Peace Corps celebrates Language Week 2025

The Peace Corps kicked off Language Week 2025 today with Peace Corps countries from Albania to Zambia contributing to illustrate this year's theme, "Building Bridges through Language."

The annual Peace Corps Language Week celebrates the agency's legacy of language learning and teaching, which encompasses both the hundreds of staff facilitators who teach 125 languages to volunteers in 60 countries as well as the 800 volunteers who currently teach English in host communities around the world. More than 240,000 Americans have driven innovation and global economic growth through their entrepreneurship and language proficiency, making U.S. businesses more competitive in the international marketplace.

Since the first cohort to Ghana learned Ewe and Twi in 1961, Peace Corps' intensive language and intercultural competency training has helped volunteers integrate into host communities where they live and work. Peace Corps volunteers spend nearly 100 hours in language training with many learning one of 14 different alphabets ranging from Arabic to Tamil. Deaf education volunteers learn - and teach the Deaf- in Ghanaian and Kenyan sign languages.

In the Kyrgyz Republic, all volunteers learn Kyrgyz and some also learn Russian and Uzbek, which use Cyrillic alphabets. "Most volunteers in the Kyrgyz Republic learn more than one language," said Peace Corps staff member Aisuluu Gazieva. "Our language and cross-cultural facilitators support trainees throughout the whole experience of pre-service training. They have language classes almost every day, and they also have homework to do.

"Our volunteers live with host families," she added. "This is how they integrate and it's much easier to learn the language."

The Peace Corps' largest sector is education and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) volunteers work with teachers, students and community members in 32 countries. Developing English communications skills can increase economic and professional opportunities for children and adults in host communities while also promoting a better understanding of American culture and values.

According to Gazieva, the Kyrgyz government wants to increase English language classes at schools and universities. "Current students, especially young ones, would love to explore this world and expand their horizons-and that's why they're learning English, because English provides more opportunities, more [access to] books and scientific reports," she explained.

Peace Corps social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X will feature Language Week content from September 22-26, 2025.

Cultivating person-to-person connections at the grassroots level plays a critical role in extending American values overseas. Countries and communities around the world continue to partner with the Peace Corps as the agency aspires to attract and support 8,000 volunteers in service by September 30, 2030. The Peace Corps invites U.S. citizens from all backgrounds who embody the spirit of service to become volunteers. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit peacecorps.gov to learn more about the Peace Corps and apply for service.