The IREX international fellowship program is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State and is funded by the U.S. Government. Through this fully-funded fellowship in the USA, the fellows become part of the Community Leadership Institute. The institute brings the best cut of the participants and provides them with a specialized curriculum and individualized coaching from there, the fellows at CSP enhance their management as well as their leadership skills through face-to-face and in-person training, virtual courses, professional guidance, and from the network of alumni.

The U.S. Community Solutions Program is based on initiatives that could help the communities to lift themselves up. CSP fellowship ensures that the fellows return home with the capabilities to proceed with a community action program. This year the Community Solutions Program is celebrating a decade of global impact. The help of effective and dynamic leaders from CSP has made this day possible. In fact, since the inception of this top fully paid fellowship, the CSP has produced 748 fellows from 83 countries who have impacted more than 600,000 people from their community development initiatives.

Community Solutions Program in the USA:

Host Country:

•USA

Host Organization:

•International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX)

Sponsored By:

•Department of U.S. State

CSP Duration:

•1 year (4 months in the USA)

Eligible Countries for IREX Community Solutions Program:

•Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
•East Asia and the Pacific: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.
•Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
•Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and West Bank/Palestinian Territories.
•South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
•Western Hemisphere: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela

Benefits of the Community Solutions Program:

•The J-1 visa support will be provided to the participants.
•The fellowship covers the round-trip travel costs of the participants from their home city to the U.S.
•The participants will be given a monthly allowance for housing, meals, and other living expenses.
•The participant’s accident and sickness insurance will be covered.

Eligibility Criteria Community Solutions Program:

•The applicant must be between 26-39 years of age.
•The applicant must be a citizen of one of the countries mentioned above.
•The applicants must be living and working in their home countries.
•the applicant is with refugee status and still working on behalf of his/her home community, he/she will be given preference.
•The applicants must have two years of experience in community development either full-time or part-time employees or volunteers.
•The applicant must not be a current student or must not be currently participating in any research project in the U.S.
•The applicant must be proficient in English.
•The applicant must be able to travel to the U.S. for four months from August to December.
•The applicant must not be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident of the U.S. or have applied for U.S. citizenship.
•The applicant must not be a current employee at IREX or have any immediate family member as an IREX employee.
•The applicants must be committed to returning to their home countries for at least two years after completing the program.