Project Updates

Muskie alumna SvetIana Cotelea of Moldova was recently appointed Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova. In her new position, Cotelea will oversee the Moldovan public health sector and prioritize policies and interventions related to disease control.

A group of aspiring youth in Kazakhstan is celebrating a milestone that, not long ago, was perhaps unthinkable — college graduation. A tuition assistance program through the BOTA Foundation there sent its first large group of graduates into the workforce. More than 125 students received diplomas at a recent ceremony.

The Youth Civic Engagement and Dialogue Program kicked off its closing workshop today in Bucharest, Romania with over 100 Roma and non-Roma participants from Romania and Moldova celebrating two years of youth-led community development projects. These youth have become active citizens, who mobilize their peers to build tolerance across ethnic divisions through their community initiatives.

Young Azerbaijani women with an interest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) celebrated their achievements at a special conference in Baku on April 25th, entitled “Girls in ICT Day.” Hosted by IREX, with a keynote speech from a representative of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Education, the conference highlighted the contribution of young women working in the ICT field and awarded prizes for the winners of Tech Age Girls project.

The future of the Tunisian workforce is looking brighter as 66 highly motivated Tunisian students prepared this weekend for a year of U.S. based training through the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship Program. The 2013-2014 Thomas Jefferson scholars come from 22 of Tunisia’s 24 governorates and will study at community colleges and universities across the United States. With the goal of preparing Tunisian youth to contribute to Tunisia’s economy, the Thomas Jefferson scholars will develop professional skills through training in leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship, and professional excellence; attend courses in their fields of study; and complete professional internships in the U.S.

Hundreds of Ukrainians can now visit their public libraries to find assistance in completing and submitting their tax forms online. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report, Ukraine’s tax burden (time to prepare and file taxes) totaled 192 hours, making it one of the highest in Eastern Europe. As a result, the Ukrainian government introduced an online filing system to not only lower tax-related burden, but to also increase the percentage of taxes collected each year.

In May, higher education leaders from six regions came together to promote dialogue and reform. A series of workshops held in Erbil through the Iraq University Linkages Program welcomed nearly 40 administrators from seven universities and several government institutions to discuss university administration. The workshops focused on topics including quality assurance, institutional relations and advancement, and strategic planning. These topics were chosen because they are common barriers, identified by the administrators, that hinder Iraq’s once world-class universities from resuming their role as engines of growth in the region.

On May 2, the United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Pamela L. Spratlen attended a forum theater performance in Batken, Kyrgyzstan by the Kelechek Drama Club at Bakonbaev School, supported by USAID’s Youth Theater for Peace (YTP) program.

IREX is proud to announce a new grants component of the Ukraine Media Partnership Program (UMPP). Program Officers recently awarded seven small grants to regional media outlets across Ukraine, targeted at modernizing their web presence. With projects ranging from Informtavryka’s website redesign to incorporate pollution mapping reports updated daily, to Redaktsiya MV’s updated regional news website and brand new students’ website based out of Zaporizhya National University, the grants highlight a wide variety of development opportunities for regional media in Ukraine.

IREX is pleased to announce the winners of the Global UGRAD in Eurasia and Central Asia video competition, “Life in the U.S.: Sharing My Global UGRAD Experience.” Global UGRAD participants have been busy documenting their diverse experiences since they arrived in the United States in August 2012. This competition is one component of the Global UGRAD Cultural Ambassadors Passport to America program, in which participants document and reflect on their diverse American experiences.