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BUILD PROJECT LEADERSHIP PROGRAM IN INTEGRATED POPULATION, HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT & DEVELOPMENT (PHED)  

Southern Africa Cohort 1 February 5 ‒ 16, 2024

Malawi

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

BUILD is a five-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The BUILD project is led by the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) in partnership with Leadership for Environment and Development Southern and Eastern Africa (LEAD SEA); PATH Foundation Philippines Inc. (PFPI); FHI 360; and Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA). It is a global initiative designed to leverage the interconnectedness of Population, Health, Environment and Development (PHED), to spur strong political commitment, sustained financial resources, and accountability for voluntary family planning and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries.

The BUILD project will be implementing a global PHED Leadership Program to develop and nurture the next generation of PHED leaders, focusing on women and young people. The program will recruit participants from four regions and conduct training for various cohorts in the project’s hub countries in Kenya (East Africa region), Malawi (Southern Africa region), Cote d’Ivoire (West Africa region) and the Philippines (Asia Pacific region). The program targets young people, particularly women, from government, local, national, regional, and international agencies; civil society organizations (CSOs); and the private sector; or individuals with the potential to implement and/or support PHED-related initiatives.

The inaugural training for the Southern Africa region will be held in Malawi with the first cohort February 5-16, 2024 and the second cohort’s training April 22-May 3, 2024. The program will admit approximately 20 participants for each cohort including advocates, community leaders, social influencers, program and project officers, planners, policy influencers and policymakers from Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The BUILD project invites applications for the February and April-May 2024 cohorts for the Southern Africa region. The program starts with a 12-day in-person training event in Malawi and continues for 12 months with virtual, periodic follow-up sessions aimed at equipping participants with the cross-sectoral skills and background needed to advocate, plan and implement integrated programming responsive to interlinked development goals.

MINIMUM ENTRY REQUIREMENT

The applicant must be between the ages of 18 and 29 (eligible applicants must be at least 18 and no older than 29 on the first day of the training they wish to attend); proficient in English; be a citizen of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe; and have at least a high school degree from a recognized school, or other relevant qualifications (i.e., applicable work experience). Some experience in cross-sectoral programming or planning, analytical skills, and computer applications knowledge (e.g., Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Google Docs Editors office suite) is an added advantage. A panel of PHED and gender and youth experts will review the applications and select candidates who indicate serious interest and demonstrate some steps already taken to pursue a professional path in gender, environment, health, family planning, and/or community development sectors.

PROGRAM DURATION

The initial training is full time for 12 days, including a multi-day site visit to a PHED project(s). The two training date options are February 5-16 or April 22-May 3 with check-in on the evening prior to the start date. During the initial training, participants will identify a PHED-related opportunity/challenge with a clear FP/RH link where they can apply lessons learned over a 12-month period and continue to receive periodic, virtual support from PHED subject matter experts, their peers, and mentors/supervisors.

LOCATION

The initial training will be conducted in-person in in Malawi (outside Lilongwe or Blantyre); periodic follow-up sessions during the remaining 12-month of the program are online.

CONTENT

The initial training will be structured into modules including an in-depth introduction to “P” – ”H” – “E” and “D” and the integrated PHED approach within the broader sustainable development thinking, complemented by other key leadership modules on systems thinking, strategic communications with policymakers and policy advocacy, integrating gender and youth, entrepreneurship, scaling-up methodology for program sustainability, and others. Program participants should bring background information from their own multi-sectoral project or portfolio/s with a clear FP/RH link, to share with other participants and apply lessons from the training and field visit to their particular cases.

 TUITION FEES

The tuition fees for the program will be covered by the organizers, as will the cost of travel (including airline tickets and ground transfer fees), visas, accommodation, medical incidentals and all meals (or daily subsistence allowance for meals) for the duration of the initial training event.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Apply online: BUILD PED Leadership Program Application – Dec 2023 (paperform.co)

For questions, please contact the program organizer at: PHEDNextGenSA@AFIDEP.org

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