This was an email received by SchoolNet about the Young African Leadership Initiative.

“We wanted to make you aware of a new flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), the 2014 Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (“Washington Fellowship”). President Obama launched YALI in 2010 to support young African leaders, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa. For more information about YALI, please visit http://youngafricanleaders.state.gov/ . The Washington Fellowship, which is being launched in 2014, will provide leadership training, professional development, and mentoring to 500 accomplished young African leaders each year. The application period for the 2014 Washington Fellowship is now open, and its implementation is being supported by IREX.

The online application for the Washington Fellowship is currently available through the IREX Online Application System athttps://yaliapp.irex.org . Completed applications, including all supporting documents, must be submitted to IREX online by 12:00 midnight Eastern Standard Time on January 27, 2014. Competition for the Washington Fellowship is merit-based and is open to young African leaders who meet the following criteria:

• Are between the ages of 25 and 35 at the time of application submission, although exceptional applicants younger than 25 will be considered;
• Are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S;
• Are eligible to receive a United States J-1 visa;
• Are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English; and
• Are citizens and residents of one of the following countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, 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, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.*

* Note: Individuals residing in the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Sudan, and Zimbabwe may not apply to the public management track. Residents of Sudan may only apply for the Civic Leadership track. Current IREX employees and consultants and their immediate family members (spouses, parents, children, and siblings) are not eligible to apply for any IREX-implemented grant programs, either as individuals or as the responsible party representing an institutional applicant.

We encourage qualified and interested young African leaders to apply. We hope you will help spread the word by sharing this information with your networks in the United States and in the aforementioned countries. All individuals should submit their applications with sufficient time to meet the deadline. Detailed application instructions and a fact sheet about the fellowship are attached. More information about the Washington Fellowship is available at http://youngafricanleaders.state.gov/washington-fellows/.”