Yankuba Touray, secretary of state for Fisheries and Water Resources, has re-emphasised the importance attached to the Peace Corps by the government of The Gambia, highlighting their numerous contributions to the socio-economic development of the country.

Secetary of State Touray, who was beaming with satisfaction at the contribution of the mission, made this statement on Friday at the Kairaba Beach Hotel, where he represented President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Peace Corps in The Gambia.

SoS Touray, who is also responsible for National Assembly Matters, affirmed the long standing relationship between the governments of The Gambia and the United States, aimed at sharing useful values and complementing development efforts.

He lauded the invaluable contribution by volunteers of Peace Corps and urged Gambians to promote peace, love and understanding, as well as share knowledge and experience to positively influence others.

Peace Corps Gambia Country Director Mike McConnell, in his statement, said it’s remarkable for people from the developed countries to leave their homes and careers to work in The Gambia for two years to improve health conditions, environment and the livelihood of community members.

Mr McConnell said the first volunteers to come to The Gambia were trained in Detroit, Michigan; 13 of whom arrived landing on an airfield lit by kerosene fire.

According to him, since then, Peace Corps operations in The Gambia have centered on three major areas comprising education, health and community development, environment and natural resources.

Fatou Lamin Faye, secretary of state for Basic and Secondary Education, said since the Gambia has tasked itself to provide education for all children, Peace Corps involvement in education continues to help in addressing the growing need for qualified teachers, particularly at the secondary level. She used the occasion to elaborate on the numerous interventions undertaken by the Peace Corps volunteers in the country’s education system.

Dr Malick Njie, secretary of state for Health and Social Welfare, recalled that the first joint project between his department and Peace Corps was based on improving the health education skills of community health workers and on mobilising communities to participate more actively in addressing their health needs. SoS Njie said this was a product of the needs assessment jointly undertaken by Peace Corps The Gambia and his Department in 1993, with assistance from Peace Corps in Washington.

Momodou Kotu Cham, secretary of state for Forestry and Environment, said that future collaboration with the Peace Corps is also expected to focus on implementation of the National Solid Waste Management Strategy. “This policy addresses, among other things, the perennial problem of indiscriminate dumping of waste in which we would need your expertise to ward-off sickness due to exposure to such waste,” he noted.

The celebration was attended by foreign ambassadors to The Gambia, members of the diplomatic mission, staff and volunteers of Peace Corps, traditional leaders, among other dignitaries. The Gambia Army Band, provided jazz music.