Deadline: 31 October 2017
The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) is inviting applicants for its Community Solutions Program (CSP) 2018–2019 with an aim to improve their communities by addressing issues related to the environment, tolerance and conflict resolution, transparency and accountability, and women and gender.
Types of Program
- Four-month Fellowship in the United States: Community Solutions fellows are matched to host organizations throughout the US where they complete a four-month, hands-on professional experience.
- Community Leadership Institute: Community Solutions fellows participate in the Community Leadership Institute, a leadership training program designed to strengthen their leadership and management skills. The Institute includes face-to-face trainings, online courses, professional coaching, and networking.
- Community-based initiatives: While in the US and with the help of their US host organization, Community Solutions fellows design and plan a community development initiative or project to carry out after they return home. Once the fellows depart the US, they put these projects into action in their home communities.
Benefits
- J-1 visa support;
- Round-trip travel from participants’ home city to the US;
- Monthly allowance to cover housing, meals, and other living expenses while in the US; and
- Accident and sickness insurance.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants are between the ages of 25 and 38 as of January 1, 2018;
- Applicants are a citizen of one of the eligible countries listed below;
- Applicants are living and working in their home country;
- Individuals with refugee status working on behalf of their home community may be given special consideration.
- Applicants have at least two years of experience working on community development, either as a full-time or part-time employee or volunteer;
- Applicants are not currently participating in an academic, training, or research program in the US;
- Applicants have a high level of proficiency in spoken and written English at the time of application;
- Semifinalists will be required to take or submit recent scores for a TOEFL or IELTS English language test.
- Applicants are available to travel to the US for four months from August to December 2018;
- Applicants are not a citizen or permanent resident of the US and have not applied for US permanent residency within the past three years;
- Applicants are eligible to receive a US J-1 visa;
- Applicants who have participated in an exchange program sponsored by the US Government must have fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement.
- Applicants are committed to returning to their home country for a minimum of two years after completing the program; and
- Applicants are not a current IREX employee or consultant, or their immediate family member.
How to Apply
Applicants can apply online via given website.
Eligible Countries:
Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
East Asia and the Pacific: Burma, Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and West Bank/Palestinian Territories.
South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Western Hemisphere: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.
For more information, please visit IREX.