Fellowship
Opportunity For Zimbabwean Youth: The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
Opportunity For Zimbabwean Youth: The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, begun in 2014, is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking. In 2017, the Fellowship will provide up to 1,000 outstanding young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa with the opportunity to hone their skills at a U.S. college or university with support for professional development after they return home.
Activities in Africa : Fellows will have access to networking opportunities, ongoing professional development, seed funding, and volunteer opportunities upon their return home after the Fellowship. The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a program of the U.S. government and is supported in its ftimplementation
by IREX.
FINANCIAL PROVISIONS OF THE FELLOWSHIP
There is no fee to apply to the Mandela Washington Fellowship. If you are selected for the Fellowship, the U.S. government will cover all participant costs. Financial provisions provided by the U.S. Government will include:
•J-‐1 visa support;
•Round-‐ trip travel from Fellow’s home city to the U.S. and domestic U.S. travel as required by the program;
•A six -‐week a cademic and leadership institute;
•Concluding Summit in Washington, DC;
•Accident and sickness benefit plan;
•Housing and meals during the program ; and
•An optional six-‐week Professional Development Experience (for up to 100 Fellows).
•Please note: the Fellowship will not cover salary while Fellows are away from work or funds forpersonal purchases such as gifts.
Please note that Fellows will be housed in university dorms or similar accommodations.Fellows may be expected to share a bed room and bathroom with another Fellow of the same gender. Most meals will be provided at campus
cafeterias or restaurants , though participants may have access to a kitchen to cook some meals on their own.
Please note that campus cafeterias will not offer the same types and varieties of foodsthat applicants may access in their home countries. It is important that applicants are aware of these arrangements and that they are comfortable with such accommodations.To the extent possible, care will be taken to ensure that any special requirements regarding diet, daily worship, housing, and medical care are satisfied. However, Fellows should understand that food and housing may be very different from what they are used to at home and should be open to new experiences.
TECHNICAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
-Applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, socio-‐economic status, disability, sexual orientation,or gender identity.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is open to young African
leaders who meet the following criteria 1 :
•Are between the ages of 25 and 35 at the time of application submission, although exceptional
applicants younger than 25 will be considered; Are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of theUnited States;
•Are eligible to receive a United States J-‐1 visa;
•Are not employees or immediate family members of employees of the U.S. government(including
the U.S. Embassy, USAID, and other U.S. government entities) ;
•Are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English;
•Are citizens of one of the following countries:Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi,Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic ofthe Congo (DRC), Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon,The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-‐Bissau,Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan,Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
•Are residents of one of the above countries; and
•Are not alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
•Please note: Fellows are not allowed to have dependents (including spouses and children) accompany them during the Fellowship. The U.S. Department of State and IREX reserve the right to verify all of the information included in the application. In the event that there is a discrepancy, or information is found to be false, the application will immediately be declared invalid and the applicant ineligible.
Applications not meeting the above technical eligibility requirements will not be forwarded to the selection
committee.
