The Human Rights Center Welcomes Mandela Washington Fellows

The Human Rights Center welcomes Nathan Zindikilani and Yuh Esthel Cheah from the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders as non-resident visiting fellows this semester. In August, the Human Rights Center were thrilled to host Nathan and Esthel in residence in Minnesota, where they had the opportunity to gain hands-on professional development and leadership skills, and meet in-person with HRC staff, students, affiliates, and partners.

Nathan Zindikilani is a dynamic legal and policy advocate from Zimbabwe, and the founder and executive director of the Centre for Law & Policy Development. During his fellowship at the Human Rights Center, he is focused on projects at the nexus of human rights that advance sustainable and inclusive change in his community.

Yuh Esthel Cheah is a humanitarian aid worker in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions. She leads community sensitization on human rights, identifies rights violations, and delivers support to survivors. At the Human Rights Center, she is focused on developing sustainable solutions that may mitigate conflict and its long-term impacts such as poverty, unemployment, and community resilience in conflict affected communities in Cameroon.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by IREX. The Human Rights Center was a 2025 Professional Development Experience (PDE) Host.