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First Mandela Washington Fellowship Conference Reunites Fellows in Accra, Ghana.

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

Press Release:

Washington — Over 150 young leaders from 21 West African countries will gather in Accra, Ghana next week to share their expertise and engage on issues they have defined as critical for the future of Africa. In support of President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), USAID and IREX are organizing the 1st Annual West Africa Regional Conference for Mandela Washington Fellows in Accra from April 26-28, 2015.

The Fellows include tech and social entrepreneurs, public servants, human rights activists, lawyers, doctors and youth activists who are bringing changes to their home countries and communities with support from USAID and IREX. In addition to this impressive group of Fellows, the conference will bring together leaders from the private sector, the U.S. Government, and international and local organizations.

The conference will highlight issues and ideas for promoting entrepreneurship, growth sectors, inclusive development, energy, women in technology, and philanthropy in Africa.

Event speakers include

  • Deputy Minister of Education in Ghana, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa;
  • Founder of the Future Africa Project, Chude Jideonwo;
  • CEO of the African Women’s Development Fund, Theo Sowa;
  • U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Gene A. Cretz; and
  • The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship brings 500 young African professionals from across the continent to U.S. universities for six weeks of leadership training in the areas of business and entrepreneurship, civic leadership, or public management. Competitively selected for this prestigious flagship program, the Fellows represent the continent’s emerging generation of business CEO’s, community leaders, and public officials.

The West African Fellows include participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Cote D’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, São Tome and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

USAID and IREX support Mandela Washington Fellows with continuing professional development opportunities in Africa. This is done with coordination support from the West Africa Civil Society Institute based in Accra, Ghana.

Participation in the conference is by invitation only.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Mandela Washington Fellowship

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Call for Applications

2015/2016 IREX Community Solutions Professional Development Program for Youth Leaders ( Fully Funded), USA

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

Application Deadline:October 27, 2014

The Community Solutions Program is a professional development program for the best and brightest global community leaders working in Transparency and Accountability; Tolerance and Conflict Resolution; Environmental Issues; and, Women and Gender Issues.

Up to sixty- five eligible individuals will be selected to receive the 2015-2016 Community Solutions Program fell owship and will participate in:

  • A Four-month U.S. Fellowship: Leader s are placed in U.S. community-based, non-profit or government offices across the U.S. where they work with American community leaders.
  • Community Leadership Institute (CLI): Leader s will develop practical leadership and  organizational management skills through online and in-person training.
  • Follow-on Projects: Leaders, in partnership with their U.S. host organizations, will develop follow-on community development projects or initiatives to be completed upon return to their home countries
FINANCIAL P ROVISIONS OF THE FELLOWSHIP
  • J-1 visa support;
  • Round-trip travel from participant’s home city to the U.S.;
  • Accident and sickness insurance; and,
  • Living allowance to cover housing, meals and incidentals
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Candidates will be considered without respect to race, color, religion, national origin, or gender. Persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Competition for the Community Solutions Program is merit- based and open to community leaders, ages 25-38 at the time of application , who meet the
following criteria:
  • Is from a participating country (U.S. citizens, permanent residents of the U.S. , and individuals who have applied for U.S. permanent resid ency in the past three years are not eligible for this program);
  • Is currently living and working in his/her home country (Individuals participating in academic, training or research programs in the United States at the time of application and individuals residing or working outside their home countries at the time of application are not eligible for this program);
  • Is currently working on a community project or initiative in his/her home country; and, has at least two years of community development experience at the time of application;
  • Is able to begin the program in the United States in 2015, and is committed to returning to his/her home country for a period of two years after completion of the program
  • Is able to receive a U.S. J-1 visa (Individuals who have participated in an exchange visitor program sponsored or funded by the U.S. Government who have not fulfilled their two- year home residency requirement by the time of application are not eligible for this program); and,
  • Is proficient in spoken and written English at the time of application

ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES

Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

East Asia and the Pacific: Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

Europe: Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey

South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Near East & North Africa: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and West Bank/Gaza

Western Hemisphere: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago

COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS PROGRAM TIMELINE
October 27, 2014 : Community Solutions Program application deadline
November–December 2014 : Applications reviewed by selection committee
January 2015 : Semifinalists interview and take the TOEFL exam as needed
February-March 2015  : Finalists and alternates notified
May- June 2015: Pre-departure orientation and preparation:
Late July /Early August 2015; All participants depart their home countries for the U.S.
 December 2015′; Participants return to their home countries and begin follow-on projects :
January-June 2016: Alumni complete follow-on projects in collaboration with U.S. hosts
For More Information:
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yali
Call for Applications

Young African Leaders Initiative Expression of Interest Request for Partners.

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

Subsmission Deadline: May 30, 2014.

The Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) . Launched in 2014, the program brings 500 young leaders aged 25-35 to the United States each year for academic coursework and leadership training.

Upon completion of the Fellows’ U.S.- based programming, IREX will support and coordinate a range of interconnected Africa- based networking and professional development activities under the USAID- funded Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders program.
IREX invites interested local organizations to submit an Expression of Interest
statement to partner with IREX in implementing Africa-based activities for the Washington Fellowship Program.

It is anticipated that IREX will select implementing partners in the following locations:
Accra, Ghana
Dakar, Senegal
Maputo, Mozambique
Nairobi, Kenya
Pretoria or Johannesburg, South Africa

Each selected local Implementing Partner organization will engage Washington Fellowship alumni in Africa by playing a key role in developing and implementing youth programming.

IREX will provide capacity building support to each Implementing Partner based on needs identified by the Partner and IREX.

IREX will provide subawards to support local partner staffing and associated costs for the implementation of YALI.

IREX intends to renew the grants for up to 4 years if the partnerships prove effective.
Submission Guidelines:

Please submit your complete Expression of Interest form via email to [email protected] no later than May 30, 2014.

Questions regarding this Expression of Interest request can also be sent to this email address for response.

visit the Expression of Interest form and Application Guideline

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