Mercy Corps Graduate Paid Internship in Africa

Mercy Corps, an International NGO has several open graduate internships for qualified graduates around the world to be taken in the United States. See below list of current open Internships at the Mercy Corps across the United States.

1. Uganda – Energy Access Intern

Programming  Yumbe, Uganda

Description

INTERN WORKSITE LOCATION: Yumbe, Uganda

LENGTH OF INTERNSHIP: September – December 2019

AVAILABILITY: M-F 9am-5pm (flexible)

INTERN SUPERVISOR & CONTACT INFORMATION: Access to Energy Program Manager

FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THE INTERNSHIP: $500/month stipend

Mercy Corps responsibilities

For the duration of this internship assignment, the intern will receive:

• Housing in Yumbe (shared)
• ISOS Emergency Med-Evac coverage
• Ground transport in country
• Visa fees to be (reimbursed by Uganda office)
• One leave day per month
• Access to Mercy Corps online tools
• All other tools, materials and communication requirements for this project to be undertaken

Intern responsibilities

Intern will remain responsible for all costs associated with:

• International travel
• Medical costs in addition to standard insurance coverage (vaccinations, if applicable)
• All other costs associated with this internship

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.  In Uganda since 2006, the Mercy Corps team has differentiated itself as a forward-thinking, market-driven agency, having implemented or currently implementing over 40 programs in country, valued at over 110 million GBP, and impacting the lives of 2.5 million Ugandans and South Sudanese refugees. In Uganda’s West Nile region, Mercy Corps has broadened our reach and understanding of market-based solutions in refugee and host community settings. Our programs reach more than 11,000 refugee and host community members through smart subsidies (for agricultural inputs), financial services (Village Savings and Loan Associations) and improving linkages to suppliers.

The purpose of this internship is to facilitate the expansion and growth of demand-driven PAYG energy services including, most importantly, access to electricity, to refugee and host communities in the West Nile. The intern will manage feasibility studies, market research and pilot activities within the Bidi Bidi Innovation Centers using existing funding, and act as a liaison between Yumbe based activities and Kampala based colleagues and partners. This internship will demand effective engagement of the private sector, balanced with deep understanding of end user needs and preferences.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the completion of this internship, the intern will:

• Acquire experience in grants management of programs.
• Comprehend the role of program delivery in humanitarian settings
• Gain experience tailoring energy access program delivery to the specific requirements of humanitarian settings
• Understand the role of digital financial services in enabling the expansion of energy services
• Gain experience developing market assessment methodologies and developing private sector partnerships
• Understand the operational systems of an international NGO in country in implementing emergency programs.
• Be able to write quality reports, communication pieces, and learning products, and to draft specific program management tools.
• Acquire experience in developing program proposals.
• Understand relationships with institutional and private donors (including their procedures and requirements) and partners in country.
• Gain a general understanding of local social, political, environmental, and economic issues, a basic grasp of their underlying causes in the local context of Yumbe, Uganda and Mercy Corps’ approach to addressing these issues.

DELIVERABLES:

The Intern will support Mercy Corps Uganda’s Energy and DFS programs through the following activities:

• Supporting the daily grants activities, in coordination with the Kampala and Yumbe based Energy and Digital Finance staff.
• Representing Mercy Corps in external meetings and coordination fora;
• Leading sessions during workshops organized for the program’s teams and partners.
• Conducting applied market research on testing new models for energy products and services as required.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:

• Currently pursuing or recently completed (no more than 1 year) graduate education in economics, business, energy finance, international development, social sciences, international relations or other relevant field.
• Demonstrated interest or experience in supporting or leading expansion of products and services in emerging/frontier market or challenging contexts.
• Proven experience working with individuals and teams to quickly build, test, and scale business models, and jointly identify and prioritize key challenges.
• Experience working with the private sector and building shared value partnerships.
• Demonstrated interest in humanitarian and emergency response programming and strong motivation.
• Experience in drafting or supporting report, communication and learning pieces;
• Strong writing and analytical skills required;
• Ability to respect Mercy Corps procedures, to meet deadlines, to work independently and cooperatively with team members is required;
• Patient, calm, and willing to come to work each day with a sense of humor;
• Demonstrated familiarity with the context of Uganda.
• English fluency, spoken and written;

Full Details and Application Here

2. Ethiopia – Reporting, Communications and Program Development Intern

Programming  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Description

INTERN WORKSITE LOCATION: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

LENGTH OF INTERNSHIP: September 2019 – April 2020

AVAILABILITY: M-F 8am-5pm (flexible)

INTERN SUPERVISOR & CONTACT INFORMATION: Country Director

FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THE INTERNSHIP: $1000/month stipend

Mercy Corps responsibilities

For the duration of this internship assignment, the intern will receive:

• Housing in Addis Ababa
• International travel
• Work-related ground transport in country
• ISOS Emergency Med-Evac coverage
• Visa fees to be (reimbursed by Ethiopia office)
• One leave day per month
• Access to Mercy Corps online tools
• All other tools, materials and communication requirements for this project to be undertaken

Intern responsibilities

Intern will remain responsible for all costs associated with:

• Medical costs in addition to standard insurance coverage (vaccinations, if applicable)
• All other costs associated with this internship

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

Mercy Corps has been operating in Ethiopia since 2004, working in rural, peri-urban and urban areas in five regional states – Somali, Oromia, Afar, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples, Amahara – and the capital city of Addis Ababa. We engage in both development and humanitarian work, and seek to integrate approaches, programs and geographies as much as possible.  Our partners include government, academic institutions, development and private sector actors, civil societies and participating public.

Mercy Corps is looking for an energetic, enthusiastic and talented intern to join our Mercy Corps Ethiopia team. The Reporting, Communications and Program Development Intern position is an exciting opportunity to support Mercy Corps Ethiopia’s portfolio of programs, including reporting to donors, developing communication materials and success stories, and supporting new program development.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the completion of this internship, the intern will:

• Have a strong understanding of program management cycle and minimum standards.
• Acquire experience in grants management of programs.
• Comprehend the role of all departments in humanitarian, transition and development programs.
• Understand the operational systems of an international NGO in country in implementing emergency programs.
• Be able to write quality reports, communication pieces, and learning products, and to draft specific program management tools.
• Acquire experience in developing program proposals.
• Understand relationships with institutional and private donors (including their procedures and requirements) and partners in country.
• Gain a general understanding of local social, political, environmental, and economic issues, a basic grasp of their underlying causes in the local context of Eastern DRC, and Mercy Corps’ approach to addressing these issues.

DELIVERABLES:

The Intern will support Mercy Corps Ethiopia’s programs through the following activities:

• Developing case studies and communications pieces for internal and external consumption
• Reviewing internal and external reports;
• Representing Mercy Corps in external meetings and coordination fora;
• Leading sessions during workshop organized for the program’s teams;
• Contributing to new program development including proposal-writing.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:

• English fluency, spoken and written;
• Graduate study, complete or in progress, in international development, or other relevant course study;
• Experience in drafting or supporting report, communication and learning pieces;
• Strong writing and analytical skills essential;
• Highly motivated, and interested in a career in international development, seeing this position as an entry point
• Ability to respect Mercy Corps procedures, to meet deadlines, to work independently and cooperatively with team members is required;
• Patient, calm, and willing to come to work each day with a sense of humor;
• Demonstrated familiarity with the context of Ethiopia.

Mercy Corps interns and team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours and are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Qualified Candidates can Apply Here

3. DRC – Private Sector Development & Entrepreneurship Intern

Programming  Goma, Congo, Democratic Republic Of (Was Zaire)

Description

INTERN WORKSITE LOCATION: Goma, DRC

DATES OF INTERNSHIP: September 2019 – April 2020

INTERN SUPERVISOR: FARM Program Director/ Markets & Value Chains Program Manager

FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THE INTERNSHIP: $800/month stipend

Mercy Corps responsibilities

For the duration of this internship assignment the intern will receive:

• ISOS Emergency Med-Evac Coverage
• Health insurance (approx. $100/month) to be reimbursed by DRC office
• Ground transport in country
• Visa fees (reimbursed by DRC office)
• Housing in Goma (shared)
• One leave day per month

Intern responsibilities

Intern will remain responsible for all costs associated with:

• International travel
• Medical costs in addition to standard insurance coverage (vaccinations, if applicable)
• All other costs associated with this internship

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps is an international humanitarian and development Non-Governmental Organization which has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of about 400 people. Mercy Corps’ country office is located in Goma with field offices in Kitchanga, Kiwanja, (North Kivu) and Bukavu (South Kivu), and a representative office in Kinshasa.

Current Mercy Corps DRC activities in DRC focus on humanitarian and stabilization programming, in sectors of; WaSH and emergency cash-based assistance, food security, good governance and economic recovery programs, with an increasing shift towards transitional and integrated development programming.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps is looking for an energetic, enthusiastic and talented intern to join us in DRC. The Intern will support the Food Security and Inclusive Access to Resources for Conflict-Sensitive Market Development (FARM) programs in DRC (North Kivu) under the supervision of the Program Director and the component specific Program Manager (Markets & VC Manager), in close cooperation with all departments. More specifically, s/he will be working on supporting the planning and implementation of activities Strategic Objective 1, as well as the development and maintenance of program coordination and communication tools, ensuring Mercy Corps’ program management minimum standards are being met; ensuring adequate systems are in place across the program for adaptive management, and contributing to donor reporting.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the completion of this internship, the intern will:

• Have a strong understanding of program management cycle and minimum standards
• Acquire experience in Market system development, private sector development and entrepreneurship programming, as well as conflict-sensitive and inclusive programming
• Acquire experience in supporting in-field research, data collection and analysis
• Comprehend the role of all stakeholders and departments in MSD programming
• Be able to write quality reports, communication pieces, and learning products
• Understand relationships with institutional donors (including their procedures and requirements) and partners in country
• Gain a general understanding of local social, political, environmental, and economic issues, a basic grasp of their underlying causes in the local context, and Mercy Corps’ approach to addressing these issues

DELIVERABLES:

The Intern will support the team through the following activities:

Program implementation and program quality:

• Complete at least one training on program management
• Assist the SO2 Program Manager and his team in the planning and implementation of following activities:
  • Support setup and operation of youth incubators and accelerators
  • Support evaluation and scaling of microcredit pilot phase
  • Support setup of FARM warehouse credit system
  • Support setup of FARM/FSP pilot market information system
• Provide support to the program to ensure it is meeting the minimum standards
• Harmonize templates (program, financial and operational) used by program staff in interactions with various departments
• Work with all departments to follow up program databases and keep filing up-to-date

Reporting/Communications:

• Contribute to the development of donor and external communications products, including bi-annual reports
• Support the program in the design and roll-out of program visibility and communications planning
• Support the coordination and management of relationships with external partners
• Propose templates and the design for key program documents and tools

IDEAL CANDIDATE SHOULD POSSESS THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS:

• English (required) and French fluency, spoken and written
• Graduate study, complete or in progress, in agribusiness, economics, international development, social sciences, or other relevant domains
• Experience conducting research and analysis from primary and secondary data sources
• Experience in drafting or supporting report, communication and learning pieces (including experience in the development of infographics and platforms such as Word Publisher)
• Strong writing and analytical skills required
• Previous experience in developing or insecure environments a plus
• Ability to respect Mercy Corps procedures, to meet deadlines, to work independently and cooperatively with team members is required
• Patient, calm, and willing to come to work each day with a sense of humor

LIVING CONDITIONS:

This position will be based in Goma (DRC). Accommodation will be provided in Goma within group housing. Goma is a provincial capital of over 700,000 inhabitants. Living in Goma is comfortable, although water and electricity can be unstable. There are different restaurants and leisure activities available.

While conditions in the country are improving, there are still pockets of violence and insecurity, as well as (potential) (post-)election unrest and the Ebola outbreak in the northern part of the province. Mercy Corps’ sub-offices experience variable levels of insecurity, with the situation closely monitored by UN peacekeepers. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other.  Mobile phones and cellular service are widely available.  Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices.  There are a number of health services available with evacuation options for serious illnesses. There’s reasonable access to most consumer goods, although they can be expensive.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Qualified Candidates Can Apply Here