Congratulations to 2016 Advocate Aehshatou Manu of Cameroon who was one of 700 Africans selected out of a pool of 37,000 applicants to join the 2018 cohort of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
Manu is the Advocacy Officer for Lelewal Foundation and the Women’s Coordinator and Women’s Wing President for Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association (MBOSCUDA), both indigenous peoples’ organizations working to improve the quality of life for indigenous peoples of Cameroon. Manu specializes in women’s and girls’ rights, environmental issues, the economic empowerment of women, and education.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship creates stronger ties between Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States with the goal of strengthening democratic institutions, spurring economic growth, and enhancing peace and security on the continent. During their first six weeks in the United States, Fellows participate in academic and leadership institutes at 27 colleges and universities in 22 states and the District of Columbia.
Manu is attending the Civic Leadership Summit at the Presidential Precinct, which is a consortium of four of the USA’s most important historic sites and two of the country’s most outstanding public universities (William & Mary and the University of Virginia). Throughout the program, Fellows enhance their skills through leadership training, experiential learning, and networking. Following the institutes, Fellows convene in Washington, D.C., for the annual Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit.
The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered in partnership with IREX.
