Mawulisa
Fellowship
A 6-month leadership support program for emerging young African LBTQ+ womxn and activists from Francophone West Africa, created to nurture those rising in defiance of hostile systems and determined to turn lived struggle into bold leadership, collective power, and lasting change for their communities.
50+
50+ Emerging Leaders Empowered
8+
African Countries Reached Annually
30+
Grassroots LBTQ African Organisations Strengthened
Empowering Womxn to Shape the African Queer Future
The MawuLisa Fellowship Program was born from the urgent need to support queer womxn activists in Francophone West Africa whose leadership is too often overlooked, unsupported, and under-resourced. In many of these contexts, they are not only confronting systemic exclusion but also carrying the emotional and social weight of advocating for their communities in environments that are often hostile to their existence. Despite this, they continue to lead, organise, and imagine better futures. MawuLisa was created to meet them in that reality by offering the leadership support, tools, and affirmation they need to strengthen their voice, deepen their impact, and create meaningful change in their communities and beyond.
Why MawuLisa?
This fellowship is more than a program. It is a home for growing, honouring, and celebrating LBTQ+ leadership in West Africa.
Financial Support
Access funding through a grassroots organisation to help you bring to life ideas you believe can create meaningful change in your community.
Develop Leadership
Build the tools, skills, and confidence to grow your leadership and deepen the change you want to create in your community.
Mentorship
Receive one-on-one guidance from experienced LBTQ+ leaders and organisers who understand both the work and the weight it carries.
Build Community
Connect with fellow activists across Francophone West Africa, grow lasting networks, and gain fresh insight into the shifting African queer landscape and the responses it demands.
Who Should Apply
Created for emerging LBTQ+ womxn activists shaping change across Francophone West Africa
You identify as an LBTQ+ womxn, including lesbian, bisexual, trans and queer.
You are an emerging or mid-career activist engaged in grassroots organizing or community work
You face challenges due to lack of access to leadership support and resources in your region
You live in and come from a West African country, including Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Guinée, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria.
Join us when applications open!
Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know about the next cohort.
Stories from our Fellowship Community
Hear from past fellows about their experience and impact
Jay
Nigeria
Mawulisa not only believed in my voice, but also invested in it. The scholarship provided me with an environment conducive to learning, as well as the resources I needed to put everything I learned into practice.
Rubi
Guinee
The way I see it, being queer means never giving up, always setting goals, and of course, always trying to reach them.
Faidy
Ivory Coast
My Project aims to address the problem of insecurity, misinformation, and discrimination and exclusion of LBTQ women and girls.
Alex
Burkina Faso
As the person who has been in the front row to witness how the Mawulisa Fellowship Program is really serving as a stepping stone for LBQ womxn leaders. This program has empowered them with not only tools but with the courage and the resilience that are indispensable for their leadership success especially in such a hostile society as Africa.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the MawuLisa Fellowship
Applications for Mawulisa Open Once a year. Ensure you subscribe to our newletter or follow us on social media so you would be the first to know when it opens.
Yes you can. Your anonymity is respected during the program and afterward.
The MawuLisa Fellowship is not available to founders or leaders of host organisations, students seeking to support academic work, those outside the target countries, or individuals who do not identify as LBTQ women.
Yes! Mawulisa is only for Lesbian Bisexual or Queer African Women.
Given the current landscape of activism, we would like to prioritize issues that are most relevant today. For example, but not limited to:
Economic empowerment: projects that help LBTQ women and their communities learn how to earn money, start small businesses, or manage resources in sustainable ways.
Digital safety and cybersecurity: projects that teach people how to protect themselves online, secure their accounts, and use digital tools safely.
Mental health and well-being: projects that provide practical knowledge on mental health or well-being. For example, how to access support, how to cope with stress, or how to create safe spaces for conversations. This does not mean only fun activities like dance or relaxation sessions, although we also recognize how important those can be.
Knowledge sharing: projects that collect and share community stories, lessons, or experiences in ways that can help others grow, learn, and strengthen our movement.
We Need Your Support
MawuLisa is one of the programs that exist because the African Queer Youth Initiative continues to believe in the power and possibility of queer African leadership. But as the global funding landscape shifts and resources shrink, sustaining this work becomes harder. You can help keep it alive by donating or by connecting us with someone in your network who may be able to support.
