GLMA Chosen to Host Fellow from Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 23, 2023

Contact: Eli Duffy
Communications & Development Manager
eduffy@glma.org

GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality is proud to announce that it has been selected as a host organization for the 2024 Alumni Professional Development Experience (PDE) component of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. As a part of the program, GLMA staff will be joined by Landa Mabenge, a Mandela Washington Fellow from South Africa, from January 22 to March 1, 2024.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement. YALI was created in 2010 and supports young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa.  Since 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship has supported nearly 6,500 Alumni from across Sub-Saharan Africa to develop their leadership skills and foster connections and collaboration with U.S. professionals. 

Thirty Fellowship Alumni have been competitively selected to take part in the 2024 Alumni PDEs – six-week virtual professional placements with U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies, and government agencies.  PDEs allow Fellows to learn and grow as young professionals while providing enriching opportunities for U.S. organizations to participate in collaborative exchanges. 

GLMA is extremely excited about this amazing opportunity to engage with the LGBTQ+ community globally and establish our presence among the network of organizations participating in the Mandela Washington Fellowship program. The GLMA team is eagerly looking forward to collaborating with Landa Mabenge and gaining invaluable insights from his experiences.



About GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality
GLMA is a national organization committed to ensuring health equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities and equality for LGBTQ+ health professionals in their work and learning environments.  To achieve this mission, GLMA utilizes the scientific expertise of its diverse multidisciplinary membership to inform and drive advocacy, education, and research.


Mandela Washington Fellowship
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.  For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit mandelawashingtonfellowship.org and join the conversation at #MandelaFellows.