The Gender Equity/GBV Evidence Accelerator Fellowship Program is a year-long cohort program offering sponsored mentorship and select coursework at the Johns Hopkins University to practitioners, professionals, and scholars engaged in gender equity work, including those focused on GBV, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. For the 2025-26 cohort, 10 fellows were selected through a competitive process from over 3,100 applicants representing 129 countries.
Almost midway through the program, this cohort have shared their reflections on how unique, hands-on, and valuable the program is.
The quality of the mentorship I have received from the faculty has significantly exceeded my expectations. The commitmenttoscholar development was evident in the provision of long office hours, which were consistently available three times a week...It (the program) has inspired meto pursue a Ph.D.‚ a professional development path I had never previously considered. Jigme Choden Gender and Youth Program Specialist UNFPA Bhutan Thimpu, Bhutan
Although intense during course week, the training has been invaluable. I appreciate the selection of courses, as they have reshaped both my thinkingandmyapproach to the work l do.
Mpho Elizabeth Mpofu Senior Accountability Advisor Raising Voices WhatWorks II Consortium Gaborone, Botswana
Teaching and training have exceeded my expectations. This was my first time studying as a scholar at a university outside of my country in real- time (excluding short online courses), and the experience has been completely different from most national education previously received. The only exceptions are from teachers who have also studied in foreign universities. I feel that as an added value of such a high-level education, we are left with also with strong motivation and expectations for the future, knowing that we can use what we learned for our country, for generating more knowledge, for exchanging and sharing the knowledge, and with the confidence that more can be achieved academically.
Gloria Daniela Zepeda Gonzalez Monitoring and Evaluation Associate UN Women Honduras Tegucigalpa, Honduras
The mentorship is just the best, with dedicated mentors who are always ready and available to assist me. The mentors do not limit themselves to the assigned mentees; they also extend their assistance to the others who seek their help.
Josephine Wanjiru Kagucia Principal Research Officer, Head of Research Division National Gender and Equality Commission Nairobi, Kenya
The Stata program, coding, working with my mentor on the coding, and presenting mymini-project were thehighlights of this program for me. Presenting slides twice to my cohort members and JHU professors in Nairobi taught me the importance of presenting my work and building self-confidence...I now feel more confident in contributing to the design and planning of programs [in my country].
Saran Gerelt-Od Senior Gender Officer Asian Development Bank Mongolia Resident Mission Ulannbaatar, Mongolia
The mentorship I have received so far from the JHU faculty has been excellent. The timely feedback from mentors, their availability and their willingness to share resources and knowledge have been absolutely amazing and novel for me.
Amina Elias Danjuma Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer Foundation for Resilient Empowerment and Development (FRED) Abuja, Nigeria
