Posted on :
26 Sep, 2016
26 Sep, 2016
The World Bank Group’s Early Learning Partnership (ELP) is launching the Africa Early Years Fellowship to recruit a cadre of young African professionals to support governments and World Bank teams to scale up investments in the early years. This new initiative is complementary to the WBG Africa Fellowship Program, which is targeting Ph.D. students from Sub-Saharan Africa who are interested in starting careers with the World Bank Group. The Africa Early Years Fellowship will recruit promising young professional who will work in their home countries to build capacity in countries to ensure Africa’s children reach their full potential. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 80 percent of children under five years of age are not enrolled in pre-primary programs and malnutrition still prevails. ELP works closely with country governments and World Bank country teams to promote investments in the early years and support early learning and early childhood development (ECD).
“Africa’s youth is Africa’s biggest asset and investing in young children is the smartest investment countries can make,” says Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa. “The World Bank Group is committed to help African governments improve basic learning outcomes for young children and prevent malnutrition which can impair cognitive development.”
Demand for expertise in the area of early childhood development is increasing and exceeds current capacity, especially in the Africa region. The Fellowship will build capacity within countries in the Africa region by developing a cohort of young professionals with technical and operational skills to support increased investments in early childhood.
“We are launching this Fellowship to develop a sustainable and skilled workforce to scale-up investments in the early years in Africa. The Fellowship is designed to respond to the increasing demand for expertise in this area, both from client countries and within the World Bank Group,” said Amanda Devercelli, ELP Program Manager.
About the Fellowship
Approximately 10 fellows will be selected and hired as short-term consultants for one year beginning early 2017, with the possibility of being renewed for a second year.
Fellows will receive ongoing training and work experience across relevant sectors, including education, health, nutrition and social protection. The Fellowship will include a brief orientation at the World Bank’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., and fellows will also benefit from ongoing professional development and mentoring from WBG staff. Fellows will be based in select countries in Africa, with the expectation that Fellows continue working in-country after the Fellowship conclusion.
Specific duties may include:
Each Fellow will have a work program focused on one or two countries, and will be based in one of the following priority countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.
Criteria
Interested candidates should be based in-country, or willing to relocate with minimum or no compensation.
Requirement
African professionals interested in a career in early childhood development are invited to apply for the Africa Early Years Fellowship
The year-long fellowship is an initiative of the Early Learning Partnership, a multi-donor trust fund managed by the World Bank to support young children’s development and learning through finance, analytical work and action research
Selected fellows will gain training and work experience across education, health, nutrition, social protection and other relevant areas