As the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship program draws to a close this week, participants took time to reflect on all they have accomplished during their time in Boise.
“It’s my third time applying to the Mandela Washington Fellowship…it is a great experience for me to share what I learn here with other young people in Africa, to help young leaders in my country who share the same vision for our continent, and to be able able to work together for the development of our cities and our country,” said Luce Gangoue, a nonviolent human rights activist from Congo Brazzaville.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship, a flagship program of the U.S Department of State’s Young African Leaders Initiative, sends 700 of Africa’s brightest emerging leaders to spend six weeks at various universities across the United States. Boise State’s School of Public Service, as one of only 28 institutional partners, and the only participating university in the northwestern region of the U.S., hosted to 25 fellows, representing 21 different countries in Africa.
The theme for this year’s Boise institute is Leadership in Public Management. During their six weeks stay, the fellows have visited and learned about many of the public systems and programs in Boise offers, working with partners such as as Valley Regional Transit, Life’s Kitchen and the Boise River ReWild Project. Each of the fellows have also been working on their own focus project, which aim to address important issues they are facing in their home countries.
The fellowship’s objectives include empowering young people and investing in a new generation of leaders.
“One thing I’d like to share is just to really understand and believe in the power of young people to be agents of change. It’s possible to be young and still make a difference, it’s possible to be young and participate in your political processes, it makes a huge difference,” said Jennifer Githu of Kenya, who currently works on anti-corruption programs at the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Office for Eastern Africa.
The School of Public Service looks forward to continued relationships with the Mandela Washington Fellows and the African continent.
Learn more about the fellowship and view a photo gallery on the program website.