Coveted Young African Leaders' Fellowships Up for GrabsThousands of youth around Africa have exactly one month to try their luck at qualifying for the 2015 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, which opened last week. Thousands from Zimbabwe are expected to fight for the mere 30-slots allotted for the country. Acting Public Affairs Officer, Nicole Fox, of the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe, said all applications are due first week of November, and have to be submitted online. Fox says aspiring fellows’ applications will be screened by U.S embassies in Africa. At least 1,000 Zimbabweans applied last year for the 30-slots set aside for the country, under President Barack Obama’s program - then known as the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). About 50,000 people applied for the fellowship throughout Africa in 2013. The program is designed to sharpen various skills of emerging African leaders. Meanwhile, 2014 Mandela Washington alumna, Abbigail Muleya, says all applicants are expected to file the applications online though rural youths face serious challenges in accessing the internet.