News & Impact

There is much truth to the notion that genuine, effective development solutions come from within developing countries. The proof is evident in the 58 leaders from 28 countries of this year’s Community Solutions Program. Meet Moses Sanga, of Uganda, recently featured in a New York Times article about his organic fuel venture, Eco-Fuel Africa. Sanga, once an accountant, is now an innovator in alternative cooking fuels.

It was a festive atmosphere in late May 2012 as about two hundred people marched down the dusty streets of Fish Town, River Gee County, Liberia carrying placards that extolled the value of teamwork and the traditional African concept of communalism. It was a day of pomp and pageantry, punctuated by celebratory songs, congratulatory messages, and above all, pride in what had been accomplished.

The occasion: the official dedication and reopening of Radio Gee, the community radio station in this remote Southeastern Liberian town. And the residents here had good reason to be celebratory. In every respect their station had been brought back from the brink of collapse.

IREX is pleased to launch a five-year Media Strengthening Program (MSP) in Mozambique. IREX will work with professional and community reporters, media managers, journalism educators, advocacy organizations and civil society to strengthen the quality of news and information available to citizens.  The program will develop innovative approaches to an open, diverse and self-sustaining media sector that provides Mozambicans with platforms for engaging in informed dialogue encouraging accountability and development. The $10 million MSP is funded by USAID with additional assistance from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).