Awf Leadership Development and Training Program

AWF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM

CHARLOTTE CONSERVATION FELLOWSHIP

iNFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS (2010/2011)

Since its founding in 1961, the African Wildlife Foundation has believed that Africans are the ideal stewards of Africa’s natural resources. This core belief led AWF to assist in establishing the first school to train African wildlife managers in Tanzania in 1961. Today the school has trained over 3000 wildlife managers. During its early decades, AWF helped to establish and support wildlife clubs in several African countries to help raise the awareness and interest of a new generation in the importance of conservation. AWF has also provided scholarships and educated hundreds of African in conservation studies to assure the survival of Africa’s wildlife heritage.

Today, lack of capacity to implement conservation programs continues to be one of the major threats facing wildlife conservation. AWF continues to invest in training and scholarship opportunities every year with the goal of enhancing the effectiveness and impact of African nationals in the fields relevant to conservation and sustainable development through the increased knowledge, skills, and credentials obtained through an advanced degree.

Under the Charlotte Conservation Fellowship Program, AWF is offering scholarships for full MSc or partial Ph.D. programs with field research components that produce knowledge or insight into specific conservation challenges in the African Heartlands or Conservation in general. Citizens of Democratic Republic of Congo, Southern Sudan, South Africa, Zambia, Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso are eligible to apply.

Expenses that AWF expects to cover under the scholarship will vary depending on the individual program selected by the scholarship recipient, but each scholarship is valued at a maximum cost of US$ 25,000. Those whose total costs for their studies exceed this figure must demonstrate that they have secured additional funding from other sources to enable them to complete their studies.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

All applicants must:

Be nationals of eligible countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, South Africa, Southern Sudan, Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso.
Be 21-40 years of age
Have secured a place at an appropriate university and be ready to commence studies within one year of the award of the fellowship. Students applying to study in African Universities will have an added advantage.
Have exemplary work experience of not less than 5 years that indicates a commitment and outstanding motivation to conservation in Africa.
Have a field research plan, which has a direct link or is relevant to AWF and host country conservation needs.
Demonstrate that they will remain working in conservation in home country in order to use their skills to make a contribution to conservation. Applicants should submit a letter of recommendation or support from their employer to show that they are engaged in conservation in home country. If they are in the diaspora, they should get a letter of recommendation from a relevant government ministry to demonstrate their willingness to return to home country to work in conservation.
Individuals who have received a Charlotte Fellowship in the past and wish to reapply for another degree or extra funding are not eligible to apply.
Qualified women candidates working in conservation in eligible countries are especially encouraged to apply.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Application and reference forms are available from the address below or from the website: All application documents must be submitted to the address below by COB 31 July 2010. Successful candidates will be notified by 15 August 2010. Only candidates that submit fully completed applications together with all supporting documentation will be considered. AWF reserves the right to verify the facts provided in each application to ensure that applicants have submitted the correct information. If AWF establishes that some of the facts submitted in an application are not correct, the application will be disqualified and where a fellowship has already been awarded, it will be cancelled.

SELECTION PROCESS

Selection of fellows for each year is conducted by a panel of AWF senior staff. Successful fellows are selected competitively based on merit. The selection committee considers the following:

Professional experience of the applicant based on career growth
Outstanding education achievement
Demonstrated or potential leadership qualities
Commitment to conservation
Quality, relevance and likely impact of proposed study to related AWF Heartland and country conservation needs

Successful candidates will normally receive notification approximately one month after the deadline for applications. The decision of the AWF selection committee shall be final and shall not be contested.

NATURE OF SUPPORT PROVIDED

Because of limited resources, the maximum award for the Charlotte Fellowship has been pegged at US$25,000. Therefore the Fellowship typically provides the following for successful candidates:

Financial support to cover tuition fees, books, return economy class air travel, medical insurance and living expenses. However this varies based on country of study and the support that one applies for. The Charlotte Fellowship does not cover the cost of dependents for those wishing to travel with their families.
Costs of field research depending on the area of study. Typically, most Charlotte awards cover field research costs for PhD or MPhil students that have funding from other sources to cover other expenses.
Updates and complimentary publications from AWF. Fellows are also allowed the use of the AWF Resource Centre in Nairobi during the duration of the fellowship.
Where possible, fellows can interact with AWF Senior staff especially those based in the field for support with their research.

For any inquires and application materials, please contact us at the following address:

AWF Charlotte Fellowship Program

African Wildlife Foundation

P.O. Box 48177 00100

Nairobi, Kenya

Fax: +254-20-2710372

Email: