Participate in a women’s leadership mentoring programme in Nepal

The British Embassy in Kathmandu believes that building and promoting supportive relationships is key to empowering women and girls. So, on this International Day of the Girl Child 2021, we are calling all young women in Nepal to apply to be a part of a year-long mentoring programme run by a group of embassies and development agencies led by women.

Successful candidates will have the opportunity to be mentored by female ambassadors and heads of agencies in Kathmandu, to help enhance your leadership skills.

What we are offering

The successful applicants will be mentored by one of the following mentors:

  • British Ambassador to Nepal, Her Excellency Nicola Pollitt
  • Australian Ambassador to Nepal, Her Excellency Felicity Volk
  • EU Ambassador to Nepal, Her Excellency Nona Duprez
  • Swiss Ambassador to Nepal, Her Excellency Elisabeth von Capeller
  • Head of USAID, Sepideh Keyvanshad
  • Country Director of British Council Nepal, Shahida MacDougall
  • United Nations Resident Coordinator, Sara Beysolow Nyanti
  • UNICEF Representative for Nepal, Elke Wisch
  • Resident Representative of UNDP, Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labe

For the successful candidates, the programme will include:

  1. Six personalised mentoring sessions with your mentor focused on skills that are essential for development of leadership and career growth. You will be encouraged to talk about your priorities, including setting career goals, planning, networking, communications, and your personal brand.

  2. Opportunities for networking. You will be invited to join relevant events and meetings hosted by one or more of the embassies taking part, to enable you to participate in discussions on pertinent issues and build a useful network.

  3. A day of ‘job-shadowing’ with senior officials from the embassies and agencies. If conditions permit, you will have the opportunity to shadow senior officials, including the ambassador/head of agency, to observe their daily work routines. We will plan a full day’s schedule for you.

  4. Events that bring together all of you with all the mentors on or around International Women’s Day to celebrate women’s leadership.

All events, sessions and shadowing opportunities will be subject to COVID-19 conditions and may take place virtually or in small groups, depending on conditions at the time.

How to participate

Please apply by sending us a 1-minute video (maximum) of yourself by uploading it to WeTransfer, YouTube or on Google Drive and send the link to kathmandu.reception@fcdo.gov.uk explaining why you want to participate in this leadership mentoring programme and what you think the other countries and development agencies can do to empower youth in Nepal.

Please shoot the video in landscape or horizontal mode. Avoid having a busy background when recording and too much ambient noise. The video should be well lit and clearly show the participant. We encourage you to be creative with format and style of recording. Avoid sharing large files.

A selection committee of staff from the embassies, led by one or more ambassadors or heads, will review applications and select the best to take part in the scheme. We will be looking for:

  • enthusiasm
  • creativity
  • an understanding of how you will benefit from this opportunity
  • a clear idea of how you will use what you learn

What you need to know

If successful, you will be part of the first ever mentee cohort of 2021 to 2022. We will prepare a whole year’s schedule for you. But mentoring needs candidates to be proactive if it’s to succeed. You will have to make time for planning and reflecting, to take part in discussion sessions that will focus on agreed themes every 2 months, and for networking opportunities.

We particularly welcome applications from girls belonging to minority or marginalised communities.

Rules of the contest

  1. The video, up to 60 seconds length, should be submitted as a link, such as via WeTransfer, YouTube or Google Drive and emailed to kathmandu.reception@fcdo.gov.uk with the subject line ‘Application: Leadership Mentoring Programme 2021’. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 16 November 2021 23:59 NPT.

  2. If you have any queries, contact us at kathmandu.reception@fcdo.gov.uk with the subject line ‘Query: Leadership Mentoring Programme 2021’.

  3. The video can be either in Nepali or in English.

  4. When submitting your video, include your full name, age, place of residence and contact number(s) in a covering email.

  5. Participation in the contest is open to women aged 18 to 30 residing in Nepal for the duration of the contest. Family members of staff at any of the embassies or organisations are regrettably not eligible to apply for this opportunity.

  6. Submissions, including the personal data of those not selected, will be removed after the announcement of the winners.

  7. The winners, to be selected by a special selection committee of staff from participating embassies/organisations, led by the British Ambassador Nicola Pollitt, will be announced by Tuesday 7 December 2021.

  8. With agreement from applicants, winning videos may be shared on the social media channels of the British Embassy Kathmandu or on those of other participating organisations.

  9. The work of the selection committee will remain confidential, and the decision may not be appealed.

  10. Submissions shall be disqualified if they are found to be plagiarised or been submitted by those not eligible. Appropriate credit should be given to any other sources of the content.

  11. The winners will be contacted by the organisers with logistic details and arrangements. The programme of sessions, events and opportunities will be determined by the organisers and shared with the successful mentees.

  12. If the winners (and a chaperone, if required) need to travel from outside of Kathmandu to participate in the scheme, the organisers will cover reasonable travel expenses.

  13. You should be prepared to bring a valid ID card displaying your photo and age/date of birth, on your arrival at any events.