West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) Next Generation Internships 2017 for Young West Africans ($USD 300 Monthly Stipend)

Application Deadline: Wednesday, 30 November 2016

The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) with support from Ford Foundation is inviting young West Africans, either fresh graduates or early career professionals, seeking work experience in WACSI’s core areas of work to apply for its 6 months’ work-based Internship Programme running from January to June 2017.

The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) was established by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa and the Soros Foundation Network to enhance the capacity of civil society in the region. The Institute was set up in an attempt to bridge the institutional and operational gaps identified in civil society.

The 6 months’ internship programme also includes a 1-month placement (externship) in another civil society organisation that focuses on a specific theme of interest to the intern to enable the intern gain specific knowledge and experience in working in that thematic area.

WACSI is currently seeking 3 interns interested in gaining experience in civil society sector and also support WACSI in its core areas of work including:

1) Capacity Development, 2) Policy Influencing and 3) Advocacy and Knowledge Management from January to June 2017. Each intern will be assigned to one of the tree main units of the Institute.

Objectives of the Next Generation Internship Programme

The overall goal of this programme is to build the capacity of young potential civil society professionals from war torn West African countries.
Specifically the programme aims at building interns’ capacity in the following areas-:

• Leadership skills
• Proposal writing
• Report writing
• Training and facilitation skills

In addition to the above, the next generation internship programme will expose interns to research on the following subjects-:

• HIV/AIDS,
• Governance,
• Human rights,
• Peace and security,
• Africa’s current development initiatives (NEPAD, APRM), sub-regional trends (ECOWAS), and
• Gender issues.
  Each of the above has a special bearing on the development need of the region hence the need to expose the young civil society actors to these thematic areas.

Criteria for the Next Generation Interns

The Institute’s seeks organised individuals with creative minds and a hunger to make a positive impact in an industry that continuously changes. The interns should have the following qualities:

• Preferably, an academic background in law or social science
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to multi-task
• Capacity to take constructive criticism well
• Strong writing skills
• Punctuality
• Effective communication skills
• Initiative and drive
• Effective time management skills

Responsibilities for Knowledge Management Intern:
•Conduct and support background research and analysis on topical issues.
•Contribute to and compile the weekly Civil Society Situation Report and the quarterly WACSeries publications.
•Compile and manage information for the Civil Society Knowledge Hub.
•Support editing and review of manuscripts for publication.
•Assist with the preparation and administration of relevant WACSI programmes and with report writing.
•Attend and represent WACSI at meetings with partner organisations.
•Any other duties that may be assigned.

Responsibilities for Capacity Development Intern:
•Collect relevant information to support training preparation;
•Contribute to and publicise the Institute’s programmes advertisements;
•Assist in the development of training materials and toolkits;
•Assist in the coordination of training programmes, including handling of logistics and report writing;
•Contribute to the design and development of concept notes, proposals and any other relevant document;
•Any other duties that may be assigned.

Responsibilities for Policy Influencing and Advocacy Intern:
•Conduct desktop research on policy and legislative issues
•Assist in gathering information and writing reports for policy meetings
•Assist in policy meetings and workshop preparation
•Assist in the development of policy advocacy training tool
•Support other administrative tasks
•Assisting with data generation, analysis, and management.
•Any other duties that may be assigned.

Relevant skills:
•Minimum of a first degree in civil society management/nonprofit studies, international affairs, political science, social science, public policy, law, development studies or related fields.
•Commitment to WACSI’s vision and values and demonstrated interest in civil society.
•Strong research, writing and communication (verbal and written) skills.
•Proficiency in Microsoft Office and strong Internet research skills.
•Fully bilingual (French and English).
•Excellent interpersonal skills.
•Works well under pressure with minimal supervision and in a multi-cultural environment.
•Proactive, willing to learn and take initiative.
•Works well as part of a team.

Application Procedure:

Interested applicants should send the following documents in English: The Head of Administration at recruitment@wacsi.org by Wednesday, 30 November 2016:
•Application letter and comprehensive curriculum vitae with two references (one should be academic); and
•Letter of motivation expressing career goals and how the internship will contribute to achieving them.
•Applicants for the Knowledge Management internship must submit a writing sample (research paper, term paper, etc.) of no more than 3 pages.

Please note:
•Applicant shall clearly state in their application the Unit he/she would like to work with.
•Priority will be given to bilingual applicants and West Africans.
•The successful intern will spend a substantial part of her/his internship working at the WACSI office in Accra, Ghana.
•Internship period is from January 2017 to June 2017.
•Intern shall be paid a monthly of $300.00 for the period of six (6) months.
•WACSI will bear the travel costs (including visa fees) to Ghana and back to their home country at the end of internship for foreign interns.
•WACSI will provide accommodation and lunch for the interns during the six months’ period.
•It is expected from the Intern to produce an externship and end of internship reports and a research paper on the specific theme of interest to the intern and pertaining to West Africa/Civil Society by the end of the internship period.
•Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

contact: capacitybuilding@wacsi.org

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the WACSI Next Generation Internship Programme 2017