Rising’s first ever Mandela Washington Fellow!

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Rising’s Program Associate in Liberia, Morrison T. Morris, has been awarded a highly-prestigious placement on this year’s Mandela Washington Fellowship Program; selected from a pool of more than 45,000 applicants across the African continent.

Morrison joined Rising in June 2017, following 4 years as a classroom teacher. At that time, Rising was just getting started in Liberia, supporting 5 schools a few hours from the capital city of Monrovia. 

7 years on, Rising’s work now serves 95 rural government schools and more than 21,000 students in the country’s flagship education partnership program: LEAP and will be extending to a new 5-year system strengthening project this year. 

Morrison was not only integral to helping to grow Rising’s work in partnership with the Ministry of Education, he has also played a lead role in securing some of the strongest academic outcomes for an education program in Liberia’s post-war history. These results were demonstrated most notably in the 3-year randomized control trial delivered by the Centre for Global Development, which showed that children in Rising’s schools learned more than twice as fast as children in comparable schools. 

The 6-week US-based fellowship, which includes modules in innovation, community engagement, ethics, and delivering value and impact, is another step in Morrison’s exciting leadership journey. Speaking about the opportunity, Morrison said: 

“This is a rare chance to hone my leadership skills and network with other young leaders from across the continent. I see it as an exceptional opportunity to learn and return home ready to serve – creating lasting impact in my country and the education industry.” 

Precious Buxton, Managing Director of Rising’s work in Liberia, added: 

“Morrison has demonstrated that he can make an impact at every level of the education sector, whether it’s coaching a teacher in the classroom, working side-by-side with Liberia’s County Education Officers, or sharing ideas and shaping policy with our Senior Ministry partners. I’ve no doubt that this experience will help Morrison take another step forward, allowing him to contribute even more to the sector he cares so much about. Congratulations Morrison, from everyone at Rising!”

If you would like more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, click this link: https://www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org/

Morrison leading a training at a Rising Teacher Training Institute in Liberia