Governor of Gorgol
Mr. Mayor of Kaédi
Mr. Director of the Peace Corps
Ladies and Gentlemen
Volunteers

It’s a great pleasure for me to attend this ceremony to install 52 new Peace Corps volunteers, in this beatiful city of Kaédi, that I am visiting for the first time. By this ceremony, I cannot imagine a better way to demonstrate our collective and individual commitment to help Mauritania.

To our volunteers

You made a long journey before arriving here.  You have conscientiously used your three months of training to make the commitment for two years of service in Mauritania and to respect the three beliefs of the Peace Corps, which are:

-- To give technical support to the Mauritanian people;
-- To contribute to a good understanding of Americans by Mauritanians;
-- And to contribute to a better understanding of Mauritanians by Americans

As you go to execute your responsibilities “in the best manner and with faith,” please, don’t forget: what you do and how you do it is of first importance.  For it reflects not only on your personal commitment but also on that of the entire American people.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Since its creation under the presidency of John F. Kennedy, the Peace Corps has always been a model of successful cooperation between the United States of America and friendly nations.  And, since the arrival of the first Volunteer in Mauritania in 1967, more than 1000 Peace Corps volunteers have served here. The Peace Corps truly appreciates the wonderful support help given it by both the Mauritanian government and the Mauritanian people, nationally and locally.

Ladies and Gentlemen

I could not finish before thanking, particularly, the Ministries of Education; Health; and Rural Development, and the Secretaries of State for Human Rights and Poverty Eradication; New Technologies; and Women’s Affairs for their help to our new volunteers and which has been indispensable to our success.
Thank you.

Steven Koutsis,
Chargé d’Affaires, United States Embassy in Mauritania

Kaédi, September 7, 2006 ‏