development

This month, in honor of IREX’s 45th anniversary, Allen Kassof, a founder of IREX, gives us a fascinating account of the power of knowledge for individuals and institutions. From IREX’s founding to its international presence today, Allen and his colleagues led the way. We are all grateful that he is still an active member of our IREX family and a resource for facts and advice.

Heisenberg's famous uncertainty theory in quantum physics  states that either the location or the speed of an object can be determined but not both simultaneously.  That’s the way some think about development today.  People can’t figure out where we are and don’t know how fast we’re moving.  As IREX celebrates its 45th year, we offer a perspective that could help.

Yesterday, USAID launched their first-ever policy for Youth in Development. The policy provides a framework to address youth systematically in line with proven best practices to support, protect, prepare, and engage youth to help them to achieve the best future for themselves and their communities and nations.  The policy also provides guidance for integrating youth in core agency initiatives, bringing youth to the forefront of USAID’s work across all sectors.

The Thanksgiving holiday in America gives us all a chance to reflect on gratitude, on generosity, and on reaching out to those in need.  As we Americans from every background recall our blessings, we also remember those less fortunate. 

IREX has been working with public access to information / telecenters for more than 15 years. In that time we’ve encountered many of the difficulties. How do the telecenters continue operation after outside funding dries up? How do you embed the telecenter into the community? As our thinking on this topic has evolved over the years, we’ve begun focusing our efforts on the one existing public institution that is owned by the local community and can provide a variety of information services: the public library.

Some of the American, oil-company-based engineers with whom I play basketball in Atyrau, Kazakhstan understand what “Peace Corps” service means—thanks in part to its exceptional reputation and marketing—but have a tougher time understanding IREX’s international development work. “So do you get paid now?” is a question I’ve heard.

There is an old Moldavian proverb that says: your life has been worthwhile if you have built a house, raised a son, planted a tree, and dug a well.

A survey of the latest discussions in the library blogosphere quickly reveals that public libraries in many parts of the world are struggling with an identity crisis. But in the countries where I work – Romania and Ukraine – where more than 65% of the population lack access to the internet, there’s no question about the ongoing relevance of public libraries.