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Western Union Global Fellowship

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Ali Nisar, 2025 Alum

Equipping courageous leaders and entrepreneurs supporting highly marginalized, refugee, or displaced communities across Western Union’s global footprint.

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The Fellowship Offers

The Western Union Global Fellowship is a Fellowship designed for entrepreneurs impacting refugees, highly marginalized, and displaced individuals globally. Suported by Western Union and powered by Watson Institute, this fully-funded 16-week program provides training, committed mentorship, financial literacy skills, financial stipends, long-term Alumni support, a playbook and funds to power a 1-day Basecamp in their community, and a global network of support to help exceptional entrepreneurs and leaders access economic opportunity, advance their impact, and transform their communities.

Entrepreneurship & Leadership Workshops

Participate in Watson Institute’s signature Flagship Fellowship curriculum, joining a diverse cohort of entrepreneurs from across Watson Institute’s broader Fellowship community.

Financial Tools & Resources

Access practical financial tools, frameworks, and workshops designed to strengthen your venture’s financial foundation. Benefit from the expertise of practitioners and Watson Institute’s broader network of specialists supporting entrepreneurs at every stage.

Basecamps: Creating Lasting Impact

Design and lead a comprehensive 1-day entrepreneurship training program (Basecamp) for earlier-stage entrepreneurs in your community. With training, resources, and a community development stipend, you’ll multiply your impact by supporting emerging entrepreneurs serving marginalized and displaced populations.

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Pitch Training & Virtual Summit

Master the art of compelling storytelling through dedicated pitch coaching. Present your venture’s growth and community impact to an engaged virtual audience of entrepreneurs, community leaders, Western Union representatives, potential investors, and peers.

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Experts You Will Learn From

We recruit experts and entrepreneurs with the specific expertise needed to best serve you. They are brought on to share their insights, facilitate our workshops, and provide 1-on-1 guidance. Preceptors from past Western Union Global Fellowship cohorts have included:

Ali Fraenkel

Community Strategist | Consultant & Facilitator | Trust-based Grantmaking Advisor | Philanthropy Innovator

Mentor Dida

Futurist | Facilitator | Speaker

Josiane Attalah

Experienced Program and Partnership Professional | Development and Humanitarian Assistance | MENA | Fulbright ’21

Sumaiya Tabassum, 2025 Alumna

Over the last five years, the Western Union Global Fellowship has positively impacted 10,500+ changemakers worldwide.

Don’t take our word for it

“My Fellowship experience has been invaluable in providing both inspiration and practical skills for strengthening Project LIGTAS. Beyond the formal training and workshops, I greatly appreciated the opportunity to connect with like-minded fellows from diverse contexts, which broadened my perspective on community resilience and youth-led initiatives. The program challenged me to think strategically about scaling impact, measuring outcomes, and sustaining engagement, and it has motivated me to continuously improve my work while deepening my commitment to empowering vulnerable communities.” 

Alanodin Sali, 2025 Alumnus

“The Fellowship has been a transformative experience that strengthened both my personal leadership journey and the strategic direction of my venture. The mentorship, global exposure, and sense of community reinforced my commitment to building inclusive systems that enable entrepreneurs from underserved regions to participate confidently in the global economy. I am grateful for the support and look forward to staying engaged as an active alumnus.”

Ali Nisar, 2025 Alumnus

“The Western Union Global Fellowship was a deeply affirming experience that strengthened both my leadership capacity and the long-term vision of Unspoken Smiles. I’m grateful to be part of the Watson community and look forward to continued collaboration and impact.”

Jean Paul Laurent, 2025 Alumnus

“This Fellowship was more than a program; it was a bridge. Coming from the Brazilian Sertão, I often felt isolated in my ambition to solve systemic problems like ‘Human Latency.’ Watson and Western Union provided me with a global tribe that speaks my language of impact. You didn’t just fund a festival; you validated the potential of a young leader from the Global South. I leave this program not just with better skills, but with the certainty that my background is my greatest asset. Thank you.”

Vinícius Félix Nascimento, 2025 Alumnus

“I am deeply grateful for the support and guidance I received throughout this fellowship. The mentors and speakers provided invaluable insights. This fellowship taught me to value networking and collaboration, as many activities required working in pairs and groups. Despite the pressure of other activities, I gave my time and presence fully, and it has been an inspiring and transformative experience to learn, grow, and connect with such an amazing community of changemakers. Thank you to everyone on the team for your collaboration, flexibility, and support throughout the Fellowship.”

Deborah Deciri Mogho, 2025 Alumnus

Meet The Alumni

Project Manager at the Refugee Council of Lithuania | 2025 Alumna

Viktoriia Palahniuk

Viktoriia Palahniuk is Project Manager at the Refugee Council of Lithuania, where she leads initiatives supporting Ukrainian women displaced by conflict. Through art therapy, embroidery-based cultural preservation, and entrepreneurship training, she helps elderly refugees overcome isolation and financial barriers. Since joining, she has coordinated pilots engaging 11 women, expanded access to business financing, and contributed to raising $200,000 to foster economic inclusion. An international lawyer with degrees from Kyiv and Vilnius and pursuing an M.A. in Peace Studies, Viktoriia combines legal expertise and grassroots coordination to design sustainable pathways for displaced communities to rebuild their lives with dignity.

Tiphub.co | 2025 Alum

Lull Mengesha

Lull Mengesha is the founder of Tiphub.co, a platform that rapidly and transparently distributes mutual aid funds to displaced communities during crises, especially in areas with low connectivity or disrupted infrastructure. Drawing on over 15 years of product management experience and his family’s displacement from Ethiopia’s Tigray region, Lull built Tiphub to address critical delays in humanitarian fundraising. Since launching, Tiphub has raised over $3 million across 150+ fundraisers to support displaced populations in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Congo. Now expanding its reach to serve disenfranchised communities across Africa, the U.S., and beyond, Tiphub is positioning itself as the go-to infrastructure for diaspora-led giving and localized mutual aid. Committed to user empathy and practical solutions, Lull continues to innovate in transparent aid delivery and impact measurement for underserved communities worldwide.

Migraflix | 2025 Alumna

Camila Batista Pinto

Camila Batista Pinto is the COO of Migraflix, a multicultural catering company empowering and employing migrants and refugees in Latin America through food entrepreneurship and cultural exchange. Operating across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico, Migraflix’s menus are co-created with migrants and refugee chefs from over 50 nationalities, enabling thousands to build sustainable livelihoods and foster social inclusion. A seasoned social entrepreneur and advocate, Camila has raised over $2 million in funding and has been recognized by the BMW Foundation and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations for her leadership.

This program is fully-funded through the generous support of Western Union.