Five young Burundians will participate from June 18 to July 28, 2025, in the training of young African leaders organized as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship program in the United States of America. One of the participants in this training, medical student Munezero Ornella, when asked about it, expressed confidence in the added value she expects to gain after this training. She understands that this is a program aimed at empowering youth, which is at the heart of the partnership between the United States and Africa in general, and Burundi in particular. It is a very beneficial initiative for strengthening the leadership capacity of young African generations in general, and Burundians in particular, she told to TIC-Actualités.
In response to the question about her feelings regarding her participation in this training, Munezero Ornella feels that it is an unparalleled privilege that allows her to represent Burundi and specifically the University of Burundi, where she is currently in the fifth-year student in the Faculty of Medicine. She will be the only representative of this public University among the selected participants, which is a true honor for her, she added, before specifying that it is even a point of pride for this public academic institution.
She emphasizes that this is an opportunity to arm oneself with leadership skills to better contribute to the development of Burundi. This student, already the founder of the “Union of Women for Sustainable and Inclusive Initiatives (UFIDI),” speaks plainly in stating that this program will certainly allow her to develop new innovative reflexes that will enable significant changes in Africa in general and in Burundi in particular, within the framework of her organization UFIDI. Student Ornella Munezero is already asking the government to establish a framework to effectively involve Burundian beneficiaries of the Mandela Washington Fellowship program in the country’s development. As a reminder, more than 40 young Burundians have already participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship program, which is the flagship program of YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative) initiated by the U.S. government.
