Two Tarabans Selected For Washington Fellowship

Two Tarabans, Kurutsi Tabki Joshua and Dorcas Binkus  Elisha both from Ussa Local Government  are among   56 recipients for the Mandela Washington Fellowship for 2022. 

 Joshua is a certified Electrical Engineer registered is an Energy Expert who is passionate about sustainability and driven to advance efforts toward the provision of clean and stable energy for all Nigerians.

An Alumni of Ahamadu Bello University, Joshua has volunteered in several projects across Nigeria in the area of Energy access and Community volunreerism on environment and Youth engagement.

 Kurutsi Tabki Joshua has a special interest in Smart grids with a focus on Distributed Energy generation and storage from renewable energy sources, Microgrid Integration, Advance Metering Infrastructure, Electric Vehicles and grid Management.

  On her part, Elisha Dorcas is a rural education Advocate, who is committed to ensuring children in rural and marginalised communities have access to quality and equitable education under a safe and conducive environment using one student at a time, One community at a time.

 Through community Dialogues and sensitization she promote educational benefits and also engage community members in bridging the educational gaps within the schools in their communities, leading to improved learning and better teaching experience which also impacts the enrollment and retention rates within the schools.

 She strongly believes, education is the key to a better future and it is also an important tool for peace as seen in her building of a school in Kpambo in Ussa Local government

  At a reception in honour of the Fellows, in Abuja, the deputy head of mission of the US Embassy Kathleen FitzGibbon urged them to use their time in the United States to learn and interact with their host communities.

 The programme launched by the Obama administration was aimed at supporting young African leaders aspiring for growth and prosperity by strengthening democratic governance and enhancing peace and security across Africa.

 In 2014, the program was expanded to include Mandela Washington Fellowship, for young Africans between the ages of 25 and 35.

 This year, 72 young Nigerians who have demonstrated the capacity to make a positive impact in their societies through projects and programmes were selected out of the many that applied.

 Speaking at the reception, the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Nigeria. Kathleen FitzGibbon, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of Nigerians who had participated in the fellowship and charge them to take advantage of the opportunity while in the united states, with the hope of making a difference in their communities.

 The Counselor for Public Affairs, US Embassy, Abuja, Mr. Adnan Siddiqi, said the fellowship which serves as a tool for social interaction was part of the United States government's approach to uniting young people around the world.