Ready to lead the next generation committed to disability inclusive civic engagement?

The Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement is a professional program funded by the US Department of State for emerging leaders in Africa to exchange and implement best practices for inclusive civic engagement. The program will support approximately 12 mid-career disability rights professionals (Fellows) from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia to participate in a five-week Fellowship Program in Spring 2024 in the US.

As a Fellow, you will learn approaches to inform your efforts to build and strengthen fully inclusive civic societies for people with disabilities in your country. The core of the program is an individual Fellowship with a US host organization. As a Fellow, you will select a key policy or practice issue related to disability and civic engagement in your country. This policy or practice issue will provide a focus for your individual Fellowship placement training and will inform the project that you will develop and implement upon returning home. This is called the follow-on project. The Fellowship training will also include weekly seminars, mentorship, and community service.

Eligibility Criteria

This is a merit-based competition open to candidates in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia.

To apply, you must meet the following eligibility criteria. You must:

• Be between the ages of 25 and 40, meaning at least 25 years old and no older than 40 years old, as of the first day of the Fellowship Program (May 8, 2024).
• Be a citizen and resident of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, or Ethiopia.
• Be eligible to receive a US J-1 visa, as far as you know. (Visit the US Department of State website for information about J-1 visas.)
• Be proficient in spoken English.
• Be proficient in reading and writing English.
• Have at least two or more years of professional work experience.
• Be able to travel to the US for the duration of the five-week Fellowship Program.

Apply here