UNHCR is pleased to announce opportunity for youth in Rwanda to apply for the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Cohort 57, 58 and 59.
The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) was launched by the United States government as a signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders. The need to invest in grooming strong, results-oriented leaders comes out of the statistics: nearly 1 in 3 Africans are between the ages of 10 and 24, and approximately 60% of Africa’s total population is below the age of 35.
| Cohort | Details |
| Cohort 57 | August 19 – September 13, 2024 (4-week Blended/Hybrid Training – 2 weeks on the YALI RLC EA Learning Portal and 2 weeks on Campus at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya). |
| Cohort 58 | September 23 – October 18, 2024 (4-week Fully Online/Virtual Training on the YALI RLC EA Learning Portal). |
| Cohort 59 | October 28 – November 22, 2024 (4-week Residential Training on campus at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya). |
WHO SHOULD APPLY?
Competition for the YALI Regional Leadership Center East Africa is merit-based and open to young East African leaders who meet the following criteria:
- Are 18 to 35 years of age at the time of application submission,
- Are citizens and residents of one of the following countries: Burundi, Central African Republic. Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.
- Are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.
- Are eligible to receive any necessary visa to Kenya, and
- Are proficient in reading, writing, listening and speaking English.
It means if you are refugees, you should be registered and able to obtain refugee travel document from the Government of Rwanda.
Further information about YALI is available here https://www.yalieastafrica.org/
If you are interested to apply, please go through this link https://www.yalieastafrica.org/registration/public/index.php/user/signup
Please note that this is not UNHCR programme and UNHCR is not involved in any selection of the participants. However we were informed that the selection criteria are as follow:
Criteria Used to Evaluate Applications
- Applicants must be aged between 18 and 35 years old
- Citizens of one of the 14 target countries – Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
- Applicants must be proficient in the English language (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) since the program training is fully in English (intermediate level will be accepted for applicants from francophone countries and rural/marginalized areas)
- Applicants MUST not be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.
- Applicants must be eligible to receive any necessary travel document to Kenya (e.g. Electronic Travel Authorization/Visa)
- Demonstrated commitment to impact their communities, countries, and the African continent positively
- Applicants from the 14 countries must be residing on the African continent to be selected if they are not in their country of citizenship for one reason or another e.g. refugees. This is to ensure that the skills they gain will go towards benefiting the continent.
- Applicants must not have attended any other USG-funded leadership programs, including MWF – Mandela Washington Fellowship (This is to give an equal opportunity to other young, deserving, and impactful Africans)
- Prospective applicants must be willing and able to commit to the intensive 4-week program (residential, virtual, and blended/hybrid)
- Applicants must demonstrate and prove that they have projects/initiatives/start-ups/social enterprises that are making an impact in their communities.
- Each successful applicant must describe his or her efforts to address a current challenge in their community, organization, or country – This experience can be voluntary or work-related but must show the applicant’s desire to improve the quality of life in their communities.
- Career, title, and level of education (or lack thereof) will not disqualify any applicant as we are looking for motivated young African leaders committed to addressing challenges in their communities/countries.
- Applicants’ details must not have been flagged or exist on any global criminal databases for crimes such as terrorism, cybercrime, human trafficking, and economic crimes such as money laundering, corruption, etc