U.S. Embassy Announces Leadership Training Opportunity

The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce a fellowship opportunity offered by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), a program of the U.S. Department of State.  Applications are now being accepted for candidates for the Leaders for Democracy Fellowship Program, which will provide young leaders from the Middle East and North Africa with the opportunity to complete both academic coursework and professional experience in the United States in subjects including communication, leadership, and civil society. The fellowship will cover international and domestic travel, health insurance, housing, and a moderate living stipend.

The program is open to applicants between the ages of 25 and 40 with a bachelor's degree and the English-language fluency to function successfully in an American academic and professional environment. Applicants also should have five years of work experience, as well as leadership skills and the capacity to apply the opportunities presented by the fellowship in a way that would benefit an organization, sector, or specific community. This highly competitive program will run from March 15, 2009, to June 13, 2009. Program details and application instructions are available on the U.S. Embassy's website: http://oman.usembassy.gov.  The application deadline is October 5, 2008.

MEPI was launched in 2002 to support cooperative efforts in the region that promote quality education, economic progress, strengthening institutions of governance and women’s development in the Middle East.  Since then, it has devoted more than $480 million to more than 450 programs that are implemented by non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, governments, and other partners in the region.

Working in partnership with other U.S. Government elements, with private program facilitators, and with Omani public and private partners, the U.S. Embassy in Muscat supports a range of programs reflecting the deep historic, diplomatic, and economic ties between the United States and the Sultanate.  To learn more about U.S.-sponsored educational, cultural, and exchange programming, visit the Embassy's website at http://oman.usembassy.gov.