AfECN Africa Early Childhood Research Fellowship Program 2020 for Early-to-Mid Career African ECD Scholars

Application Deadline:30th August 2020 at 11:59 EAT

The Africa Early Childhood Network (AfECN) was registered in Kenya in 2015 as a non-profit professional network to serve as a platform for championing and promoting excellence and collaboration in ensuring positive early childhood outcomes in Africa. AfECN achieves this mission by advocating for protection of children’s rights, influencing policy and practice, strengthening partnerships, and sharing experiences and knowledge in Early Childhood Development (ECD) on the African continent.

AfECN wishes to announce the 3rd Cohort of the Africa Early Childhood Research Fellowship Programme, a research capacity building programme targeted at early-to-mid career African ECD scholars. The applicants must hold a doctoral degree in an ECD-related area from a recognized university earned within the last 5 years. In addition, the prospective fellow should not be more than 40 years, hold citizenship of an African country and be based at an African higher learning institution or research institute.

Eligibility:

• Applicants to this cohort should be doctoral degree holders who completed their PhDs within the last five years and are not older than 40 years.
• Additionally, they should be citizens or established residents in an SSA country, be affiliated to African Universities or research institutes and be in the early stages of their research careers in ECD-related areas.
• Recommended disciplines include Early Childhood Studies, Social Sciences, Foods, Nutrition & Dietetics, Health Sciences, Communication & Media Studies, and Law.  
• The four Research Fellows will be selected from among applicants with excellent research ideas which propose innovative approaches to addressing the development of young children.

Eligible Countries: 

• Priority shall be given to students from the following countries: Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Niger, Chad, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Cote de Ivoire, Gambia, Cabo Verde, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Cameroun, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea,  and Sao Tome and Principe.

Benefits

1. Participation in one fully funded face-to-face meeting of research fellows and mentors.
2. Placement(s) with partner agencies in a position to support and benefit from the work of Research Fellow in the areas research interest.
3. Seed grants of US$ 4,500 guided by the fellow’s research plan.
4. Guidance from mentors and mentorship groups who will engage with Research Fellows throughout the program including at face-to-face meetings and bi-monthly telephone conferences.
5. Support to attend a conference and to facilitate dissemination of research findings.
6. Linkages and connection to research funding opportunities and ECD networks

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the AfECN Africa Early Childhood Research Fellowship Program 2020