Questa resident Nicholas Nagawiecki is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency’s unprecedented global evacuation in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Peace Corps suspended global operations, evacuating nearly 7,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries. Volunteers have already returned to a total of 29 countries around the world.
“… the idea that a rural community like Questa can somehow connect with another rural community thousands of miles away is a radical and beautiful concept that could be used for good,” said Nagawiecki, an architectural graduate of Iowa State University who will serve as an environment volunteer in Senegal.
“The world is at a critical juncture,” said Peace Corps CEO Carol Spahn. “The largest global vaccination effort in history is underway while other widespread health, social, political, and environmental issues continue to erode the foundation of our global society. Actions taken in the next few years have the potential to fundamentally impact development trajectories for decades to come.”
Newly dispatched volunteers include both first-time volunteers and those evacuated in early 2020. After completing three-months of training, they collaborate with their host communities.
Currently, the agency is recruiting volunteers to serve in 53 countries around the world. The Peace Corps continues to monitor COVID-19 trends in all its host countries and will send volunteers to serve as conditions permit. Americans interested in transformative service and lifelong connections should apply to Peace Corps service at www.peacecorps.gov/apply.
The Peace Corps is an international service network of volunteers, community members, host country partners and staff who are driven by the agency’s mission of world peace and friendship. At the invitation of governments around the world, Peace Corps volunteers work alongside community members on locally prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth development. Through service, members of the Peace Corps network develop transferable skills and hone intercultural competencies that position them to be the next generation of global leaders. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans have served in 142 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Questa resident Nicholas Nagawiecki is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency’s unprecedented global evacuation in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
