The 2025 Southern Africa Signature Leadership Journey
The 2024 application window is now closed. Please contact SouthernAfricaJourney@womenlifthealth.org if you have any questions
If you have already started an application, click here to access your application.
Signature Leadership Journey
WomenLift Health is expanding into the Southern Africa region and is inviting applications for its inaugural cohort of women leaders to join the Southern Africa Signature Leadership Journey.
This 12-month, fully-funded program empowers women to explore their authentic leadership through vulnerability and self-reflection. Participants will build inclusive and diverse networks that foster belonging, learn strategies to enhance their voice, presence, and influence, and receive support from peers, mentors, and coaches. The Leadership Journey equips participants with contextualised tools and frameworks to address individual, organisational, and societal challenges that women leaders in global health face today.
Our Signature Leadership Journey is a transformative learning experience that brings together mid- to senior-career women from various disciplines and sectors in health. It aims to instill the mindset shift needed to address the complex challenges of global public health issues today.
This program is particularly suited for women leaders who value diversity, equity, and inclusion; who recognise the importance of integrating diverse perspectives into policy and practice; and who are eager to expand their leadership presence and influence while paying it forward to others in their organisations.
Covid Considerations: The program currently includes two in-person residencies and monthly virtual touchpoints. However, due to the unpredictability of Covid-19 and other health emergencies, the program may transition to a fully virtual format if necessary.
Designed for professional women leaders, the Journey has been thoughtfully crafted for participants to be fully present & engaged. We recognize the importance of work-life harmony.
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We believe the type of women leaders who would benefit most from this program are those who value diversity, equity, and inclusion; see the value of bringing diverse lived experiences to policy and practice; and are eager to not only expand their leadership presence and influence but pay it forward to others in their organization and community.
*Health Emergencies Caveats: At this time, the program includes two in-person residences as well as once-a-month virtual touchpoints, but due to uncertainties caused by Covid-19 and other health emergencies, please note that the program may need to be converted to an all-virtual format.
Learn More to Apply
Journey Framework and Elements
About the Leadership Project
Meet the Mentors & Coaches
The Leadership Journey Framework
The Journey is specifically tailored to develop skills that strengthen four key leadership styles: Authentic, Inclusive, Strategic, and Impactful.
Elements of the Journey
Hybrid Learning
Learning Touchpoints are facilitated, virtual and in-person group sessions. Cohort members explore leadership frameworks, research & tools in highly interactive learning touchpoints and workshop-style sessions focused on dynamic practice. The touchpoints focus on personal & professional growth, relevant topics and priorities for health leadership, as well as their Leadership Projects. These sessions allow the cohort to share with and learn from each other.
Virtual Mentorship
Effective women leaders are championed by a network of strong supports, including that of mentors. We identify senior-level leaders from different backgrounds, health sectors, and disciplines to serve as mentors to the cohort. Mentoring groups, comprised of several cohort members and one mentor, are grouped based on complementary backgrounds and professional trajectory. Cohort members will be able to rely on their mentor as a technical and career resource during the Journey.
Virtual Coaching
Having a personal leadership coach is critical in helping navigate change and adapting to new challenges on the path towards leadership roles.
Cohort members are paired with an executive coach who works one-on-one with them to build on their strengths and address areas for growth. Leadership style assessments, including a “360-rater evaluation”, will inform these conversations and enhance each participant’s understanding of their own leadership skills. With this gift of feedback and support from their coach, participants can decide which leadership competencies to focus on, paving the road for them to be a more powerful and effective leader.
The combination of mentors and coaches is powerful as women prepare for the next level of their career, providing both professional connections and transformational leadership guidance.
In-Person Sessions
The ‘Leadership Immersion’ is a 3-day experiential convening that takes place a few months into the Journey. Through dynamic discussions and hands-on exercises, cohort members enhance their skills, apply them to real-world examples, and reflect on lessons learned. A series of powerful conversations will complement the instruction, featuring eminent figures in global health who have led transformational change.
The 2-day ‘Leadership Lift-Off’ event at the end of the Journey celebrates the cohort’s growth as they ‘lift off’ to a new phase of their leadership. Cohort members will reflect on their leadership evolution through the course of the year and present their Leadership Projects to their peers as well as other global health audiences.
*Covid Caveats: Please note that due to uncertainties caused by Covid-19, the programming and calendar, including the in-person events, may need to be converted to an all-virtual format.
Leadership Project
The Leadership Project is an opportunity for each member to design and lead an effort that taps into their expertise, network, passion, and creativity.
Participants enter the Journey with a project idea and develop a Theory of Change, stakeholder analysis, and implementation plan with the guidance of their mentor, coach, and African health experts. The implementation phase of the project begins in the latter half of the Journey. Finally, at the Leadership Lift-Off event, each cohort member presents a summary of their project’s development and early outcomes.
Implementation of the project does not have to be fully complete by the end of the Journey and will likely continue beyond it.
There are only 4 rules for the Leadership Project:
- It should focus on improving outcomes at the intersection of health and gender equality, or take a gendered lens on a global health issue
- It should leverage your leadership skills
- It should be within your scope of control or influence, but also stretch you beyond your day-to-day work requirements
- You should be passionate about it
Leadership Projects fit into one of four themes:
- Centering women and girls in health
- Catalyzing institutional change
- Optimizing pathways to leadership
- Building integrated & resilient health systems
Your Leadership Project could accomplish one or more of the following, but is not limited to:
- Answering a research question
- Promoting health or gender education in a particular group
- Developing a new or better technology
- Innovating a better way to collect/analyze/use health/gender data
- Improving a gender or health-related process/system in your organization
- Empowering or enabling women in your community or organization to be successful
- Incorporating a gendered lens into a policy, practice or research project where it was absent
JourneyPLUS Sessions
JourneyPLUS sessions are optional events that offer informal, but focused spaces for the cohort members to build community with one another and explore special topics. The sessions often feature guest speakers such as senior global experts and Leadership Journey alumnae.
Program Dates
The 2025 Southern Africa Leadership Journey will take place from March 2025-February 2026. Before applying, please check the dates and timing of the sessions to ensure that you would be able to attend all touchpoints. All touchpoints are mandatory to attend while the JourneyPLUS events are optional. The in-person residences involving travel include the 3-day Immersion (23rd-25th April, 2025) and the 2-day Lift-Off (28 & 29 January, 2026).
You are eligible for consideration if you meet all of the following criteria:
- Identify as a woman
- Mid-Career Leader: has 10-25 years of work experience and/or identifies as someone in mid-career in their institutions
- Are a citizen who resides and works within the following 10 countries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, eSwatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
- Work in a role that focuses on public health policy, practice, and/or research (your work and partnerships serve populations at the national level in your country of residence or Southern Africa regional level and may include practicing public health in hospitals and health centers, producing research and innovation, creating or implementing policy, and managing teams/departments or projects/grants.)
- Demonstrate fluency and confidence in both written and verbal English communication
We require participants to be living in the CAT (+/-1 hour) time zones for at least 75% of the program as we believe time zone compatibility is essential to your ability to participate at the touchpoints and to engage with your peers within and outside of the sessions. WomenLift Health is committed to selecting diverse cohort members, representing different sectors (public, private, academia, NGO, philanthropy), disciplines, and cultural backgrounds, etc
Should you have any questions related to the above, and more especially whether you meet the criteria or not, please do not hesitate to contact us at SouthernAfricaJourney@womenlifthealth.org and we will respond for any clarification.
If accepted, you will be required to attend each virtual and in-person learning residency* as detailed in the 2025 Calendar and to complete the deliverables associated with the Leadership Project. The JourneyPLUS sessions are optional to attend.
The time commitment for the required Leadership Journey activities (all virtual touchpoints and inter-session activities) ranges from 8 to 10 hours each month, except for the months of the in-person residencies. This estimate does not include the time required for the design, planning, and implementation phases of your Leadership Project, so please consider that in your decision to participate in the program.
There is no cost to participate if you are selected. All program costs, including travel and lodging, are covered.
Please ensure you have access to a computer and the Internet in order to attend the virtual touchpoints. Proficiency in English is expected as all sessions will be conducted in English.
You will also be asked to complete a “360-rater evaluation” and other leadership style assessments, which will inform your understanding of your leadership strengths and growth areas. The 360-rater evaluation will involve soliciting feedback from your boss, peers, direct reports, and others.
While the following are not technical requirements, our hope is that you will bring your drive, passion, and commitment to the program, engage actively with your peers, mentors, and coaches, and take full advantage of the resources provided. As our approach involves human-centered design, we will ask you to evaluate your experience and contribute ideas for how to enhance the Leadership Journey for future cohorts. One of the most important takeaways of this Journey are the relationships you form during this year. As many of our alumnae would say, “Behind every successful woman is an amazing group chat.”
Please see the Journey Elements section above and this document for the rules and parameters of a Leadership Project. See examples of Leadership Projects from the 2022 East Africa Cohort by watching their inspiring Lift-Off videos.
Within the application, you will be asked to describe your Leadership Project idea, which is a critical element of your application. Implementation of your project does not have to be fully complete by the end of the Journey and can absolutely continue beyond it.
WomenLift Health does not provide funding for your Leadership Project. The support we provide is mainly in the form of connecting you with highly experienced mentors, coaches, and experts within our team and network. Your peers can also be an excellent resource for enhancing your project. We also encourage you to align your project with your work stream and gain buy-in from institutional leaders.
Please include a letter of recommendation from your supervisor. If unable to obtain a letter of recommendation from your direct supervisor, you may submit a letter written by a senior leader at your current organization or a leader in the global health community who has experience working with you.
The letter of recommendation may speak to:
- The significant contributions you have made to your professional field that demonstrate leadership capacity
- Your strongest personal quality which distinguishes and qualifies you for selection to participate in this Leadership Journey
- How this Leadership Journey will help you enhance your leadership knowledge and skills
In order for your application to be considered complete, you must upload and submit your letter of recommendation as part of your application by the deadline.
- Open Application Period: Application period closes on 22 November, 2024 by 11:59pm CAT
- Notification Period: We will notify applicants of their acceptance status in January 2025.
- Acceptance & Pre-Orientation Period: The 30 accepted candidates will be asked to confirm their participation by 4 February 2025, after which we will begin pre-Journey onboarding.
- Leadership Journey Launch: Orientation commences the week of 26 February, 2025.
This program brings the considerable resources of the New Venture Fund (NVF), a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. Our sponsor, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has provided the funds to enable this movement. Our Leadership Journey curriculum design partner and touchpoint facilitator is the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). The cohorts’ virtual learning and engagement platform is developed and powered by our partners at TechChange.
Ready to Apply?
Applications must be submitted by November 22, 2024, 11:59pm CAT. If you have already started an application, click here to access your application.
Have questions about the application?
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Watch inspiring testimonials and Leadership Journey reflections from some of our alumnae members.
