Deadline: April 30, 2019
The African Leadership Centre (ALC) is accepting applications for the Peace and Security Fellowship for African Women for 2019/2020. This Fellowship is an intellectual and financial award to those who are able to portray convincing demonstrable or potential capacity to bring about intellectual, policy or other change in their field. The Fellowship is a postgraduate non-degree programme and does not lead to an academic qualification.
The Peace and Security Fellowships for African Women bring together African women at the early stages of their career to undertake a carefully designed training programme in Leadership, Development and Security at the African Leadership Centre (ALC), King’s College London. The Fellowship programme is designed to expose young professional African women to the complexities of conflict, security and development and equip them for careers in this field.
This Fellowship programme is aimed at challenging the existing tendency that seems to reinforce the male dominant discourse on conflict and security related matters. It will also develop a network of African women scholars working in the field whilst linking them with the peace, security and development mechanisms of African regional institutions. They are funded by the Open Society Institute and the African Women’s Development Fund.
Programme Component
This is a one-year Fellowship, divided into two six-month phases.
- Phase 1: The first phase will be delivered at the ALC, Nairobi and King’s College London. During the training, the Fellows will be encouraged to engage critically with the discourse on conflict, security and development in Africa. They will also visit and study institutions working in the field of peace and security in Africa and Europe. This phase will include a simulation seminar series during which mock conflict management situations will be practiced.
- Phase 2: In the second phase, Fellows will be attached to an African Regional Organisation or Centre of Excellence to undertake practical work in the field of peace and security including peace and conflict management processes.
Mentoring: During both phases, Fellows will have access to the programme’s network of mentors, in the form of regular group mentoring and training on key thematic issues. One-on-one mentoring sessions will also be encouraged, to help guide students through the programme.
Research Project: In the 12 months of the training, Fellows will be expected to conduct a research project on a key aspect of peace, security and development, that is in line with select aspects of the ALC Research Agenda on “Peace, Society and the State in Africa”. They will produce a research report (8000 to 10000 words) and a policy brief from their research. These policy briefs will be published and disseminated amongst different organisations in peace and security, in the region.
Benefits
This is a fully funded* opportunity, not including any visa application and processing costs.
- Funds will be made available to the Fellows to cover tuition, subsistence in the UK and Africa, and travel expenses related to the programme in both phases.
- While funding will be made available to pay for accommodation, successful applicants are expected to find their own accommodation both in the UK and Africa.
- Fellows are strongly advised to make all necessary accommodation arrangements prior to taking up their positions on the Fellowship Programme.
Eligibility
- Candidates must be female citizens of African countries.
- Successful candidates must hold valid travel documents prior to acceptance.
- Candidates must have knowledge of, or experience of women’s rights, gender and development issues.
- Candidates must be able to demonstrate a commitment to contribute to work on peace and security in Africa.
- Candidates must be able to demonstrate capacity to undertake research on issues relating to peace and security in Africa.
- Candidates must demonstrate commitment to the core values of the programme: Independent thinking; Integrity; Pursuit of Excellence; and Respect for diversity in all its forms.
- Candidates must have a relevant institutional base and be endorsed by an organisation with which they have been involved for at least two years. Exceptional candidates without such organisational ties may be given special consideration.
- Candidates must have a demonstrable plan for how to utilise knowledge gained in the Fellowship upon return to their countries and/ or organisations.
- Candidates must hold a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree with an equivalent level of professional experience.
- Candidates must be fluent in spoken and written English.
Application
Applications will be accepted ONLINE. The deadline for applications is 23:59 hrs, 30 April 2019.
For more information, visit African Leadership Centre.
