ECA Alumni Small Grants Program

Program Results - October 2005

INTRODUCTION
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State, together with IREX (the International Research and Exchanges Board), is pleased to provide a directory of ECA Alumni Small Grant recipients and their projects from the October 2005 competition. The ECA Alumni Small Grants Program is a professional and community development program that allows alumni of select ECA programs to undertake a wide variety of projects. Alumni from the following ECA programs were eligible to apply for an ECA Alumni Small Grant in the October 2005 competition:

Contemporary Issues Program (CI)
The Regional Scholar Exchange Program (RSEP)
The Russian-US Young Leadership Fellows for Public Service Program (YLF)
The Eurasian Undergraduate Program (UGRAD)

The ECA Alumni Small Grants Program allows alumni to conduct the following initiatives:

Implementing a public or community service program;
Launching a pilot program at an NGO or academic institution;
Organizing training programs or conferences for professional colleagues and/or other alumni;
Funding travel of US colleagues to eligible Eurasian countries for conferences, training programs and professional collaboration;
Development and publication of curricula, textbooks, or related reference or educational materials;
Publication of public information pamphlets or brochures; and
Conducting any other projects judged by the selection committee and/or ECA to be in the interest of program goals.

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

Ekaterina Zhenzherukha
Russia
UGRAD 2004

Zhenzherukha’s project worked to enhance the capacity of non-profits in Russia. The project assisted in the professional development of non-profit leaders and increased the involvement of local volunteers. Zhenzherukha launched an educational program for leaders and volunteers that focused on increasing their knowledge of fundraising and corporate/individual giving. Zhenzherukha also organized several public events to attract volunteers and support for local non-profits. Zhenzherukha will also publish six issues of a newsletter with informational and technical support for non-profits.

Ludmila Balteanu
Moldova
CI 2002
In collaboration with national and international experts from the fields of family medicine, OB/GYN, oncology, and general practice physicians, Balteanu’s project designed a training for family medicine residents in Moldova. This collaboration enabled the medical community to elaborate on protocols and training methods, particularly in the area of breast and cervical cancer screening. After the training, the Moldovan resident doctors, under the supervision of local physicians, provided more than 300 underprivileged with basic breast and cervical cancer screening.

Venera Zakirova
Russia
CI 2002

Zakirova published a drug education manual for Russian educators, modeled after the effective school-based drug education programs in the United States. Zakirova’s manual raises awareness about drug/HIV problems in Russia and teaches local communities how to effectively develop drug education curricula. The manual has been distributed to educators throughout the Baskhortostan Republic.

Tatiana Artemyeva
Russia
RSEP

Artemyeva organized an international conference titled, “Benjamin Franklin and Russia: To the Tercentenary of His Birth.” The relations between Benjamin Franklin and Russian intellectuals serve as important models for cross-cultural communication. By studying these relations, this conference aimed to help Russians better understand the complex dynamics of Russian-American cultural relations. Artemyeva published the proceedings of the conference.

Rebecca Hakobyan
Armenia
UGRAD 2000

Hakobyan’s project invited six participants from different countries to come to Armenia and work in universities and schools in Yerevan for a two-month period. Participants gave lectures and presentations about their countries, cultures and traditions to the students at these schools. Participants were selected with the assistance of AIESEC Armenia, who helped to implement this project.

Vagif Hassanov
Azerbaijan
CI 2001

Hassanov’s project aimed at strengthening local resource centers in Azerbaijan. Specifically, this project strengthened the capacity of five resource centers to identify, document and share knowledge within their local communities. The project also facilitated linkages between the resource centers and national level community development organizations and stakeholders. With the implementation of this project, local resource centers were able to improve their management skills and create viable networking plans for future informational exchanges.

Lela Iosava
Georgia
UGRAD 2002

“Community Education for Peripheral Regions of West Georgia” is a joint project with the Imereti Alumni Club (IAC). This project provided high school students in the periphery regions of Georgia with information about establishing democratic processes and the importance of civil society development. Students learned about their civil rights and the importance of civil liberties.

Elena Ivanova
Russia
UGRAD 2004

With her Alumni Small Grant, Ivanova taught underprivileged Russian children about American culture and people. Ivanova’s project helped the children with their English language skills and gave them the opportunity to learn about American holiday celebrations. Once a week, Ivanova held a class for the children and used video, music and interactive games to teach them about America.

Natia Kalandarishvili
Georgia
UGRAD 2003

Kalandarishvili organized a workshop on “Skills for Conducting Peaceful Talks” which trained youth from the South Caucasus region on conflict resolution. By training young leaders from conflicting parties to communicate with one another, this project provided an introduction into the conflict resolution process. This project also aimed to impact the larger community by stressing the importance of peace sustainability and encouraging cooperation and dialogue, rather than conflict.

Andriy Maksymovych
Ukraine
UGRAD 2004

This project organized the first 39-day Race for Kids and planned to raise $121,780 for the Lviv Regional Children’s Specialized Hospital. This donation helped the hospital purchase new technology to monitor the pathology of heart and trunk vessels. To raise the money, local charities and business donated to the Race for Kids. More than 4,000 children will benefit from these new technologies annually.

Konstantin Parshin
Tajikistan
CI 1998

Parshin’s project launched a set of radio shows on Radio NIC and Radio Vatan entitled “Civic Education on the Radio.” Parshin’s project planned to increase the level of awareness and education about civic participation in Tajikistan through a radio campaign. By making this information accessible to the general public, this project increased civic and legal literacy in the region.

Anna Pivovarova
Russia
UGRAD 2004

Pivovarova’s project provided universities in Khabarovsk and the Russian Far East with the opportunity to gain knowledge about East Asian economic development. The project featured lectures and workshops by Dr. Ken Schoolland, visiting professor of Economics from Hawaii Pacific University. The lectures and workshops were implemented in conjunction with the Debate Club and the Faculty of International Economic Relations at the Khabarovsk State Academy of Economics and Law.

Bakytbek Tokubek uly
Kyrgyzstan
UGRAD 2003

“Star Student Day” was a six-month seminar for two high school students eager to learn about community development. The students attended seminars and discussed how to solve some of the problems that exist in their home communities. The seminars covered included: leadership, sexual health, ecology, human rights, and English language. Through these discussions and seminars, the students developed action plans to implement their solutions. These plans were completed in June 2006.