South Africa: RWVL-WOSSO call for applications

The WOSSO Fellowship was established in 2023 as a Global South initiative to strengthen feminist leadership, advocacy capacity, and movement building among young women across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean (LATAC). Designed as a multi-regional platform, the fellowship created opportunities for women to engage in policy spaces, amplify their voices, and contribute to advancing gender equality within their respective contexts.

Since its inception, the fellowship has supported 97 Fellows across these regions, 23 from Sub-Saharan Africa, 3 from MENA, 4 from LATAC, and 67 from Asia-Pacific. Through this diverse cohort, the programme fostered cross-regional solidarity, strengthened advocacy skills, and enabled Fellows to participate in key regional and global advocacy platforms for influence and engagement. The fellowship also contributed to knowledge generation and storytelling, equipping Fellows to produce advocacy-driven research, communications outputs, and evidence to influence change.

Building on these achievements, the fellowship has now evolved into a newly branded and more locally anchored RWVL-WOSSO model under the Gender Links Grants and Fellowships Unit (GFU), with support from Global Affairs Canada. This new iteration reflects a strategic shift towards deepening impact within Southern Africa, while maintaining the core principles of feminist leadership, voice, and movement strengthening.

The redesigned fellowship introduces a South Africa-based component, which began with a pilot of four Fellows funded by Global Affairs Canada, and is now being scaled to include an additional 20 Fellows. This expansion demonstrates both the viability of the model and a commitment to investing in a new generation of feminist leaders at the country level, while retaining opportunities for regional and global engagement.

The fellowship is a 12-month programme running from April 2026 to March 2027, targeting women aged 20 to 40 years. It offers a structured yet flexible learning journey that combines theory, practice, and engagement through the following core modules:

• Advocacy plan development

• Communications training

• Research for advocacy

• Meaningful engagement in advocacy spaces

• Linking and learning

• Report Writing

In this new phase, the fellowship retains its original vision of amplifying women’s voices and strengthening feminist movements, while taking on a more focused, scalable, and context-responsive form that is rooted in South Africa and supported by a new global partnership framework.

The RWVL-WOSSO Fellowship is a 12-month programme running from April 2026 to March 2027, inclusive of the application, selection, and onboarding phases. It is designed for women (including transgender women and non-binary persons who identify as women) between the ages of 20 and 40. The fellowship integrates structured learning, applied advocacy, and active engagement in regional platforms. This fellowship is designed to strengthen the ongoing work of RWVL grantee organisations; therefore, Fellows are expected to apply the skills and knowledge gained through the programme to directly benefit and advance their organisation’s work.

Selected Fellows will receive:

• Tailored training and mentorship to strengthen advocacy, leadership, and movement-building skills

• Support to design and implement an advocacy plan aligned with RWVL priorities and organisational work

• Opportunities to participate in high-level advocacy platforms, including SADC Heads of State Summit, the Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF), the Southern Africa Civil Society Forum organised by the Southern African Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (SAf-CNGO), the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance, South African national dialogue processes, the Voice and Choice Summit 2027, and the Africa Women in Dialogue Forum (AFWID). 

• Linking and learning opportunities, including courses offered through the Gender Links Academy.

As part of the application, candidates must submit an advocacy plan concept. The plan should:

• Address a specific issue within the Fellow’s community

• Align with and strengthen the work of the RWVL grantee organisation

• Include clear objectives, target groups, and expected outcomes

• Reflect feminist and rights-based approaches

The advocacy plan must complement ongoing organisational priorities rather than function as a standalone initiative.

The fellowship includes:

• Onboarding for both the Fellow and the Executive Director of the RWVL grantee organisation

• Development and implementation of an advocacy plan

• Engagement in regional advocacy and policy processes

• Contribution to research, peer learning, and knowledge sharing

• Participation in the broader WOSSO fellowship network

Fellows are expected to actively engage in advocacy and movement processes, including:

• Participation in planning and coordination meetings linked to the SADC Heads of State Summit

• Engagement in Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance cluster processes

• Supporting communications, facilitation, and documentation of advocacy platforms

• Contributing to outcome statements and key advocacy messages

This hands-on approach is designed to build a cohort of emerging feminist leaders capable of shaping and delivering large-scale advocacy initiatives.

Fellows will participate in key regional platforms, including:

• Activities around the SADC Heads of State Summit:

  • The  Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF)

  • The  Southern Africa Civil Society Forum, organised by the Southern African Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (SAf-CNGO)

• The Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance,

• South African national dialogue processes

• The Voice and Choice Summit 2027

• The Africa Women in Dialogue Forum (AFWID). 

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be between 20 and 40 years old at the time of application closing
• Be women or identify as women (including transgender women and non-binary persons who identify as women)
• Be an employees, volunteer, or directly working with a current RWVL Programme grantee organisation. NB: Only one fellow will be selected per organisation.
• Be based in South Africa
• Have formal support and secondment from their RWVL Grantee organisation
• Submit a clear advocacy plan aligned with organisational priorities

The following applicants will not be considered:

• Individuals below 20 years or above 40 years at the time of application closing
• Individuals not affiliated with an RWVL grantee organisation
• Current or former WOSSO Fellows
• Individuals not based in South Africa

Applicants must submit:

1. A completed application form via the Good Grants Platform

2. Supporting documents:

   • A CV (maximum 2 pages, including at least 2 contactable references)

   • A letter of endorsement/secondment from the RWVL-SA grantee organisation

All applications must be submitted by:
Midnight, Friday 17 April 2026 (South African Standard Time)