Applications are open for the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) International Youth Fellowship 2026–27.

Canada has long been recognized as a place that nurtures leaders, thinkers, and creators who see themselves as part of a global community. The International Youth Fellowship, offered by Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), is one of several avenues through which young people can explore and express what global citizenship truly means. Through this program and others like it, AKFC enables emerging professionals to understand real-world development challenges and work alongside local organizations to help bring meaningful change to communities.

The Fellowship has helped launch careers across many fields, including government, non-profits, communications, education, technology, and finance. This fully funded experience combines a rigorous, hands-on training program before departure with an eight-month placement abroad for recent graduates and young professionals aged 30 or under.

The program welcomes applicants from all academic and professional backgrounds. What matters most is a genuine desire to broaden one’s perspective, learn in new environments, and contribute to positive change.

Program Overview

The International Youth Fellowship gives recent graduates and early-career professionals an opportunity to build global experience into their career journey. Fellows take part in an intensive pre-departure training program, then spend several months overseas gaining direct experience in international development. Their placements support local organizations that are working to improve the lives of the communities they serve.

Fellows join one of two streams:

• International Development Management (IDM) – usually focusing on sectors like health, education, or community development.

• International Microfinance and Microenterprise (IMM) – centered around microfinance institutions, small business development, and related market systems.

Each participant spends eight months in Africa or Asia with agencies and partners of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the world’s largest and most respected development organizations.

Before travelling, Fellows take part in a three-week training program in Ottawa that equips them with the skills, knowledge, and grounding needed to meaningfully contribute to their host institutions. This intensive preparation is developed by former Fellows and taught by seasoned development professionals from Canada and abroad, many of whom are alumni of the Fellowship.

Pre-Departure Training

Whether a participant is new to international development or already has on-the-ground experience, the three-plus-week training significantly strengthens the cohort’s understanding of development principles. It is also a time to build long-lasting connections with peers while living and learning in downtown Ottawa.

Both streams—IDM and IMM—take part in several joint sessions throughout the training.

Key topics include:

• Program design

• Monitoring and evaluation

• Results-based management (RBM)

• Integrating gender equality and climate considerations

• Communication and reporting

• Proposal development

• Personal safety and security

Sessions are delivered by leading experts using real examples and project materials from AKFC’s work around the world. Additional thematic workshops allow Fellows to engage, collaborate, and problem-solve directly with practitioners, hiring managers, and program directors involved in global development.

During the training period, Fellows work in project teams on a practical assignment that helps them apply what they learn. For example, IDM and IMM participants may be asked to design a program responding to a challenge presented by a facilitator. They then develop a concept note and present their pitch to a panel of colleagues and experts.

Don't miss out on the application deadline which is 7 December 2026.