Application Deadline: January 20, 2024
Applications are now open for the Tanzania Young Human Rights Defenders and Graduate Mentorship Program.
The Tanzania Young Human Rights Defenders (YHRDs) and Graduate Mentorship Program aim to empower and enhance work-related skills for Tanzanian graduates and young human rights defenders aspiring to work with human rights organizations, human rights institutions, justice institutions, and civil society organizations.
This mentorship program serves as a mechanism to prepare, nurture, guide, and motivate young professionals to join the civil society sector and the human rights sector, fully equipped with practical skills and relevant knowledge. The goal is to help young professionals develop focus and specialization in their career trajectory. The Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), being an organization dedicated to human rights defenders, is keen on encouraging many young professionals to enter the human rights sector during and after their graduate studies.
Targeted Groups
This program is coordinated by THRDC in collaboration with affiliated and interested partners, targeted mentors from human rights NGOs, civil society organizations, law firms, media houses, justice institutions, and other related groups. Mentees (young professionals fresh from schools) will be recruited from various academic disciplines, particularly those most needed in the civil society and human rights fields.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this mentorship program, applicants must:
- Be between 21–32 years of age.
- Hold a bachelor’s degree in human rights, law, international relations, media, public relations, finance, social work, accounting, project management, ICT and technology or any other relevant field.
- Be fresh graduates from undergraduate or postgraduate studies.
- Have a track record of involvement in human rights activities, civil society-related activities, or communities during school.
- Be currently unemployed or not employed before.
- Have excellent command of both Swahili and English (spoken and written).
- Possess good computer skills and the use of all social media and digital forums.
- Commit to attending this one-year mentorship program at a partner organization and performing all tasks and activities related to career development.
- Submit certified academic documents.
Mentors
Mentoring YHRDs and fresh graduates will have a significant impact on mentors and the country. Accepting mentees into your organization or institution provides an opportunity to share experiences and gain innovative skills from fresh and young professionals. This collaboration may positively shape the future of YHRDs in the field of human rights, civil society, and the country at large. The mentor’s role is to share professional experiences, providing guidance and support to the mentee.
Mentees
Mentees are young professionals fresh from schools who aspire to work in the civil society sector and the field of human rights. These professionals may come from various academic fields such as social science, finance, law, medicine, etc. Being a mentee in this YHRDs Mentorship Program can be a transformative learning opportunity for those aspiring to work on social problems and human rights issues within and outside the country.
Program Modality
- Selected mentees will be enrolled in a one-year mentorship program and placed in various organizations for a year, supported by THRDC and other interested partners, including host organizations.
- In the initial 30 days, mentees will undergo an intensive online training program on human rights and the civil society working environment, supervised by the East Africa Human Rights Institute.
- The program aims to equip mentees with human rights and civil society management skills, including field research, documentation of human rights violations, report writing, human rights litigation for those with a legal background, human rights advocacy, project management, designing and launching effective lobbying and advocacy campaigns, and using modern media to raise awareness of rights violations.
Application Procedure
- Interested applicants should send an application letter, one page motivation letter, one reference letter, academic documents, and their CV to the following email address info@thrdc.or.tz before 20th January 2024.
- Applicants should also visit THRDC website and fill an online application form www.thrdc.or.tz
- Please note that applying for this program does not guarantee onboarding as a mentee in the one-year program.
- Only eligible mentees will be invited for an interview before the final selection process.
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