"Greetings and congratulations as you celebrate the 50th Anniversary of this noble Organization. We are delighted that Tanzania is part of the Peace Corps celebrations as we also celebrate our 50 Years of Independence attained on 9th of December 1961.

It is worth noting that the importance of Peace Corps Volunteers is as relevant today as it was back in 1961. The reasons that pushed the then to be President Julius Nyerere, in April 1961, even before the independence of the then Tanganyika to request volunteers from the USA are still valid. President Kennedy did not hesitate to grant the request and on 31st August 1961 twenty four volunteers left Washington, DC for Tanganyika (Tanzania) to volunteer. From its inception to this moment, the organization has sent to Tanzania more than 2,000 volunteers and currently about 171 are there.

Apart from helping the people of Tanzania to meet their needs of trained workers, you also helped Tanzanians to better understand Americans while at the same time helping Americans better understand Tanzania and Tanzanians. A good example is how the volunteers' Kiswahili language skills earned them unrivaled credibility in their communities — they are well remembered by their students, their Tanzanian counterparts, the families that hosted them, their neighbors and friends whose lives they have touched. I would also like to express our appreciation to you all.

Federal Government appropriation for this noble cause has increased tremendously from $30 million on 22nd September, 1961 when it was made official to $400 million in 2010. This is no small money. Moreover, I would like to make it clear that the value of what you have imparted in the development process of Tanzania then and now is immeasurable.

Tanzania cannot thank you enough for the impact you have made through volunteering in various areas such as education, health, environment, agricultural development and HIV/AIDS.

Education: Volunteers together with Tanzanian teachers develop lesson plans to motivate and engage students in critical thinking; work hand in hand with the Ministry of Education to develop teaching materials and science lab utensils using inexpensive and locally available materials leading to high scores on National Exams; big impact on the English language skills of both students and teachers and at our request, Peace Corps redoubled its effort by launching a formal English teaching sector - the first 18 English teachers were sworn in last month (August 2011); volunteers have also demonstrated outstanding skills in facilitating computer access and maintenance thus transferring skills to the teachers who need them more for access of online education resources; you also helped in establishing school libraries.

Health, Environment and Agriculture: I remember that at the beginning some worked as nurses at our local hospitals; (now you also organize peer education clubs where students learn and teach skills that can be used in everyday life to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS); you contributed to education on maternal and child health; Volunteers provide farmers' education to improve the nation's food security, bio-intensive kitchen gardens and household water catchment; and you also helped rural residents to improve their livelihoods through small scale income generation activities such as beekeeping and animal husbandry.

Peace Corps Tanzania at the moment partners and shares experiences with USA's and other entities such as the World Food Program, Feed the Future, the US President's Malaria Initiative, Basic Education for the 21st Century, organizations working under PEPFAR, Trees for the future, CARE, etc.

The value of what the Peace Corps do in Tanzania is immeasurable and highly commendable. The Government of Tanzania had embarked on a vigorous program embedded in its Vision 2025, the Poverty Reduction Program and the Party Manifesto, and under the current Five Year Plan (2011 - 2016), the Government is striving to make the life of every Tanzanian better and the work of Peace Corps Volunteers compliments the Government efforts. We thank you very much for your valuable contribution.

Congratulations on your 50th Anniversary and thank you very much for the positive changes you are helping the Tanzanian people make especially those in the rural areas."