Announcements
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. The programme is conceived against a number of background factors.
First is the comparatively low level of women involved in peace and security issues especially as compared with those involved in human rights and development issues. Second is the need to assist African women to meet the demands of the Beijing process and more recently the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 that calls for the inclusion of women at all decision making levels in “all national regional and international institutions and mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts”.
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.
The Fellowships comprise of two six-month phases. During the first six-month phase at the ALC in Nairobi and King’s College London, the Fellows undertake full-time study of MA-level courses in leadership, security and development that are jointly developed by the ALC and King’s College London.
The Fellows also have mentoring sessions on leadership, development and peace and security, delivered by a global network of renowned experts on these issues. They will study and visit various global institutions working in the field of peace and security. This phase will end with a simulation seminar during which a mock conflict management situation will be practiced. The second phase will be an attachment of Fellows to an African regional organisation, research institution or centre of excellence to undertake practical work in the field of leadership, peace and security including peace and conflict management processes.
Details about eligibility, funding and terms of conditions for the Peace and Security Fellowship for African Women can be found here.