Initiators and volunteers of the Peace Corps in Moldova came together to relate their experiences, accomplishments and successes achieved in the volunteer activity on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the volunteer organization in Moldova, IPN reports.

Moldova’s first President Mircea Snegur noted the assistance provided by the first U.S. Ambassador in Chisinau by contributing not only to bringing the volunteer organization to Moldova, but also by supporting the country’s first steps to democracy and the rule of law. “The support of the U.S. was welcome and precious at that start,” he stated.

According to the first U.S. Ambassador to Moldova Marry Pendleton, the Peace Corps volunteers were brought to Moldova at the request of President Mircea Snegur. “The first volunteers came in 1993,” she said, adding that those volunteers impressed the Moldovans as they learned the language of the new host country during several weeks.

Deputy head of the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau Kara Mcdonald said that cooperation is one of the keys of the success of the Peace Corps in Moldova. “The 20-year cooperation of the U.S. Peace Corps with Moldova is an example of friendship,” she stated. According to her, the stories related in the meeting show the possibilities offered by the Peace Corps to the U.S. and Moldovan volunteers.

First director of the Peace Corps in Moldova Justine Murray said that it was harder to work in Moldova during the first years of volunteering than in other states. There were no phones and computers, while the planes landed only once a week. But the warmth by which they were received by the Moldovans cannot be compared with that of other peoples.

The United States Peace Corps was founded by John F. Kennedy in 1961. Since 1993, volunteers have been serving in Moldova. The Peace Corps has approximately 120 volunteers working in Moldova at present.