Deadline: May 23, 2025

The MCW Global Young Leaders Conference in Kenya 2025 is organised to implement the Sawa Project which will equip young mental health professionals, advocates, and community organizers with the resources, skills, and networks needed to bring awareness and change. The Sawa Project aims to support young leaders in organizing influential educational programs, awareness drives, and outreach programs that provide access to mental health services and eliminate stigma through advocacy support, seed funding, and leadership training. This MCW conference is fully funded and will cover all program costs.

The Sawa Project will organise “Young Leaders Conference” to address issues of specific regions through networking. Young Leaders International Conference is an intensive three-day program that will focus on addressing mental health challenges and opportunities, community engagement, and resource mobilization. This fully funded leaders program has different phases, and individuals will have to participate in all these activities which will include a conference, webinars, and the execution of seed funding grants..

After participating in the international conference in Africa, participants will have to attend three mandatory webinars on vision planning (September 20- October 20, 2025) which will help them to develop and expand their ideas into a practical project plan. Young leaders will submit their projects for funding (up to $1,000) to help them in implementation. Successful projects will receive funding, and participants will be assigned a mental health professional as their mentor to help in the execution and reporting of the project.

Benefits

• Young Leaders Conference is a fully funded program.
• The costs of program tools, e-modules, speakers, and additional program expenses of the conference will be covered.
• The program will cover all costs of transportation to and from the Conference location (air travel or by road).
• Accommodation costs will be covered.
• Up to 10 projects will get seed funding grants for implementation.

Eligibility

Young Leaders Must:

• Be between the ages of 25-35 at the start of the conference.
• Reside in Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, or Uganda.
• Currently active in the field of mental health, either through studies, professional work, or community engagement.
• Be interested in leadership, professional development, mental health initiatives, community development, or lived experiences.
• Be committed to enhancing professional competencies, developing cross-cultural understanding, fostering networking opportunities, and becoming effective leaders.
• Be interested in further expanding their work and efforts in the area of mental health
• Seek to build connections and expand their professional network.
• Be dedicated to continuous learning and growth.
• Be able to articulate how the project theme aligns with their current work or aspirations.
• Demonstrate willingness to engage in networking activities.
• Commit to actively participate throughout the entire life cycle of the project.
• Be willing to share best practices and contribute to collaborative initiatives.
• Commit to fostering regional networks for future exchange.
• Commit to attending the three-day Conference.
• Commit to engaging in post-conference virtual activities.
• Have access to email and the internet to allow for consistent communication with the project team post-conference.
• Submit a completed application on or before May 23rd, 2025, at 17:00 East Africa Time.

Required Documents

• Resume
• Passport
• Any other relevant supporting documents.

Application

• Apply through the online application form.
• Fill the form in English only.
• Enter the general information asked.
• Mention your contact details.
• Answer all essay-type questions within the word limits.
• Upload the required documents.
• Review the terms and conditions.
• Enter your name in the signature field.
• Mention the date.
• Click ‘submit’ to submit your application form.

For more information, visit