…In a live information session.
BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MBABANE – The Mandela Washington Fellowship – why is it important? Who is it for? What is the experience of current fellows?
All of this information, and more, will be shared during an information session which is to bed hosted by the US Embassy Eswatini today at
the Mbabane American Corner (Endibanweni), at the Mbabane National Library.
The session will feature recently returned alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship program, where they will be sharing their thoughts and experiences of participating in the program. One of the recently returned fellows, Nkosinathi Mavimbela, encouraged young people to attend the information session because it is a great opportunity to get first-hand information on the application process, tips on drafting a successful application, and the overall fellowship experience from alumni.
“If you have any doubts and/or questions about your eligibility, chances of getting the fellowship, or even just the fellowship itself and what each Leadership track entails or means, then this session is for you. I’d encourage everyone to come prepared with questions, and I am confident that these will be answered. The session is also meant to educate and inspire the next cohort of fellows, so even if you don’t know much about the fellowship and have no questions, I’d still encourage you to listen in and you might be inspired by a fellow whose story you can relate to,” urged Mavimbela.
He added that his biggest takeaway from the fellowship experience was the opportunity to meet and learn from a diverse group of young people doing amazing work in different sectors across Sub-Saharan Africa.
“It was inspiring in the sense that these are people I could relate to, working on everyday issues I could relate to, and implementing innovative solutions I could relate to and put into my own country’s context. As someone who was under the Leadership in Public Management track, getting a glimpse of public policy formulation and implementation in the US was an interesting learning experience. The bonus was getting to establish what I foresee to be long-lasting friendships and bonds with fellows and various USA individuals and organizations. These bonds will form a basis for possible collaborations on future projects that may be of mutual interest,” said Mavimbela.
The YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship brings emerging leaders from all across Africa together on American university campuses for a 6-week intensive academic and leadership institute in either civic leadership or business and entrepreneurship tracks.
The information session to help with this year’s applications will be held from 6-7.30 P.M, and the following link can be used to register as a virtual participant: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oKZANOb7QMqTZFYNxOpsiA
The applications for this year’s Mandela Washington Fellowship cohort are open until September 12, 2023.
