Deadline extended: The 2026 application window is now open through January 9, 2026. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions
Applications for the 2026 Leadership Journey are now closed. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions
The fully funded, 12-month WomenLift Health East Africa Leadership Journey is designed to provide talented mid-senior career women leaders in health with the safe space to explore their authentic leadership through vulnerability and reflection, an inclusive and diverse network which fosters a strong sense of belonging, tools and strategies for enhancing their voice, presence, and influence – all the while being supported by a powerful group of peers, mentors, and coaches. The program imparts contextualized tools and frameworks to address the individual, organizational, and societal challenges that women leaders in global health face today.
Participants engage in two in-person experiential learning residencies (Immersion and Lift-Off), in addition to virtual learning touchpoints, virtual group mentoring, virtual one-on-one coaching sessions, and importantly, a self-directed Health Leadership Project – all the while being supported by their Leadership Journey community and experts in the health sector.
Global Fellows – those who successfully complete the Leadership Journey – will be part of a lifelong network of allies at local, regional, and global levels who continue to support each other and new cohort members and advocate for women’s leadership.
Our Leadership Journey is a transformational learning and development experience that brings together mid-senior career women working across multiple disciplines, fields, and sectors in health. This Journey is aimed at creating the mindset shift needed to solve complex challenges that we are facing in global public health today.
At WomenLift Health, we work with a deep focus on inclusion, expressed through our approach, actions, values, internal processes, and our commitment to continuous learning. We believe that for leadership to be truly transformative, it must advocate for, give voice to, and represent women with diverse lived experiences. We encourage applications from minorities, historically marginalized, and underrepresented communities in the countries we serve (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan and Ethiopia).
The 2026 WomenLift Health East Africa Leadership Journey will include two simultaneous cohorts, reaching a total of 60 women leaders in health working in East Africa. Each cohort will comprise 30 women leaders, who will participate in both separate and joint events throughout the year.
Please see the journey calendars for the cohort schedules.
This contextually relevant Leadership Journey is uniquely designed to cultivate competencies that strengthen leadership that is authentic, inclusive, strategic, and impactful. The program is intentionally tailored to reflect the diverse realities of East Africa and meet the needs of women leaders working across the public health landscape. Participants will engage in a journey grounded in local context, yet globally informed supporting their growth as transformative leaders in the region.
Watch inspiring testimonials and Leadership Journey reflections from some of our cohort members.
“The leadership journey has helped me discover my innate strengths, how to harness the power of collaboration and building professional networks. It also equipped me with the essential components of practical leadership, including the ability to make a case for change while driving organizational change and mentoring others in my team. It was an excellent opportunity to network with like-minded regional leaders.”
— Emily Njuguna,
(2022 East Africa Cohort Member)
Head of Department - Pediatrics, Pumwani Hospital;
“I love the design of the program. Its niche is specific to the mid-career women who are often assumed to be facing no challenges, yet they do, and this prevent their movement to the next senior level. The program has brought together different women from different countries, this has created an environment of cross-learning and cross-sharing as witnessed in my mentorship sessions. It is a rich and empowering experience for these women."
— Harriet Mayanja,
(2022 East Africa Mentor)
Professor of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University
“The content was on point as was the facilitation. The breakout rooms provided a space for them to share and connect with each other and for me, it was a privilege to see their passion for and commitment to the work they do. They were so enthusiastic in their support for each other, too. This is such an impactful programme and I am so happy to be part of it.”
— Susan Chabuka Banda-Mudiwa, (2022 East Africa Coach)
Associated Certified Coach (ACC) - International Coach Federation
The contextualized Journey is uniquely designed to cultivate competencies that bolster four leadership styles: Authentic, Inclusive, Strategic, and Impactful.
The Health Leadership Project is an opportunity for you to design and lead an effort that stretches you and taps into your expertise, network, passion, and creativity to create health impact.
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 global health experts within our team and network. The implementation phase of the project begins in the latter half of the Journey. Finally at the Lift-Off event, each cohort member presents a summary of their project’s development and early outcomes. Watch the Health Leadership Projects of the 2022, 2023, and 2024 cohorts to learn more.
Implementation of the project does not have to be fully complete by the end of the Journey and should continue beyond it.
There are only three guidelines for the Health Leadership Project:
Leadership Projects fit into one of four themes:
Your Health Leadership Project could accomplish one or more of the following, but is not limited to:
Learning Touchpoints are facilitated, virtual 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.
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.
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-degree 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.
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.
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.
The 2026 East Africa Leadership Journeys will take place from [March 2026 – February 2027] Before applying, please check the dates and timing of the sessions to make sure you can attend all touchpoints and in-person residencies. All events are mandatory except JourneyPLUS sessions. The in-person residences involving travel include the three-day Immersion and the two-day Lift-Off (Dates TBD). The location of the in-person residencies will be communicated to the cohort members closer to the event dates.
Please see the journey calendars for the cohort schedules.
You are eligible for consideration if you meet all of the following criteria:
We require participants to be living in the (East Africa Time) EAT or (Central Africa Time) CAT time zone for at least 75% of the program as we believe time zone compatibility is essential to your ability to engage with your peers within and outside of the touchpoints.
Access our Application FAQ here. If you have any questions about the application or process, please contact [email protected].
If accepted, you will be required to attend each virtual and in-person learning residency* as detailed in the 2026-2027 Calendar and to complete the deliverables associated with the Health 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 between four to eight hours each month, plus the in-person residencies (five days total, plus travel). This estimate does not include the time required for the design, planning, and implementation phases of your Health 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 stable Internet to attend the virtual touchpoints. All sessions will be conducted in English.
You will be required to complete a “Benchmarks 360 Assessment” and other leadership style assessments, which will inform your understanding of your leadership strengths and growth areas. The Benchmarks 360 Assessment will involve soliciting feedback from your supervisor, peers, direct reports, among others.
While these 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 Global Fellows would say, “Behind every successful woman is an amazing group chat.”
Download our Application FAQ here.
Your Health Leadership Project (HLP) proposal is a critical element of your application, and an opportunity for you to design and lead an effort that taps into your expertise, network, passion, and creativity. It should aim to improve health outcomes in East Africa and give you the opportunity to apply new leadership skills to advance gender-informed health impact. Please note that implementation of your project does not have to be completed by the end of the Leadership Journey and will likely continue beyond it.
Please read this Health Leadership Project brochure for the guidelines and expectations of a Health Leadership Project. You can learn more about the Health Leadership Projects by watching the Lift-Off videos of previous East Africa cohort members 2022, 2023, and 2024.
WomenLift Health does not provide funding for your Health Leadership Project. We play an active role in 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.
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:
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 October 10, 2025, by 5:00PM EAT
Notification Period: We will notify applicants about their acceptance or rejection status by January 2026.
Acceptance & Pre-Orientation Period: The accepted candidates will be asked to confirm their participation within two weeks of receiving their acceptance letters, after which we will begin pre-Journey onboarding.
Leadership Journey Launch: Orientation commences the second week of March 2026.
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 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.
We’ve noticed an increase in the use of AI tools in recent applications. Your application responses should be specific, contextualized, rooted in your work or interests, and include clear, realistic goals. If your submission includes vague ideas and reads the same as multiple other submissions this might result in a poor rating and lower the probability of your selection in a highly competitive process. We live in a world shaped by AI, and we welcome thoughtful, transparent use of these tools. But your application should showcase your own thinking, experience, and goals, not what a chatbot can generate.
Applications must be submitted by October 10, 2025, 5:00pm in your time zone. If you have already started an application, click here to access your application.
If your question is still not addressed, you can contact us by clicking the button below.
“Going through the leadership journey was a pipe cleaner for me. I came to realize and appreciate who I am, I got more clarity of my role in the organization and I learnt how to create time for myself. As a result, people around me have taken notice of a difference in me.”
— Maurine Murenga,
Executive Director at Lean on Me Foundation
"The learning touchpoints were knowledge nuggets. The peer coaching session also stood out for me; it was a space I could share freely with my fellow cohorts. Interacting with fellow cohorts made me realize why networks are important and I can fall back on the when I need it. It was an AHA moment for me and was quiet enlightening.”
— Caroline Tatua,
Health Technical Advisor at The International Rescue Committee (IRC)
