Community Leaders in Africa: Call for Applications 2022

APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED!

About the Program.​

What is it

The Community Leaders in Africa Internship Program is a one-of-a-kind field-based internship open to all alumni from MCW Global’s Young Leaders Fellowship and Young Leaders Conference programs. During this 3 to 6-month internship, selected interns gain practical skills, knowledge and networks in community development through a culturally immersive experience at one of MCW Global’s affiliate organizations in Africa: MC-RwandaMC-Tanzania or MC-Zambia.

The core aim of the Internship Program is to develop the next wave of community development leaders through hands-on training and collaboration with local communities.

Available Internships for 2022

What We Offer

Curriculum Development Intern

MC-Rwanda

Our goal is to host a hybrid internship.1

  • Month 1: Remote
  • Month 2: In-field
  • Months 3-4: Remote

Resource Mobilization Intern

MC-Rwanda

Our goal is to host a hybrid internship.1

  • Month 1: In-field 
  • Month 2-4: Remote

Resource Mobilization Intern

MC-Zambia

Our goal is to host a hybrid internship.1

  • Month 1: In-field
  • Month 2-4: Remote

This is subject to change in light of any COVID-19 travel restrictions and protocol that may arise over to the next few months. 

Eligibility Requirements

Am I Eligible?

The Internship Program is only open to alumni of the Young Leaders Program. You are eligible if you successfully completed:

  1. The Young Leaders Fellowship program (formerly “Young Leaders Access Program”).
  2. The Young Leaders Conference program.

To read more about eligibility, see FAQs below.

Timeline

Stay on Track

  • January 21, 2022: Applications Open
  • February 25, 2022: Applications Close
  • March 21 – 25, 2022: Interviews with short-listed
  • April 8, 2022: Decisions sent out
  • June – September 2022: Internships taking place (hybrid or fully remote)

Frequently Asked Questions

Have any questions?

The Internship Program is only open to alumni of the Young Leaders Program. You are eligible if you successfully completed:

  1.   The Young Leaders Fellowship program (formerly “Young Leaders Access Program”); or
  2.   The Young Leaders Conference program.

Although there is no set criteria for an ideal candidate, there are definitely a few components that are considered during the selection. 

The applicant must have:

  • An established record of working on community initiatives and development projects;
  • An appreciation of MCW Global’s vision, mission, and overall programs;
  • The willingness to venture beyond their comfort zone;
  • An openness to taking up challenges and a desire for growth and mutual learning;
  • A clear idea of their Personal Development Plan (PDP) and their desired learning outcomes from the internship. 

For specific skill-set requirements, please refer to the role descriptions provided.

Yes, you can. However, please ensure that whomever you are acquiring a recommendation letter from, he/she is well-equipped to talk to your overall personality, work experience, skills, and exposure. If you deem your Young Leaders Fellowship mentor to be the best-suited person for it, then you may want to get the recommendation letter from him/her.

You can apply for the mentor position while you are waiting for the final results for the Community Leaders in Africa Internship Program. If you are applying for both, please make sure to write an email mentioning the above case and send it to both Anusha Somani anusha@mcwglobal.org (Program Associate, Africa Programs) and Dhurata Berisha dhurata@mcwglobal.org (Young Leaders Fellowship Coordinator). Please bear in mind that you will only get shortlisted for one of the above mentioned opportunities.

The first round of applications will open on 21 January 2022 and the deadline is 27 February 2022. The applicants should expect to receive an email regarding the first-round results in mid-March 2022 where the shortlisted applicants will proceed to the final interview round.

MCW Global wishes to prioritize the safety of interns and MCW staff in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the feasibility of hosting a complete 3-month “in-field internship” is uncertain and dependent on prevailing COVID-19 protocol and regulations. We therefore kindly urge applicants to keep in mind that the Internship Program this year will be either hybrid or entirely remote, depending on the pandemic situation. The safety of the interns and MCW staff is our top priority.

MCW will cover your travel and on-ground expenses (i.e. flight tickets, lodging and boarding, visa and other related expenses). This includes a small living stipend to cover meals and regular transport, which will be in line with the standard of living of the place of internship. However, please note that MCW will not cover any personal expenses (such as: social outings, personal travel, shopping etc.) and therefore, the intern should be prepared to travel with personal funds to supplement.

The Internship Program is a 3 – 6-month internship program. However, the exact duration depends on the needs posited by the affiliate organizations. For more information, please refer to the role descriptions which clearly outline the exact duration.

The Internship Program is designed to develop leaders who not only gain hands-on professional experience in the development sector but also hone their leadership skills and competencies on a personal level. Therefore, as part of the internship, you will also be given the opportunity to work on your own short-term Personal Development Plan which will closely be supervised by your assigned mentor (alumna of the Community Leaders in Africa Internship Program). For the Personal Development Program, you should expect to work on areas ranging from goal-setting to time management to taking care of your own mental and social well-being.

One of the cardinal values behind the Internship Program is the element of paying it forward, i.e. once the intern successfully completes his/her internship, they will be expected to assist the team in updating the internship-related resources (such as orientation handbook), recruitment of the next cohort and will also have the opportunity to become a Community Leaders in Africa mentor.

For this purpose, the team will conduct multiple online orientation sessions with the intern to ensure that they are well-equipped and prepared to travel. He/she will also be provided with an extensive orientation handbook at least one month in advance which will contain information from financial budgeting to taking care of your emotional well-being and specific information about our affiliate organizations and countries. Once the intern arrives in the country, the team will have a formal orientation with him/her again in order to ensure that all his/her needs are being taken care of and he/she feels at home!

Still need help?

If you have any questions or need further clarifications, please feel free to: