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The gap we are filling
Why this fellowship needs to exist
Across Africa and the diaspora, there is a profound shortage of professionals trained to help communities navigate DNA, ancestry, and genetic health in a culturally grounded way. Most existing training is built for Western clinical environments, not for villages in Nigeria, campuses in Ghana, or diaspora communities in the US and Caribbean.
The result is that people receive DNA results with no one to help them understand what they mean. Families learn about hereditary health risks with no community-level educator to guide them. And oral histories disappear without trained archivists to preserve them.
The AGL Fellowship exists to build that workforce from within the communities it will serve.
"We train people to help their own communities."
Education and Community Learning
We provide accessible education that helps individuals and communities understand DNA, ancestry, and genetic health.
• Genealogy education to help individuals trace and understand family history
• DNA literacy programs that simplify complex genetic concepts
• Workshops and learning sessions in communities and institutions
• Fellowship programs to train future genetic counselors and genealogists
Fellowship tracks
Three pathways. One mission.
1
Genealogy fellowship
Genealogy Fellowship
2
Genomic counseling fellowship
Genomic Counseling Fellowship
3
Fellows-to-work program
Placement & community deployment
Training in oral history collection, family tree reconstruction, ancestry research, and community storytelling. Fellows learn to help families trace their origins and reconnect with lost heritage in culturally rooted ways.
Training in hereditary disease awareness, preventive genetic health education, and community-based counseling. Fellows learn to teach families about genetic risks and guide them toward early screening and prevention.
Graduates are placed with clinics, ministries of health, heritage archives, museums, wellness centers, universities, and AGL programs across Africa and the diaspora, ensuring fellows move directly from training into real community impact.
STUDENT JOURNEY
From application to community impact
Apply
Submit an expression of interest
Who this is for
Built for community-rooted leaders
The AGL Fellowship is designed for people who are already connected to their communities and want to bring real knowledge, tools, and support back to the people they serve.
Why It Matters + Impact
Education empowers communities from the inside
The most sustainable change happens when the people who understand a community are the ones trained to serve it. AGL's fellowship model is designed around that principle: not importing expertise from outside, but building it within.
When a trained community genealogist sits with a family in Lagos, or a community genetic health counselor runs a workshop in Kingston, or a DNA educator speaks to students in Atlanta, the knowledge stays. It multiplies. It becomes part of the community's own infrastructure.
Get involved early
Express your interest now
The AGL Fellowship is currently in development. We are building the curriculum, securing partnerships, and preparing our first cohort. If you want to be among the first to know when applications open, or if you are an institution interested in hosting or partnering, register your interest now.
Ready to be part of building this?
The AGL Fellowship will not exist without people who believe in it now. Support the development of Africa's first community-rooted genomic workforce.