I had been hearing
about the call for young people to apply for the Young African Leaders
Initiative –Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders for some
time. I had heard that it was for outstanding young people under 35 doing
amazing things in their community, a level which I thought I hadn’t yet reached.
I had thought the fellowship was for those who founded organizations which are
successful in Malawi. I was leading a youth network- Youth to Youth Empowerment
which was put together by the World Bank in Malawi and not me. I let it pass
until a YALI –Alumnus, Tadala Thembakako Longwe messaged me on Facebook to
apply for the fellowship as they look for people like me and that a lot of
women don’t apply. I explained to her how I felt that it’s not for people like
me but she still encouraged me to apply. I applied for it online and submitted
the application at one go. Then the “We regret to inform you” email came,
well not to my surprise considering my prior perception about the program. I
told myself this program was for special people and not for people like me. I
will save myself the trouble and never apply for it again.
A year passed, a new cohort for 2016 was selected and I marveled at the great crop of young leaders from Malawi. I still reminded myself how this was not for me.Life went by and I
had a great year in 2016 doing youth work, representing young people at high
level meetings, radio and TV programs, volunteering for causes near to my heart
and completing my Master’s degree in Development Studies at Chancellor College.
I was featured in local newspapers in Malawi a few times, the biggest being a 3
page spread in The Weekend Nation’s “Every
Woman” section which recognizes outstanding young women in Malawi. I was at
my peak and have never felt a re-assurance for my calling than I did this time.
Then the 2017 YALI-MWF
cohort call for applications was announced again. My friend, Emily Wimbles, whom
I had met at World University of Canada where we were both serving as
volunteers, was like, “Tendai have you
applied of YALI?” I heartily gave her my elevator pitch about not wanting
to apply. She didn’t hear it and told me she was not going to stop reminding me
about this until I apply because she thought I was doing great work in youth engagement
in Malawi. My sister Mirriam and best friend Estell also told me that I should
apply and didn’t mind my story about not applying. They reminded me of the
amazing work I was doing with young people and explained how YALI-MWF would go
a long way in enhancing the great work I was already doing. Emily kept
reminding me, until the last week when I decided to do my application.
I started doing my
application but differently this time. I went through the YALI Facebook page
and website to read about tips and guidelines for applying to the program. The
first thing that I realized through this was that I had even applied for the
wrong track hence my chance of getting short-listed was minimal. I had applied
for the entrepreneurship track because I thought Civic Leadership was for
people with organizations. I was actually a perfect fit for the civic
leadership track. Then I had someone review my essays before submitting which I
didn’t do the first time I applied. I then submitted but without dwelling much
on it.
I remember getting
the email notification from YALI-MWF on my phone and thinking here goes the bad
news, well to my surprise it was actually good news as I was short-listed to
the next round of face to face Interviews at the US-Embassy in Malawi. I was so
excited and called the people who encouraged me to apply to let them know I
made it to the next round. I also started to prepare for the interviews and yet
again I used the resources on the YALI website to prepare for my interview.
Some friends also gave me tips for the interview and their “You got this!” went a long way in prepping me for this opportunity
to really slay and impress the 4 people panel.
Time could only tell
whether I slayed or not and it did! The long awaited news was finally here and
for once in a long time google was the bearer of great news. “Dear Tendai: Congratulations! You have been
chosen to participate in the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young
African Leaders!” I remember that day I was on my desk and I stood up and
shouted yes, jumped up and down, uttered a prayer (my normal routine for every big win regardless of where I am, Lol!).
Out of the 822 applicants in Malawi I was one of the 17 finalists. Out of the
67,000 all over Africa, I was one of the 1000! What a feeling! I
also not only got accepted for the 6 weeks leadership course followed by a summit,
but also a 6 weeks professional Development experience at a US Institution
which turned out to be the greatest personal development and reflection journey
I have ever taken in this life.
Imagine If I had
given up at first attempt or still had this perception about the Mandela
Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders? I would have closed out doors
to a life-changing experience. I also met other fellows who even tried 4 times
and got picked up at their last try-out. So, I thought of writing this piece to
encourage anybody who tried last year and thinking of giving up! There is a
saying that it is better to try and fail, rather than not to try at all. I
encourage you to apply again this year and choose to do it differently. If it’s
your first time, then you have all these resources on the YALI website and
Facebook Page which can help you prepare and ensure that you are applying for
the right track, which is very important. The previous fellows are also a great
resource to help edit your essays or
explain any questions you may have. If
you also happen to not be successful this year, don’t beat yourself up, it’s a very
competitive program with limited spaces hence not making the cut is not a
reflection of who you are as a leader! Keep up the great work, your community
needs you!
Some will even ask
what will I gain from doing the fellowship, well a lot of things and I will be
sharing my 3 big wins in my next entry soon. Lastly, apply, apply and apply,
you could be next!
Apply and get tips here: https://yali.state.gov/washington-fellowship/apply/
Feedback: tendaibnd@gmail.com
