The 2019/20 Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme

News

Irish Aid Fellows Cheryl Sembie and Martha Sesay from Sierra Leone and Zoe Doe from Liberia meet with fellow female awardees from around the world ahead of commencing their studies in Ireland in 2018.

Please note that applications for the 2019/20 Fellowship Training Programme have now closed.

Embassies of Ireland in Sierra Leone and Liberia are now seeking applications from eligible persons for the 2019/20 Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme.

The Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme has been providing scholarship opportunities to mid-career professionals from African countries to undertake Masters Degrees at universities and colleges in Ireland since 1974.

Scholarship awards are made for study in Ireland in areas including food science, agriculture and rural development, pharmacy, medicine and health care, social policy, women’s studies, engineering, education, development, international relations, law, economics and finance, business administration, ICT and tourism, with the aim of supporting and enhancing the contribution that Fellows will make to their organisations and the development of Sierra Leone and Liberia on their return.

Announcing the call for applications to the 2019 programme, Ireland’s Ambassador to Sierra Leoneand Liberia, Catherine Campbell, highlighted Ireland’s objectives:

“The Embassy of Ireland aims to be a constructive partner to the Governments and people of Sierra Leone and Liberiain achieving their development objectives. One way that we can do this is by supporting professionals working in government and civil society to further develop their expertise. These professionals, on completion of their scholarship, will put their acquired skills into practice for the benefit of their home country”.

In 2017, Allieu Koroma, State Counsel in Sierra Leone’s Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, was awarded a scholarship to undertake an LLM in International Criminal Law at the National University of Ireland in Galway. Having recently successfully completed his studies, Allieu was happy to recount his experiences of adapting to academic life in Ireland:

“Complex legal concepts are explained by experts in the field and students are encouraged to explore ideas and share experiences in a stimulating environment. Exchanging ideas with practitioners from different backgrounds has helped me to broaden my perspectives on global issues. I really enjoyed the dynamic intellectual environment at NUI Galway and my interactions with colleagues and tutors, as well as all that Galway city has to offer in arts and music has been wonderful.”

Applications are encouraged from eligible individuals working in the following MDAs and organisations in Sierra Leone:

• MOFAIC (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation)
• MOF (Ministry of Finance)
• MOPED (Ministry of Planning and Economic Development)
• MBSSE (Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education)
• MSWGCA (Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs)
• MOHS (Ministry of Health and Sanitation)
• MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Forestry)
• MOJ (Ministry of Justice)
• MLHE (Ministry of Lands, Housing and Environment)
• Statistics Sierra Leone (SSL)
• Freetown City Council (FCC)
• NEC- National Electoral Commission
• SLP-FSU (Sierra Leone Police-Family Support Unit)
• Human Rights Commission-SL (HRC-SL)
• 50/50 Group
• Human Rights Defenders Network
• SEND SL
• AdvocAid
• Focus1000
• Smart Women Initiative
• Rainbo Initiative
• Helen Keller International
• International Rescue Committee
• Action Contre La Faim
• Save the Children
• Welthungerhilfe

Applications are encouraged from eligible individuals working in the following MDAs and organisations in Liberia:

• Ministry of Health (MOH)
• Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP)
• Ministry of Justice (MOJ)
• Ministry of Agriculture (MoA)
• Ministry of Finance, Development and Planning (MoFDP)
• Ministry of Public Works (MPW)
• Judiciary
• Independent National Human Rights Commission ( INHRC)
• Liberia National Police (LNP)
• National Election Commission (NEC)
• Liberian Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS)
• Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA)
• WASH Consortium
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)
• Carter Center
• Association of Female Lawyers  of Liberia (AFELL)

To be considered eligible, applicants must:

•    Be a citizen of Sierra Leone or Liberia and resident in-country.
•    Be an experienced professional, currently employed by one of the eligible organisations above and nominated by that organisation to apply.
•    Have achieved the necessary academic standard to be accepted onto a Master’s degree course in a higher education institution in Ireland (at minimum an honours degree at undergraduate level).
• Be able to identify two relevant courses from the Irish Aid Directory of Eligible Postgraduate Courses.
• Complete the application form in full and all required supporting documentation (e.g. authenticated degree certificates, curriculum vitae and references) should also be submitted at the time of submitting the application.
  • Documents must be original transcripts of exam results, certified true copies of original documents with the official stamp and signature of a justice of the peace, solicitor, notary public, or another authorisedofficial. Uncertified photocopies are not accepted.
  • An applicant will not be considered further unless all information and documents are submitted.
  • An applicant will not be considered further if it is found that those submitted are false.
• Be able to demonstrate their skills in academic English with an appropriate score on a recognised test (IELTS 6.5 or higher) to be taken after application or within the past 2 years.
• Be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to the development of your home country.
• Be able to take up the fellowship in the academic year 2019/2020.

An applicant will not be considered further in either of the following circumstances:

• They already hold a Master’s qualification.
• They have applied for the Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme on two or more previous occasions without receiving an award.

Applications will not be considered for this fellowship unless all eligibility criteria are met.    

For further information, application forms and the directory of available courses, please visit https://www.irishaidfellowships.ie/strands/fellowship-training-programme. You can also email davida.macauley[at]dfa[dot]ie in Sierra Leone and elena.gromme[at]dfa[dot]ie in Liberia.

The closing date for receipt of all applications is 7^th December 2018.

To be considered eligible, completed application forms and all required documentation should be submitted in a sealed envelope indicating your name and contact details to the Embassy of Ireland, 8 St Joseph’s Avenue, off Spur Road in Freetown or the Embassy of Ireland, LCL Compound, 12^th Street in Monrovia before close of business on 7^th December.

One set of photocopies of the complete application package (forms and all supporting documents) should be included.

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