Stories of IREX

"We don't want to hide anymore," said a Roma girl, when explaining why she became involved with a program bringing together Roma and non-Roma youth in community building activities in Moldova and Romania. This sentiment was shared multiple times by Roma youth proudly affirming their ethnicity and sense of belonging. After two years of working in inter-ethnic teams as part of the Youth Civic Engagement and Dialogue Program (YCED), 100 youth from Romania and Moldova recently celebrated the achievements of the YCED Program in Bucharest, Romania. Nineteen youth teams presented the results of their projects, shared lessons learned, and planned for the sustainability of their initiatives.

Ukraine is one of the major exporters of berries in Europe. According to a Ukrainian Agribusiness Society report, it was estimated that last year Ukrainian farmers produced between 600 and 800 tons of strawberries, and many are expecting production to continue growing in the coming years. Farmers in the Bobomlya Region, known as “Strawberry Land,” are using computers at their local library to ensure their future success.

When a rainstorm destroyed several houses in a village in rural Liberia, the inhabitants sent a text message to their community radio station using the new SMS Initiative “Constituency Communication Platform” (CCP). After receiving the text the station immediately broadcast the information, and a local affiliate of the International Red Cross, listening to the station, rushed to help rebuild the village. The CCP is a successful component of the Civil Society and Media Leadership (CSML) program in Liberia, implemented by IREX and funded by USAID.

In honor of Nelson Mandela and Mandela Day, IREX is pleased to highlight the work of two individuals dedicated to community service and helping increase the impact of volunteers: Chris Reyes in the Philippines and Willie Bolden in the US

Dr. Frances Trix, a professor of Linguistics and Anthropology at Indiana University-Bloomington, and a recent fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars first received an IREX grant in 1987 to study Albanian language and grammar at the University of Pristina in Kosovo. Since then, she has expanded her expertise to Muslim migration in the region, Sufism, and disaster studies. In a recent interview, Dr. Trix discusses her career path.

How do educational and cultural exchanges benefit participants and their societies? “They’re life-changing experiences,” says Dr. Allen Kassof, IREX’s first President, stressing how exchanges continue to alter world views in an increasingly complicated and interconnected global society.

IREX’s latest Africa Media Sustainability Index (MSI) found that traditional media remain the preferred source of news. Many benefits presented by online media have yet to reach most citizens in the 42 sub-Saharan African countries analyzed. Nonetheless, transition to online and mobile format media appears inevitable.

Three senior journalists from MTV+ in Ukraine recently visited WDRB in Louisville to learn how to improve the quality of their content and efficiency of operations at their TV station.

In honor of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on May 21 and the campaign to “do one thing for diversity,” IREX is pleased to highlight the recent efforts of two Russian students,  Anastasia and Alina,  who coordinated events promoting tolerance and cultural awareness in their home communities. Both students are alumni of the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program, implemented by IREX.