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Making Inclusive Education Possible December 16, 2011 Eight-year old Daulet suffers from a rare genetic illness that prevents him from walking without crutches or other assistance. Unable to attend classes with his peers and self-conscious about his disabilities, the disheartened boy spent much of his time indoors in state sponsored housing for impoverished families, afraid to play with his peers for fear of hurting himself. However, thanks to Bereke, a local NGO supported by the IREX-assisted BOTA Foundation, Daulet now takes art lessons and field trips along side other young children.	International Anti-Corruption Day: Investigative Journalists Use Technology to Combat Corruption December 9, 2011 by Erin Murrock I recently witnessed/observed first-hand the challenges facing media reform in Serbia, and indeed, in most of the countries where IREX works.
Librarians and Medical Professionals Support Cancer Patients December 9, 2011 Every year, 98,000 Romanians are diagnosed with cancer, but there is little awareness of the needs of cancer patients in many communities. Approximately 3100 residents of Tulcea and Constanta counties are coping with cancer, where the public health system has only one onocology department with six doctors, and most nurses have little experience or training in supporting the unique needs of these patients. Now, nurses are receiving that training as part of a two year project called “Learn, Share, Live Better,” using libraries and librarians to create resource centers with reliable information, cultivate community with support groups, and improve oncology education.	A New Library Creates New Hope In Romania December 6, 2011 Building a library from scratch requires an enormous amount of creativity and hard work. In Vulcana Pandele, a village in Romania, the library was crammed into a tiny space with little room for the resources that community members needed. Biblionet offers computers and trainings to libraries across Romania, but there has to be a place to put the new technology. Luiza Barbu was eager to bring modern services to her patrons, and inspired by a fellow librarian to take action.
International Volunteer Day: Eurasian Students Help Clean Up After Joplin Tornado December 5, 2011 by Ian Jobe Three Global UGRAD students helped clear debris after a devastating tornado leveled the Joplin, Missouri community. The service experience left an impression they will carry back to their countries for the rest of their lives.	Fostering Community Development Through Public Libraries December 3, 2011 “A dead end is the best incentive to look for new avenues of possibility,” says Olha Pomyluyko, the head of the local council in Bar Rayon in Ukraine and a graduate of a project management training offered at her local library. “I’m learning to write project proposals in order to raise additional funds for the local community.”
World Disability Day: Considering Disability in Development December 2, 2011 by Rehema Namarome Although nobody expects to become disabled, it can happen any day, without warning. Disability affects nearly everybody at some point in their lives. The prevalence of disability in the world grew from 10% of the population in the 1970s to 15% in 2011. The current world population of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) is estimated at over one billion people, with higher prevalence rates in less developed countries (World Report on Disability, 2011). However, PWDs have remained invisible in most development programs, even though addressing disability issues from a development perspective can provide many social and economic benefits. Disability is thus a cross-cutting issue in all community development programs and should be given special consideration if we are to succeed in our work.	World Disability Day: Ukrainian Library Brings Mobile IT School to People with Disabilities December 1, 2011 One of the core principles of librarianship is to ensure access to information for everyone – including those who can’t come to the library. In Ukraine, people with disabilities are at risk for being left on the wrong side of the digital divide, and librarians realize that these patrons require a different approach: “Limited accessibility to transportation and the vast majority of buildings prevents people with special needs from using the benefits of innovative technology. Meanwhile, modern Internet services…provide valuable information, necessary goods and services, and communication,” states Nina Lokot, Head of Information Resource Center at Luhansk Oblast Universal Scientific Library (OUSL).
World AIDS Day 2011: Views from Africa and Eurasia December 1, 2011 HIV/AIDS is a global pandemic that brings with it local challenges as well as local solutions. In observation of World AIDS Day, IREX is pleased to share some insights into the complex issues that surround the disease across the globe by giving voice to some of those individuals working in this field.	Rwandan Youth Engage Genocide Perpetrators on Path to Reconciliation November 22, 2011 When 24-year-old Rwandan youth leader John Bosco Gakwenza first approached his fellow members of Ingenzi youth group about organizing reconciliation dialogues with perpetrators of the 1994 genocide, their reaction was lukewarm.