About this opportunity
Displacement does not end a woman's ability to shape her community, and in many African contexts it sharpens it. The I AM NALA Fellowship on Women, Peace and Security is built for young African women who are refugees, internally displaced persons or stateless, and who are already organising, campaigning or negotiating where they live.
Run by the Nalafem Collective, a Pan-African platform of women politicians and activists, the fellowship selects 20 participants for a programme that runs from January 2027 to July 2027. The focus is practical: leadership, advocacy, alliance building and cross-conflict negotiation, grounded in the demands of the Africa Young Women Beijing at 25 Manifesto and values of solidarity, social justice, dignity, equity and decolonial feminist Pan-Africanism.
The fellowship welcomes women who lead campaigns, women's groups and collectives, who build alliances across communities, or who take part in negotiations across conflict lines. Women politicians currently holding political office are expressly encouraged to apply. If your record shows current, concrete engagement rather than future interest, this cohort was designed with you in mind.
What you receive
- A place in a focused cohort of 20 young African women leaders
- A structured fellowship period from January 2027 to July 2027
- Leadership and advocacy development in the women, peace and security field
- Skill building in alliance building and cross-conflict negotiation
- Connection to a Pan-African network of women politicians and activists
- Grounding in the demands of the Africa Young Women Beijing at 25 Manifesto
Who can apply
- You are a young African woman aged between 18 and 40
- You are a refugee, an internally displaced person, or stateless
- You are actively engaged in leadership or advocacy work
- Your work connects to peace, justice, political change, alliance building or cross-conflict negotiations
- You endorse the 10 demands of the Nalafem Collective and sign the Africa Young Women Beijing at 25 Manifesto
- Women politicians currently holding political office are also encouraged to apply
Who should not apply
- The fellowship is specifically centred on applicants with lived experience of displacement or statelessness
- Applicants should expect to show current engagement, not only interest in these issues
Documents to prepare
- Completed online application form with your personal details
- Details of your leadership and advocacy experience
- Confirmation that you have signed the Africa Young Women Beijing at 25 Manifesto
- Contact details of two referees
How to apply
- Read the fellowship call on the Nalafem Collective academy page and confirm you meet the eligibility points
- Sign the Africa Young Women Beijing at 25 Manifesto, which the application requires you to confirm
- Open the official I AM NALA Fellowship 2027 application form
- Complete the sections on your background, your political and advocacy experience, and the communities you work with
- Provide two referees who can speak to your leadership work
- Submit before the closing date of 31 October 2026
Selection process
- Nalafem Collective reviews applications against the fellowship's focus on young African women with displacement or statelessness experience
- A total of 20 participants are selected for the cohort
- Selected fellows join the programme running from January 2027 to July 2027
Sources and verification
- Official source , Discovered by the opportunity automation module.
Questions applicants ask
Who is the I AM NALA Fellowship for?
It invites applications from young African women who are refugees, internally displaced persons or stateless, and who are already active in leadership and advocacy work connected to peace, justice and political change.
What is the age range?
Applicants must be between 18 and 40 years old.
How many participants are selected?
The fellowship selects 20 participants for the cohort.
When does the programme run?
The fellowship runs from January 2027 to July 2027.
Can women currently holding political office apply?
Yes. Women politicians holding political office are encouraged to apply.
What leadership experience counts?
Relevant experience includes campaigns, women's groups and collectives, alliance building, cross-conflict negotiations, peace and justice movements, and political change work.
When does the application close?
The published application deadline is 31 October 2026. The provider states the closing date without a cut-off time.
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.
