Mandela Washington Fellows

A World of Lessons

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:44:00 +0000

A World of Lessons BBENSON@bridgew.edu Wed, 08/07/2024 - 09:44

Young African leaders visit campus for public management institute

August 8, 2024

Brian Benson, G'23

Obianuju Iloanya’s brother was killed by police in Nigeria when he was just 20 years old. Now, Iloanya is turning her loss into action.

She is fighting for a better tomorrow free from the class-based discrimination and police brutality that is pervasive in her home country. And she sees participation in a public management institute at Bridgewater State as a key step.

“I wanted to learn how to make my impact through a different channel,” said Iloanya, a nonprofit program director who often expresses her anger and passion through protests. “I needed to learn how to influence the change I want from the inside.”

Iloanya is one of 23 leaders from sub-Saharan Africa who spent six weeks at ŷ�� this summer through the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. This marked the eighth time since 2016 that Bridgewater was a host institution for the fellowship, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by IREX.

This year, fellows met mayors, lawmakers and criminal justice leaders; sewed dresses for girls in Africa; participated in Bridgewater’s Juneteenth celebration and Independence Day parade; and attended classroom sessions taught by ŷ�� criminal justice, communication, education and political science faculty.

Fellow Beth Z. Zarweah-Munford enjoyed hearing from President Frederick W. Clark Jr., '83, who the fellows noticed was as comfortable taking selfies as he was lecturing.

“In leadership, you have to be patient, you have to be earnest, you have to have a goal,” Dr. Zarweah-Munford, a medical doctor from Liberia, said of takeaways from his presentation.

That perspective will be important as Zarweah-Munford aspires to improve care for children and pregnant women. Her country of 5.2 million people has less than 40 pediatricians.

“The Mandela Washington Fellowship gives you a platform where you stand above everyone else,” she said. “It gives you opportunity because of the relationships you build with all of the fellows and the people you meet.”

A professor with six years of experience in peace and security studies, Tagel Wondimu Shanko appreciated visiting Brockton’s restorative justice court, where he noticed the humanizing approach the judge took with defendants. The court aims to rehabilitate people and use alternatives to incarceration.

Shanko hopes to use ideas gained at ŷ�� to help end conflicts in his native Ethiopia. He learned how everyone can be an ambassador by being welcoming and open to interaction, just like those he met during the fellowship.

“It’s a sign for me to go back home and do the same thing,” he said.

The fellows left Bridgewater impressed by the generosity and kindness of everyone they met.

“They have opened their doors to us,” Iloanya said. “This has made me so happy to be here. I am far away from home, but I do not feel like I am without family here.”

Do you have a ŷ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship gives you a platform where you stand above everyone else. It gives you opportunity because of the relationships you build with all of the fellows and the people you meet.

Beth Z. Zarweah-Munford

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Photos by Kendell French, '25

Inspiring Visit

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:52:46 +0000

Inspiring Visit BBENSON@bridgew.edu Wed, 07/26/2023 - 08:52

CEO of the U.S. African Development Foundation speaks with Mandela fellows

July 27, 2023

Brian Benson, G'23

Growing up Black in Tennessee, Travis Adkins acutely felt the impacts of racial inequality. He saw it in the unrepaired potholes on the streets of his neighborhood and, more significantly, how his family was met with disdain everywhere from the grocery store to the classroom.

Those experiences helped propel him into a multi-decade career of public service working on international development in more than 50 nations across Africa and the Middle East.

“I didn’t want to accept a society where my mother was less than other people, where my grandmother was less than other people,” an emotional Adkins, the president and CEO of the U.S. African Development Foundation, recently told Bridgewater State’s Mandela fellows while fighting back tears.

Hailing from 18 African nations, the fellows are spending six weeks at ŷ�� for a public management institute. The institute is part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, a program funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by IREX.

“You’re leading in the present moment and that’s what it’s all about,” Adkins said, adding: “I didn’t come here because I’m special. I came here because you are.”

Adkins spoke at a dinner during a multi-day visit to Massachusetts organized by Vinny deMacedo (special advisor to ŷ��’s president) and Dr. Wing-kai To (institute director and administrative co-director for the Mandela program at ŷ��).

Appointed by President Joseph Biden, Adkins oversees an independent agency established by Congress to invest in grassroots African enterprises and entrepreneurs.

The agency supports agricultural, renewable energy, and entrepreneurial projects, and employs African nationals who live in the countries it serves. It invests in organizations and people to help build a prosperous future.

“Many of them are people who don’t have a business just to make money, but they have a business to solve a problem,” Adkins said.

Fellows Ronard Lubaga, a corporate social responsibility officer from Tanzania, and Floriane Klinklin Acouetey, a social worker from Togo, said they were inspired by the talk to connect their clients with Adkins’ organization.

“Back home, I have an opportunity to influence young people who are entrepreneurs to seek opportunities like this to help advance and grow their businesses,” Lubaga said.

Klinklin Acouetey was struck by the raw emotion Adkins displayed when sharing his personal story.

“When I see what he has managed to accomplish, it gives me hope. It gives me joy,” said Okeoghene Ifiezibe Akusu, a doctor from Nigeria. “It’s like a beam of light telling me if he can get to where he is now, I can also get things done.”

Do you have a ŷ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

You’re leading in the present moment and that’s what it’s all about. ... I didn’t come here because I’m special. I came here because you are.

Travis Adkins to the Mandela fellows

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Photo by Kendell French, '24

Emerging African Leaders Celebrate America

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 12:49:34 +0000

Emerging African Leaders Celebrate America BBENSON@bridgew.edu Thu, 07/06/2023 - 08:49

Mandela fellows take part in July 4th parade, local food and Americana

July 6, 2023

Brian Benson, G'23

July 4th is a special day for Rwandans like Kalema Solange. In her native land, the holiday is known as Liberation Day, which each year commemorates the 1994 ending of the Tutsi genocide and Rwanda’s liberation from the genocide regime.

Marked by community reflections on the tragedy, cultural performances, and emotional celebrations, Liberation Day recognizes Rwandans’ perseverance and commitment to a united future. This year, while attending a public management institute at Bridgewater State, Kalema experienced firsthand that other holiday that shares the same date: American Independence Day.

“The community here is really strong,” said Kalema, who wore a patriotic headband while marching in Bridgewater’s July Fourth parade alongside her peers from the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. “You can feel that spirit in everyone.”

Kalema is one of 25 emerging leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa spending six weeks at ŷ�� for the fellowship thanks to a program funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by IREX. This is the seventh time since 2016 that Bridgewater has hosted the institute. ŷ�� is one of 28 U.S. educational institutions – and the only one in New England – welcoming fellows this summer.

The institute enhances fellows’ leadership, decision-making and policy implementation skills through lessons from faculty and guest speakers, site visits, cultural activities, and community service. In addition to participating in the parade, fellows attended a clam bake on Cape Cod, learned about an inmate reentry program in Attleboro, and conversed with Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan.

The group plans to volunteer with Dress a Girl Around the World to make dresses for people living in poverty. They will also attend a Nelson Mandela Day ceremony at the Statehouse and meet a leader of the U.S. African Development Foundation.

Fellow Joshna Bhoobun, a lawyer from Mauritius who works at her country’s Supreme Court, was inspired by American efforts to provide mental health care, even to those who are incarcerated.

“It’s not the same back home,” Bhoobun said. “I appreciate the way you take care of individuals as humans.”

Ngundambiriko Katire aims to bring an interdisciplinary perspective to Namibia by incorporating lessons from criminal justice and public administration into his work as a psychological counselor at the Namibia Ministry of Labour.

As they marched in the parade through downtown Bridgewater, Katire and other fellows waved American flags and those of their home countries while singing African songs.

“I realized community is also important in the United States of America,” said Ayodeji Erubu, a doctor from Nigeria. “Everyone appreciates that sense of being together.”

The fellows fed off the energy of cheering townsfolk who lined the route even through a downpour.

“It felt like a moment where you are part of history,” Katire said. “We’ve been feeling welcomed but now we feel like we’re being celebrated.”

Do you have a ŷ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

It felt like a moment where you are part of history. We’ve been feeling welcomed but now we feel like we’re being celebrated.

Mandela fellow Ngundambiriko Katire

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Photos by Kendell French, '24

Learning to Lead

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:18:46 +0000

Learning to Lead BBENSON@bridgew.edu Tue, 07/19/2022 - 13:18

Mandela fellows study public management at ŷ��

July 21, 2022

Brian Benson

Equipped with new leadership skills, Tshepiso Larona Mokgetse wants to end gender stereotypes that discourage Botswanan girls from pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math.

“We're living in the 21st century,” said Mokgetse, who participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders’ public management institute at Bridgewater State University. “Everything a man does, women can do.”

Mokgetse, who has a background in computer science and a passion for teaching girls about STEM, is one of 25 emerging leaders from across sub-Saharan Africa who spent six weeks at ŷ��. Bridgewater is one of 27 colleges and universities across the United States (and the only one in New England) that collectively hosted 700 fellows.

“These fellows have been so collaborative and really motivated and engaging,” said Dr. Wing-kai To, assistant provost/senior international officer and institute director of Mandela programming at ŷ��. “They all want to make change and to make their country and the world better.”

This was the sixth time since 2016 that ŷ�� hosted the fellowship, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by IREX. The Minnock Institute for Global Engagement coordinated activities as ŷ�� welcomed fellows to campus for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The young leaders met with Massachusetts politicians and networked with local business leaders. They toured Tufts Medical Center, Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, Attleboro District Court, and a homeless shelter run by Father Bill’s & MainSpring. The group also marched in Bridgewater’s Independence Day Parade and attended Juneteenth celebrations in Boston and Bridgewater.

Namibian Marchell Hoeb broadened his cultural understanding by conversing with Americans and fellows from other African countries. Hoeb, who is senior legal officer with his country’s Ministry of Justice in the Office of the Prosecutor General, aims to use skills gained during the fellowship to expand psychotherapy for victims of domestic violence and rape.

“I’m passionate about human rights,” he said. “I do not like to see what is wrong go unpunished. I’m a prosecutor without favor, fear or prejudice.”

Mokgetse, who aspires to create a STEM center in Botswana similar to one she saw at ŷ��, appreciated meeting Governor Charlie Baker, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and ŷ�� President Frederick W. Clark Jr., ’83. That level of access, she said, is rare in her country.

Mokgetse also enjoyed community service activities, including sewing dresses to be donated through the Dress a Girl Around the World campaign.

“It has been amazing,” she said. “I’ve been getting an all-around experience as a leader.”

Do you have a ŷ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

These fellows have been so collaborative and really motivated and engaging. They all want to make change and to make their country and the world better.

Dr. Wing-kai To, assistant provost/senior international officer

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