Country: Pakistan

International Visitor Leadership Program

End of Year Report

Chosen by U.S. embassies worldwide to participate, distinguished professionals include:

  • parliamentarians
  • government officials
  • entrepreneurs
  • NGO leaders
  • journalists
  • academics
  • arts administrators
  • mid-career professionals

Programs focus on policy issues in areas such as:

  • government
  • international security
  • foreign policy
  • entrepreneurship
  • economics and trade
  • media
  • leadership
  • education
  • global health
  • arts
  • agriculture
  • human rights

World Learning staff members design national itineraries, arrange logistics, set up meetings in Washington, DC, and coordinate the collaboration of U.S. Department of State program officers, interpreters and International Visitor Liaisons, and more than 85 local organizations from the Global Ties U.S. Network who arrange local programs nationwide.

Participants

Most participants are mid-career professionals and emerging leaders, and for many, this is their first visit to the U.S. Groups are of varying sizes, from single visitors to groups of 25 or more. World Learning program staff work closely with their State Department counterparts to design a program customized to the project objectives and the visitors’ interests.

Participant Selection

IVLP candidates are selected solely by U.S. embassy personnel in each country. There is no application form. World Learning is a private sector partner of the U.S. Department of State; our role is limited to designing programs for participants once they arrive in the U.S. For further information regarding the program, please consult the U.S. Department of State’s website.

Program Design

A typical project includes up to a week of meetings in Washington, DC, to provide an orientation and overview of the theme and to introduce visitors to federal officials and agencies, organizations, and professionals in their specific field of interest. All projects include a briefing on the U.S. federal system of government. Meetings may include panel discussions, site visits, workshops, individual interlocutors, job shadowing, or service opportunities. Visitors typically travel to an additional three or four cities across the country; the itinerary may include a state capital and a small town to provide first-hand exposure to the people and culture of the U.S. Also included in the program design are hospitality dinners, school visits, volunteer activities, and cultural events such as rodeos, state fairs, festivals, visits to national parks, or events that highlight some unique aspect of the region visited.

Participant Experience

“My recent experience in the IVLP program is so far the deepest ever for me to see and understand the full picture of what America as a country is like. I strongly believe this program will have a very long-term impact on my views about America and the world and to some extent it has already helped me to understand many long-time questions.” – Journalist from China

The International Visitor Leadership Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by World Learning.

Pakistan Reading Project

World Learning led the implementation of all project activities in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and was responsible for the technical leadership of PRP’s scholarship activities. This included administering thousands of scholarships to Pakistani students studying to earn either two-year associates degrees in education or four-year bachelor of education degrees in select Pakistani universities or Teacher Training Institutes (TTIs). 

In addition, World Learning collaborated with 110 TTIs to strengthen reading and reading assessment training for pre-service teachers by facilitating the development of a reading curriculum for the associates’ and bachelors’ degree programs, training pre-service teachers on the use of teaching and learning materials developed by PRP, and strengthening linkages between practicum schools and PRP intervention schools. The project worked closely with Ministry of Education officials, provincial governments, university faculty, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), and the National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (NACTE) to ensure TTIs obtained accreditation of their teacher education programs and revised reading specialization curricula. 

 

Professional Fellows for Governance and Society, South and Central Asia

Program Components

  • Selection and pre-departure orientation for fellows from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
  • A four-week professional exchange program in the United States focused on placements with U.S. organizations, leadership development, and practical collaboration.
  • An outbound exchange phase where selected American professionals travel to partner countries to deepen professional relationships and expand cooperation on mutually beneficial initiatives.
  • Regional workshops and follow-on activities aimed at sustaining long-term partnerships.

By connecting American professionals and institutions with emerging leaders across South and Central Asia, the program strengthens America’s economic and strategic position, supports innovation and leadership at home, and contributes to a stronger, safer, and more prosperous future for the United States.

The Professional Fellows for Governance and Society program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by World Learning.

Special Programs to Address the Needs of Survivors

Grantees of the program included: 

Albanian Disability Rights Foundation, Al Hussein Society, Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya, Buckner International, Catholic Relief Services, The Center for Victims of Torture, Christian Blind Mission International, Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise, CURE International, EveryChild, Friends International, Global Communities, Handicap International, Health Volunteers Overseas, International Nepal Fellowship, International Rescue Committee, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Mobility India, Motivation Charitable Trust, Motivation Romania Foundation, St. Boniface Haiti Foundation, United Cerebral Palsy Wheels for Humanity, University of Iowa, University of Pittsburgh – International Society of Wheelchair Professionals, Whirlwind Wheelchair International, World Institute on Disability, and World Vision.