Application Instructions
Applications must be submitted online at http://oas.irex.org/csp by Friday, November 18, 2016, at 12 p.m. EST. Applications that are mailed, faxed, or e-mailed will not be accepted.
Detailed application instructions can be downloaded here. Please review the program requirements prior to starting an application to ensure that you are eligible. Please note that eligibility requirements are determined by the US Department of State and exceptions cannot be made. If you have additional questions after reviewing the application instructions, please e-mail [email protected].
Financial Support
The program covers the cost of most expenses associated with:
- J-1 visa support;
- Round-trip travel from participants’ home city to the US;
- Monthly allowance to cover housing, meals and other living expenses while in the US; and
- Accident and sickness insurance.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the program, applicants must meet the requirements listed below. Applications that do not meet these eligibility requirements will be disqualified and will not be reviewed by the selection committee.
- You are between the ages of 25 and 38 as of January 1, 2017;
- You are a citizen of one of the eligible countries listed below;
- You are living and working in your home country;
- Individuals with refugee status working on behalf of their home community may be given special consideration.
- You have at least two years of experience working on community development, either as a full-time or part-time employee or volunteer;
- You have a high level of proficiency in spoken and written English at the time of application;
- Semifinalists will be required to take or submit recent scores for a TOEFL or IELTS English language test.
- You are available to travel to the US for four months from August to December 2017;
- You are not a citizen or permanent resident of the US and have not applied for US permanent residency within the past three years;
- You are eligible to receive a US J-1 visa;
- Applicants who have participated in an exchange program sponsored by the US Government must have fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement.
- You are not currently participating in an academic, training, or research program in the US;
- You are committed to returning to your home country for a minimum of two years after completing the program; and
- You are not a current IREX employee or consultant, or their immediate family member.
Eligible countries by region
- Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- East Asia and the Pacific: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- Europe: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
- Middle East and North Africa: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and West Bank/Palestinian Territories.
- South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Burma, Maldives, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
- Western Hemisphere: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.