Fellowships • Government • Programme

IREX Community Solutions Program 2020-2021 (Fully-funded to the US)

5 years ago
by Charles Uthulor
4 min read

Applications are open for the IREX Community Solutions Program 2020-2021.

The Community Solutions Program (CSP) is a year-long expert development program for people who are working to improve their communities. However, they do this by handling issues related to the

  • environment,
  • tolerance and conflict resolution,
  • clarity and responsibility,
  • and women and gender.

Deadline: October 30, 2019

For 2020–2021, up to 80 community activists will be chosen to join the program, which includes:

  • Four-month Fellowship in the United States: Community Solutions fellows are matched to eun organizations throughout the U.S. In these organizations, they complete a four-month active professional experience.
  • Community Leadership Institute: Also, Community Solutions fellows join the Community Leadership Institute. This is a leadership training program built to help their leadership and management skills. The Institute includes face-to-face training, online courses, professional coaching, and networking.
  • Community-based initiatives: Finally, In the U.S., Community Solution fellows design a community development plan. This is a plan they will use after they return home. Once the fellows leave the U.S., they put these plan into action in their home communities.

Financial Support

The program covers most of the cost associated with:

  • Firstly, J-1 visa support.
  • Also, round-trip travel from participants’ home city to the U.S.;
  • You are also given monthly income to cover housing, meals, and other living expenses while in the U.S.
  • Finally, accident and sickness insurance.

IREX Community Solutions Qualifications

  • First, you must be between the ages of 25 and 38 as of January 1, 2020.
  • Also, you should be a citizen of one of the qualified countries below.
  • You should also be living and working in your home country;
    • Individuals with refugee status working on behalf of their home community may have a higher chance of being selected.
  • You also need a working experience on community development. Moreover you can be full-time or part-time employee.
  • Also, you should not be not currently involved in an academic, training, or research program in the U.S,
  • You must also be highly skilled in spoken and written English at the time of application.
    • Also, Semi-finalists will need to take or submit recent scores for a TOEFL or IELTS English language test.
  • Also, make sure you are available to travel to the U.S. for four months from August to December 2020;
  • You are not a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. and have not applied for U.S. permanent residency within the past three years;
  • Next, you should be qualified to receive a U.S. J-1 visa;
    • Also, if you have participated in an exchange program run by the U.S. Government, you must have completed their two-year home residency requirement.
  • You are committed to returning to your home country. This you must do for no less than two years after completing the program.
  • Finally, you must not be a current IREX employee, consultant, or any of their close family member.

Eligible Countries by Region

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
  • Brunei
  • Cambodia
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Fiji
  • Indonesia
  • Laos
  • Malaysia
  • Mongolia
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Philippines
  • Republic of the Marshall Islands
  • Singapore
  • Thailand
  • Timor-Leste
  • and Vietnam.

Europe:

  •  Albania
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • the Czech Republic
  • Estonia
  • Hungary
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • North 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.

Application

Read the application instruction before you begin your application.

Click here to apply

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