It was a spirited and interesting meeting of the Allentown Rotary Club on July 26th that welcomed the members of the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
An overflow crowd filled ARC’s meeting space at Allentown’s Bell Hall to hear the 25 fellowship students currently part of the program that are attending Lehigh University. Long time ARC member Jim Harper, director of University Relations at Lehigh and long involved with its Global Village program arranged the visit of the fellowship members. Also present was Trisha Alexy, Administrative Director of the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
The fellowship, named for the late South African leader Nelson Mendela, is part of the U.S. State Department’s Young African Leaders Initiative, a program that empowers young people through academic course work, leadership training and networking. Over 700 students from Sub-Saharan Africa honed their skills in areas like Business, Civic Engagement of Public Management at U.S. educational institutions this year.
This SMILE writer got to talk to one young fellowship member Tom Edison Shilongo, a citizen of Namibia.Located in coastal southwest Africa it was a German colony until World War I when the League of Nations placed it under the control of South Africa who governed it under its oppressive apartheid laws. “I can speak fluent Afrikaans,”
says Shilongo, a slight smile crossing his lips, referring to the language of white South Africans that developed from Dutch. After a struggle Namibia received its independence in 1990.
Today Shilongo is the founder of Launch, a magazine directed at African entrepreneurs. In its December 2018 edition it featured an article on the forming of the Young Entrepreneurs Group, founded by what it calls “passionate young Namibian entrepreneurs.” In his founder’s note in Launch Shilongo stated the magazine’s purpose.
“We thrive on the belief that if Namibia is to see social transformation in terms of quality of life for individuals then economic development and job creations should become a reality.”
Shilongo was just one of those bright talented young people present seeing to reshape the lives of the of their Young nations by offering opportunities for success. Filling the room with their infectious enthusiasm a young man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo gave a rousing empowerment slogan “I Can! I Will! I Must!” that echoed off the walls.
