Mandela Washington Fellowship 2018 |07 June 2018

Two young Seychellois ladies chosen for leadership training in the US

Kalsey Belle above and Nandita Nair

Kalsey Belle and Nandita Nair are the two lucky recipients from Seychelles of this year’s Mandela Washington Fellowship.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship programme of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking.

In 2018, the Fellowship will provide up to 700 outstanding young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa with the opportunity to hone their skills at a U.S. higher education institution with support for professional development after they return home. Institutes focus on leadership and skills development in one of three tracks: Business and Entrepreneurship, Civic Leadership, or Public Management.

Both Ms Belle and Ms Nair will follow training in Civic Leadership but at different institutes. While Ms Nair will be at the University of Delaware, Ms Belle will follow her course at the Rutgers University.

Ms Nair works in the Office of the President in Seychelles, where her role has a strong focus in communications. She is passionate about active citizenship, youth engagement, and the potential of stories to shape understanding and influence change. She is the co-founder ‘SeyIT.tv’, an online digital platform. SeyIT.tv is aimed at inspiring active citizenship and critical thinking in young people in Seychelles through the power of storytelling. She is also a founding member of ‘The Meraki Foundation’, an NGO that aims to address societal challenges specifically through the arts. Ms Nair’s vision is to help nurture a generation of informed and solution-focused active citizens. She also hopes to continue working in the public sector, supporting and leading initiatives that connect people with purpose.

An optimistic, hard-working and sociable mechanical engineer, Ms Belle started her professional career as a Project Analyst at the Public Utilities Corporation. Determined to contribute towards both the economic growth of her country and the empowerment of Seychellois youth, she is actively involved in the organisation of conferences, events and sustainable development projects. Through teamwork and perseverance, Ms Belle aspires to build a better Seychelles for future generations through the promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics careers.

Seychelles NATION wishes both ladies all the best in their course and their future endeavours.