paid a salary. The Peace Corps provides all of their living expenses.
Volunteers are assigned in rural and urban areas; in Macedonian and Albanian speaking regions; they teach English, get involved in environmental education and work with NGOs and local government. They receive training in language and cross-cultural skills and usually speak only basic Macedonian or Albanian when they first arrive at their work sites.
Organizations accepting a Volunteer are asked to assign a counterpart to provide guidance, supervision and support, as well as working space for the Volunteer.
Volunteers have a primary job as well as secondary activities - such as a Volunteer, who works with a local NGO and also coaches a youth sports group. Besides working with schools and NGOs, Volunteers are encouraged to get involved in other community activities.
WHO ARE THESE VOLUNTEERS?
They are Americans from every walk of life - every ethnic group, age, religion, with vastly different skills and experience.
They usually do NOT have a ready source of funds for projects, language fluency, or advanced technical skills. They are not government employees and don’t have diplomatic status.
They join for different reasons: to gain work experience, to share their skills, to learn about the world, and to make a positive difference in the world we live in. But they have one thing in common: a sincere desire to learn about their host countries.
We like to think of Peace Corps Macedonia as a “give and take” proposition.
- Schools, municipalities, and NGOs take on board enthusiastic team players with new ideas and new ways of solving problems.
- The people of Macedonia take away a better understanding of Americans.
- Everyone takes away lasting friendships.
- Organizations give motivated individuals unique work experience.
- The people of Macedonia give Americans a better understanding of their country.
We are happy that Macedonia has chosen to join us in this endeavor of friendship and understanding.
In the US we have an expression: “give and take.” It describes a situation where one must “give” a little but is rewarded in return. It’s a great way to describe the Peace Corps experience.