About this opportunity
Global Women Connect was built around a straightforward idea that experienced women leaders can hold space for the next group, and that the exchange is not one directional. The Mentoring Programme is a nine to twelve month journey supporting both mentors and mentees to develop two way learning relationships where each partner benefits and grows. It is delivered fully online, so it works across time zones, and mentoring conversations happen every four to six weeks with supporting webinars alongside. Participation is free.
The programme is specific about who it serves. Mentees are leaders or future leaders in the humanitarian, development or social impact sectors, and priority goes to those based in the Global South, including women working in resource poor or crisis affected settings. Mentors are experienced women leaders or managers in the same sectors who want to mentor. Being bilingual in English, French, Arabic or Spanish is described as helpful but not necessary, which matters for applicants working in languages beyond English. The whole space is described as safe and inclusive, exclusively for women in all their diversity.
What you get out of it depends on which side of the pairing you are on. Mentees develop leadership capability, build resilience, unlock potential and improve performance. Mentors develop mentoring and coaching skills, expand reflective capability, sharpen problem solving and decision making and grow emotional intelligence. Everyone who joins also gets ongoing development through the Global Women Connect Learning and Exchange community, and the relationships built here tend to outlast the formal programme.
The one thing to take seriously is the commitment, because the programme asks for all five parts of it and asks you to confirm each in the application form. You attend an online briefing webinar, you arrange and attend regular online mentoring sessions every four to six weeks, you attend the mid way support session and the final support and celebration event, you complete an interim and a final evaluation questionnaire, and you keep in regular professional contact with your mentoring partner. The application itself has four short steps, and Global Women Connect asks you to answer in your own words, in your own language if you prefer, specifically requesting that you avoid responses generated by AI or copied from elsewhere. Complete your application by 16 October 2026.
What you receive
- A nine to twelve month structured mentoring relationship delivered fully online, with conversations every four to six weeks
- For mentees, development of leadership capability, greater resilience, unlocked potential and improved performance
- For mentors, development of mentoring and coaching skills, expanded reflective capability, sharper problem solving, better decision making and grown emotional intelligence
- Supporting webinars plus a mid way support session and a final support and celebration event
- Ongoing development through the Global Women Connect Learning and Exchange community
- No cost to participate, and flexibility across time zones
Who can apply
- You are a woman, and the programme confirms it is a space exclusively for women in all their diversity
- You work as a leader or future leader in the humanitarian, development or social impact sectors as a mentee, or as an experienced woman leader or manager in those sectors as a mentor
- Priority is given to applicants based in the Global South, including those in resource poor or crisis affected settings
- You can join online meetings and keep up a session every four to six weeks across nine to twelve months
- Bilingual ability in English, French, Arabic or Spanish is helpful but not necessary
Who should not apply
- The programme is exclusively for women, so men are not eligible as mentors or mentees
- Applicants outside the humanitarian, development and social impact sectors are not the stated audience for this cycle
- Applicants who cannot commit to all five participation requirements are asked to confirm them in the form, so partial commitment is not accommodated
Documents to prepare
- Your name, email address and organisation, chosen from the participating organisation list or entered as Other
- Confirmation that you are a woman or identify as a woman
- Confirmation that you will take part in all five aspects of the programme
- Your written answers to the application questions about your ambitions and experience
How to apply
- Read the programme page at https://myglobalconnect.org/global-women-connect/gwc-mentoring-programme/ and decide whether you are applying as a mentee or as a mentor
- Open the 2026/2027 Mentoring Programme application form on that same page at https://myglobalconnect.org/global-women-connect/gwc-mentoring-programme/#apply
- Complete step one with your personal details, your organisation and the two required confirmations about identity and commitment
- Answer the remaining steps in your own words and in your own language if you prefer, since the programme asks you to avoid responses generated by AI or copied from other sources
- Submit your application by 16 October 2026
- Send any question the page does not answer to gwc@coachmentoring.co.uk
Selection process
- Applications are reviewed to match the most appropriate mentees with the most appropriate mentors
- Priority is given to leaders based in the Global South, including those in resource poor or crisis affected settings
- Thoughtful, personally written answers carry weight, because the form is designed to understand your ambitions and experience
- Matches are made so that both partners benefit, and successful applicants are drawn into the Learning and Exchange community for the duration of the nine to twelve month journey
Sources and verification
Questions applicants ask
Does it cost anything to take part?
No. The Global Women Connect Mentoring Programme is free to take part, including the webinars and the support sessions.
How long does the programme run and how often will I meet my partner?
It is a nine to twelve month journey, and you arrange mentoring sessions with your partner every four to six weeks alongside an initial briefing, a mid way support session and a final support and celebration event.
Can I apply as a mentor instead of a mentee?
Yes. The programme recruits experienced women leaders and managers in the humanitarian, development or social impact sectors as mentors, and mentors develop coaching skills, reflective capability, problem solving, decision making and emotional intelligence.
Do I need to speak French, Arabic or Spanish?
No. Being bilingual in English, French, Arabic or Spanish is described as helpful but not necessary.
When is the deadline?
Complete your application by 16 October 2026, as stated on the programme page.
Can I use AI to write my answers?
The programme asks you not to. It wants answers in your own words, and in your own language if that is not English, because it is genuinely interested in your ambitions and experience.
Important disclaimer
Nextali researches and curates useful opportunities to make discovery easier. Before applying, verify every timeline, requirement, fee and application link on the official provider website. Do your own research into the organisation, its background and the authenticity of the offer. Nextali does not guarantee selection, funding or the conduct of third party providers.
