Golda Poni meets President Obama

Golda Poni in South Sudan and has been part of the CRESS family for several years.  CRESS supported her at university in Uganda and she is now working with us as our Enterprise Officer, a job she does with passion and true dedication.

Golda recently won an amazing scholarship with the Mandela Washington Fellowship, a flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative program.

The programme started back in 2014 as a way of bringing together young African Leaders from across the continent of Africa, who are committed to bringing positive change to their communities and Countries.

Interested persons apply through the US embassies in their own countries, then semi-finalists are shortlisted for interview.  Selected fellows are placed in top US universities where they undertake a six-week institute in the Civic leadership, public management or business and entrepreneurship track, which they choose during the application process. During the six weeks, fellows undertake academic coursework, community service, networking through events organised by the host institute and site visits in order to understand the American culture.

After the six-week institute, all fellows travel to Washington DC for a three-day presidential summit with President Obama.

This year, 1000 fellows were selected from the different countries of the African continent from 49,000 applicants. Golda was one of the 14 South Sudanese selected for the business and entrepreneurship track and was placed in Cambridge College in Massachusetts.

Golda says “It was a great opportunity to meet other African leaders who are doing great and amazing things in their different countries. I also made useful connections with both African and American friends, and drew important lessons and skills from the business and entrepreneurship sector of the US.”

We are thrilled for Golda that she was selected, and of course it goes without saying very proud of her.

Caroline Lamb
CRESS Founder and CEO