Summer Round of Project Smile Grants Awarded

IREX is pleased to announce the Summer 2009 Project Smile grantees. Project Smile is a community development program for alumni of select Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) sponsored programs. Grants are awarded to alumni to implement community service activities that will benefit an underprivileged group in their local community such as children at an orphanage, the disabled or the elderly.

Summer 2009

Armenia

Vahan Danielyan, Armenia, Muskie 07-09 alumnus
Danielyan will collaborate with the Mush Development Center to organize an exhibit of arts and crafts created by underserved children in Armenia. The second component of the project will involve working with the Sheram Development Center's Scenic Art Group to organize three theater performances for the children.

Georgia

Konstantine Grdzelishvili, Georgia, Muskie 03-05 alumnus
Grdzelishvili will work with a school in the village of Bediani and the Sarkeli school in Tbilisi to establish mentorships between the students and children at a local kindergarten in Tsalka. As part of the project, the students and their "little brothers and sisters" will jointly organize a puppet show performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the schools for other students.

Khatuna Katamadze, Georgia, Muskie 04-06 alumna
Katamadze will collaborate with the Educational Development and Employment Center in Batumi to organize a mini football game for 20 disabled children in the Ajara region of Georgia. The goals of the activity will be to help integrate children with special needs into the community of their peers, to help them foster new friendships, and to give them opportunities to engage in physical exercise.

David Koguashvili, Georgia, Muskie 94 alumnus
Koguashvili will develop a public awareness campaign and lecture series for high school students at the School #53 on social issues such as basic tax obligations and the responsibilities of tax paying citizens in Georgia.

Maia Tavadze, Georgia, Muskie 01-03 alumna
Tavadze will organize and conduct a two-day training of trainers for a group of students (ages 16-19) to prepare them as peer educators to promote healthy life styles for internally displaced children in Georgia. Topics to be covered include HIV/AIDS, family planning, and reproductive health.

Kyrgyzstan

Aicholpon Jorupbekova, Kyrgyzstan, Muskie 04-05 alumna
Jorupbekova will organize a day of therapeutic dance for children of the Obereg Rehabilitation Center.