Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams Visits Jordan

Amman - Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams arrived in Amman on Saturday, April 10, on a several day visit to Jordan.  This is his first trip to the Middle East since becoming Peace Corps Director.  During his visit, Williams will meet with Jordanian officials and Peace Corps Jordan staff and Volunteers.

The Washington-based Peace Corps is an independent federal agency of the United States designed to promote understanding between Americans and other peoples of the world.  The Peace Corps/Jordan program was established in 1996.  Since the first Volunteers arrived in 1997, over 430 Americans have served in the areas of community development, micro-enterprise development for women, environmental management and awareness, Special Education, Youth Development, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).  

Currently, there are 60 Peace Corps Volunteers serving throughout Jordan. Volunteers represent the diversity of America, the current group of Volunteers range in age from 21 to 68. Volunteers are working on a wide variety of projects related to youth development and English education as well as special education programs that support hearing and visually impaired students.

“Peace Corps Volunteers arrive in Jordan as informal ambassadors for the United States, after two years of living in cooperation with Jordanian communities, they return to the United States as informal ambassadors for Jordan,” said Director Williams.  “Our partnership with Jordan is based on the principles of collaboration, goodwill and respect.  This friendship encourages Americans and Jordanians to work side by side on education and youth initiatives while advancing a greater understanding of both countries on the part of all involved with our historic service program.”

Since its establishment in 1961, nearly 200,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in 139 countries.  Today, 7,700 Volunteers are serving in 76 countries, including Jordan.  Collaborating with local community members, Volunteers work in areas like education, youth outreach and community development, the environment, and information technology.  Peace Corps Volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. At the invitation of host governments, the Peace Corps place Americans who volunteer for two-year assignments to assist in community development.  The Peace Corps trains Volunteers in technical skills, local languages and cross-cultural understanding. 

Aaron S. Williams was sworn in as the 18th director of the Peace Corps on August 24, 2009.  He is the fourth director in the Peace Corps’ history to have served as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Director Williams served as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 1967 – 1970 in the Dominican Republic.  Prior to his appointment as Peace Corps Director, he served as a senior manager with USAID for 22 years, achieving the rank of Career Minister in the U.S. Senior Foreign Service. He was the USAID Mission Director in South Africa.

For more information on Peace Corps: www.peacecorps.gov 

• Fact Sheet (PDF 76 KB)
  
• Aaron Williams Bio (PDF 112 KB)