Chisinau, 16 November /MOLDPRES/ - Thirty four U.S. Peace Corps volunteers were sworn in today in Moldova.

The director of the U.S. Peace Corps in Moldova, Jeff Kelley-Clarke, has said the group of vounteers will work during two years in different Moldovan settlements within two programmes: Community and Organisational Development and Agriculture and Agribusiness Development. He specifired that, in 2006, the U.S. Peace Corps marks the 45th anniversary of its foundation. On this period, over 178,000 Americans have worked as volunteers in 138 countries.

U.S. Ambassador to Moldova Michael Kirby said the volunteers have the valuable task to make progress "through self-sacrifice, while bringing a change for the better in Moldova. You will contribute to developing the civil society, by joining the efforts of non-governmental organisations, local public administrations, farmers, schools etc., so as to edify a better future for the citizens of this country," the U.S. diplomat also said.

A representative of the Agriculture and Food Ministry, Pintilie Pirvan, appreciated the assistance of the American volunteers who work with local entrepreneurs and farmers, and help cover the information vacuum by providing information and consultancy services, by elaborating business projects and plans etc.

"These efforts will increase the agricultural sector's efficiency through improving the forms of production organisation, strengtening the private farmers' capacities in the fields of farm management and the general principles of business in agriculture. As a result, we will get the diversification of the country's commercial partners and the Moldovan output's reorientation to the economically more stable markets," Pirvan stressed.

After a programme of intensive studies of the state and the Russian languages, which lasted nine weeks, being accomodated in families in the Ialoveni district, central Moldova, the American volunteers sang songs in the state language, danced a popular dance, and thanked the trainers and the host families.

The first group of volunteers came to Moldova in 1993, and more than 600 Americans have fulfilled their duty in Moldova within the U.S. Peace Corps so far.