IREX Armenia
International Research & Exchanges Board in Armenia                                        ARM

Project Smile is a community development program for alumni of Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). 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.

Selected projects benefit an underserved population and are community service-oriented. Sample project ideas include cleaning a schoolyard, planning an activity at a children's hospital or orphanage, and coordinating a book drive. Project Smile is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State.

The purpose of Project Smile is to help the youth of Eurasia and the US through community-based activities. Possible activities include:

  • Cleaning a school yard or community playground
  • Planning a visit or activity at an orphanage or hospital
  • Organizing a children's book drive to benefit a local library, school, orphanage, or hospital
  • Conducting any other projects judged by ECA and/or IREX to be in the interest of program goals

The grant maximum is $300.00. Each project must be led by an ECA alumnus/a team leader, but not all volunteers must be ECA alumni.

For more information, e-mail us at alumni-am@irex.org call us or visit our office.