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About the Mandela Washington Fellowship
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Since 2014, nearly 5,100 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Fellowship. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished leaders and have established records of promoting innovation and positive impact in their communities and countries.
The U.S. Department of State and IREX seek academic, professional, and regional experts to read and score applications for the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship. Over the first eight years of the Fellowship, the program received nearly 300,000 applications from 49 sub-Saharan African countries for 5,800 Fellow slots. Your talents and expertise in helping score our high volume of applications are greatly appreciated.
Readers will be responsible for evaluating program applications based on set guidelines and a scoring rubric. This is a great volunteer professional development and résumé -building opportunity for professionals or degree-seeking individuals.
The reading period will begin on September 14, 2022, and will comprise up to three separate reading phases, each lasting approximately two weeks, from mid-September through early November. Selected readers will be assigned to one of the reading phases to review approximately 40 applications. Each application takes about 10-15 minutes to read and score; the total time commitment is estimated at 10 hours.
Benefits
- Participate in a six-week Leadership Institute at a U.S. college or university to share your experiences with and learn from U.S. citizens and other Fellows.
- Explore industries beyond your daily work and expand your expertise.
- Attend a Summit with young African leaders in Washington, D.C.
- Meet with U.S. Government, civic, and business leaders.
- Strengthen your work through new connections, skills, and ideas
Eligibility
- Are between the ages of 25 and 35 on or before the application deadline, although exceptional applicants ages 21-24 will be considered;
- Are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United 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 a U.S. embassy or consulate, USAID, or other U.S. Government entity);
- Are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English (additional guidance coming for applicants who are deaf);
- Are citizens of one of the following countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, 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, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, or Zimbabwe;
- Are residents of one of the above countries; and
- Are not Alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
Application Deadline: September 2, 2022
For how to apply and other details check the sponsoring organization’s website <<Here>>
>>>Also Read: How to Write Outstanding Statement of Purpose (SOP) for Scholarships, Fellowships, and Internships