Women of the South Speak Out (WOSSO) Fellowship Application
WOSSO, which stands for Women of the South Speak Out, is a consortium formed by two prominent southern women’s rights fellowship Gender Links, Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), and a renowned UK-based development firm, Mannion Daniels. The consortium members were brought together by shared feminist values and a deep concern regarding the narrowing civic space, particularly for women and girls.
From 2023 to 2027, the consortium will work together to ensure that the voices of women and girls from the global south, in all their diversity, inform the decisions and policies that affect their lives. As part of this initiative, WOSSO will offer fellowships to women’s rights advocates from Africa, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Latin America and the Caribbean (LATAC), Asia, and the Pacific.
Objectives of the Fellowships
The women’s rights fellowship aim to equip advocates with the necessary skills, knowledge, and capacity to engage in effective advocacy for gender equality. Fellows will participate in activities outlined in their advocacy plans, creating linkages from local to regional levels. An advocacy plan is a strategic document that outlines specific goals, objectives, and actions to advocate for a particular cause or issue.
The Fellowship Package
The fellowship includes a grant ranging from GBP 1000 to GBP 2000, paid in tranches against the advocacy plan and agreed milestones. Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in at least one regional conference. Successful applicants will be required to submit a work plan and a budget for their advocacy plan. Fellows will be expected to participate in general on-boarding, briefing and debriefing on events they participate in, and contribute to peer linking and learning. They will also have the option to be involved in research being undertaken by WOSSO as part of their learning.
It is hoped that fellows will remain in the WOSSO network after the completion of their fellowships and be willing to mentor future fellows.
Eligibility and Duration of Fellowship
WOSSO fellows will be drawn from civil society organizations or networks that focus on women’s rights or have a demonstrated commitment to women’s rights. The fellowship is open to young women advocates between the ages of 18 and 35 from the global south. The fellowship will run over a period of 18 months, with different start and end dates based on regions.
The application deadlines for each region are as follows:
- Africa – May 10, 2024
- Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – May 12, 2024
- Asia and the Pacific – August 8, 2024
- Latin America and the Caribbean (LATAC) – September 20, 2024
If you have any technical challenges with the application, please contact Fanuel Hadzizi, the systems administrator at GL Services (mande@genderlinks.org.za). For application questions specific to each region, please contact:
- Africa – Tabetha Kanengoni-Malinga (wossoprog@genderlinks.org.za)
- Asia-Pacific – Tanyaa Sharma (tanyaa@arrow.org.my)
- MENA – Norhan Bader (norhan.bader@consultants.manniondaniels.com)
For more information and to apply, visit the WOSSO Grant Platform.