The U.S. Embassy in Madagascar and Comoros opened today the four-week application period for the 2022 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. The Fellowship is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative. Since 2014, 77 young leaders from Madagascar and 21 young leaders from Comoros have participated in this prestigious program.
“The Fellowship helped me get rid of my fear of judgment and criticism. It triggered a certain boldness,” Sitraka Ratsimba, a 2019 Mandela Washington Fellow, explained. “I have the opportunity to be part of a large network of changemakers, pushing myself to do more and contribute more.”
The Fellowship begins with six weeks of leadership training at a U.S. college or university focused on one of three tracks: Business and Entrepreneurship; Civic Leadership; or Public Management. This leadership training is followed by a summit in Washington, D.C. where Fellows forge connections with one another and with U.S. leaders from the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Following the summit, a group of competitively selected Fellows remains in the United States for four weeks to work with private, public, and non-profit organizations.
Upon returning to their home countries, Fellows continue to build their skills through support from U.S. embassies, the United States Agency for International Development, the United States African Development Foundation, among other partners. Fellows have access to ongoing professional development opportunities, mentoring, networking and training, community service, and seed funding to support their ideas, businesses, and organizations.
For more information on the Fellowship, including details on the application process and selection criteria, young leaders should visit mwfellows.info/apply. The time-limited application period closes on September 15.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. Applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.