Empowering Women with Disabilities in Lesotho
Since her Fellowship, Refiloehape Sesinyi hasn’t just empowered other people with disabilities in her community – she’s also empowering herself.
Learn MoreA Program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Official website of the U.S. Department of State's Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
Since her Fellowship, Refiloehape Sesinyi hasn’t just empowered other people with disabilities in her community – she’s also empowering herself.
Learn MoreFellowship Alumni are empowering female entrepreneurs, giving them a seat at the table and building the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Learn More2023 Leadership Impact Award Jamila Mayanja reflects on her work empowering women and girls in Uganda.
Learn More2022 Fellowship Alumnus Mirado Rakotoharimalala is creating new opportunities for Malagasy youth through professional soccer.
Learn More2021 Alumnus and 2022 Catalyst Grant Winner Abdallah Mabrouck combines digital technology and direct support to deliver agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers in Tanzania.
Learn MoreThe Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Established in 2014, the Fellowship is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2024 and has brought nearly 6,500 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States for academic and leadership training. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished innovators and leaders in their communities and countries.
Learn MoreThe Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.
An agricultural startup founded by Purdue University alumni is addressing international food insecurity in the Kingdom of Lesotho and rural southern Indiana, with a goal to expand domestically and internationally.
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January 31, 2024
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October 31, 2023
“I believe that the Mandela Washington Fellowship has made me a stronger and better leader and has challenged me to think outside the box… There can only be more, bigger, and better to come from me, my fellow Fellows, and the continent of Africa as a whole.”
– Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumna
Learn more about the 2024 Fellowship selection timeline and process, eligibility information, and more. We can't wait to meet the next Mandela Washington Fellows!
Learn moreApplication Deadline
Semifinalists interviewed by local U.S. embassies and consulates
Applicants are notified of their status
Finalist visa processing and Pre-Fellowship Orientations
Fellowship begins in the United States
Summit takes place in Washington, D.C.
Including Fellows, Reciprocal Exchange Participants, and U.S. Partners
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