03rd October 2017 Her Royal Highness Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita unveiled the Peace Corps Tonga anniversary plaque to mark the organization’s 50thanniversary of friendship and service to Tonga, yesterday at the American Wharf.
In her address, HRH Princess Pilolevu Tuita stated that Peace Corps services have impacted the lives of Tongan people, the poor and the marginalized, the lives of young people, women, and communities.
“Our crossed culture experience inspired us to challenge our limitations and bring about opportunities for the people that you serve, your values of services to others, your willingness to accompany other people, respecting our ways of doing things and sharing your skills are values and ideas that you positively contribute to our people and development.”
She added that many Peace Corps volunteers have committed to live their lives here in Tonga for two years, others for three years while some give total commitments.
She said that the commitment given by volunteers include enduring hardships which demonstrate their love and service and they also preserve regardless of the challenges they face for the betterment of Tonga.
HRH Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita highlighted a quote from Martin Luther King Jr which affirmed that ‘everybody can be great because anybody can serve’. She said that serving others does not require a college degree, but one needs a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.
Prime Minister of Tonga, Hon. Samiuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva said that Tonga has been blessed with more than one thousand, six hundred volunteers, who have demonstrated utility activities and resolved critical challenges alongside Tonga’s local communities.
“The commitment and noble sacrifice of the US Government and the people to make a difference by experiencing first-hand the Tongan culture and knowledge and the local people has become a continuous success,” he said.
Hon. Pohiva also expressed his sincere gratitude to the US Government on behalf of the Government of Tonga for their valuable contribution and the efforts of Peace Corps development to Tonga.
US Ambassador to Tonga Her Excellency Ms. Judith Cefkin added that the program is not just a celebration of the 50th anniversary in Tonga but it is also a celebration of the special friendship and partnership that US Government has with the people of Tonga.
She said that Peace Corps is about promoting understanding between the people of the United States and the people of countries around the world.
“The organization resulted from a vision articulated by a young candidate for US President in 1960. During his presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy called on talented men and women of the United States to answer the call to serve in a peace corp.”
“On March 1st, 1961, when he has won the election President Kennedy formally established Peace Corps. We are very fortunate that President Kennedy’s vision was matched by the vision of His Majesty King Tupou IV, who invited the Peace Corps to come and serve in Tonga and in October 1967 our first 15 volunteers arrived in Tonga.”
She said that Peace Corps is about learning from each other and finding the common humanity that binds people together.
ENDS
Issued by the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communication